In a field of our own

Distinguished Professor Aaron Coutts is the Head of the UTS School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation and the Director of the Human Performance Research Centre, located in the UTS Moore Park Precinct. His research is focused on developing evidence-based methods for improving the performance and health of athletes, making this facility world-leading in bespoke enterprise learning and sports performance programs and research.

Aaron is a Queenslander, who grew up on a farm west of Moura. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland and his postgraduate studies at CQUniversity.

Aaron has worked with some of the world's leading sporting organisations, such as the AFL, NRL, EPL, NBA, NFL and College Basketball. I was given the great opportunity to meet with Aaron, who took me on a tour of the Moore Park precinct. Moore Park is the official home to the Qantas Wallabies and Wallaroos and the Australian Men’s and Women’s Sevens Rugby teams. The disciplines using this facility are UTS Sport and Exercise and Physiotherapy.

Aaron is justifiably proud of this building and what is happening within its walls. Throughout the build he insisted on architectural features that nod to UTS’s past, such as the bright green colours of the old Ku-ring-gai campus that are proudly displayed on the central stairwell, which serves as the bleachers for the multipurpose sports hall. This versatile hall is used for basketball, volleyball and badminton, and is used for the physiotherapy program.

Next, we visited the exercise physiology research laboratory, which is equipped with exercise equipment such as treadmills and cycle ergometers, but is also connected to the biomechanics and biochemistry research labs. The biomechanics lab digitises movement so that researchers can measure the impacts of speed and other forces placed upon the body during exercise. Research happening in the biochemistry lab may also involve the collection of blood and muscle tissue during and after exercise to determine muscle metabolites and measure exercise and dietary impact on the quality of muscle. Blood samples measure liver function, circulating hormones, immune factors and metabolites. It is highly sophisticated, and the facilities are well-worth the visit.

Amongst so much more there are huge drum kits where students can measure sound and reaction speed, and understand the sensation of learning a new skill. I tried it out myself, and had a great time!  

The three greatest impacts this visit had for me were - the research being conducted that takes sports to such a scientific level and bridges the gap between science and industry; speaking with Dr Blake McLean, Course Coordinator for the Master of High Performance Sport, and whose research involves working with elite basketballers in the American NBA; and the third impact was the emptiness of the facility due to COVID-19. The team is looking forward to getting back to normal where more than 700 students learn and commune in this magnificent space on a daily basis. We have to look forward to better times when Moore Park will return to it’s rightful place as a thriving hub of research and teaching. Thanks again Aaron for a terrific morning.