32 Research Reflection by Oliver Rhodes

Faculty Mentor: Peter Fino (Health and Kinesiology, University of Utah)

I joined the Neuromechanics and Applied Locomotion Lab with aspirations of becoming a physical therapist, a career goal I simply picked because I didn’t know what else was out there. Joining the lab helped me quickly realize this wasn’t the route for me. Through participating in data collection, starting to explore topics on my own, and getting to know the lab members, I learned where my skillset lied. I was good at translating data and tailoring it to my audience, I needed variety to thrive and stay interested, and I loved working with other people. With such, I explored avenues that would interest me and eventually stumbled myself into a position in sports science with Utah Athletics. I’ve learned that this is the field I want to go into, as there’s always new projects to do, plentiful amounts of innovation, captivating data to work with, and a load of fun people as colleagues. Research helped me define who I am and what I want, and given me a drive to go down a path where I will have a true impact.