Class of 2025: Summer research projects inspire a career in biomechanics research

A social person by nature, spending the first year and a half of her degree at home during COVID left Emily Dittmer eager to make the most of her time at UCalgary. 

Now about to graduate with a BSc. degree, Honours, in Biomechanics, Dittmer has taken part in research projects and practicums across the faculties of kinesiology, engineering and medicine, and gained experiences that landed her an internship at adidas in Germany. 

“I wanted to hit the ground running and see what the university had to offer. I thought applying for a summer research program might help me decide which direction to take my degree” says Dittmer. 

Research internship studying the interplay of Fitbit and Garmin wearables

Her first summer research internship was through NSERC funding in biomedical engineering with Dr. Sayeh Bayat, professor in Schulich School of Engineering who Dittmer says is ‘incredible’.

“The lab was part biomedical engineering and part geomatics engineering, and I have an interest in computer science. I spent the summer researching the interplay of commercial wearables like Fitbit and Garmin and machine learning techniques to predict changes in lifestyle,” says Dittmer.   

Dittmer says the heavy coding, programming and biomedical nature of the topic was an incredible learning experience. 

Predicting risk of bone loss in astronauts

Next, she did a research internship funded by McCaig Institute for Bone and Health with Dr. Leigh Gabel, assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology. 

“I applied a lot of my learnings from Dr. Bayat’s lab to predict risk of bone loss in astronauts. Dr. Gabel has connections with space agencies for this type of research and she was a fantastic mentor who taught me a lot about bone health,” says Dittmer. 

• Read more profiles of amazing Class of 2025 graduates 

After completing her research internships, Dittmer took two practicums which are available in the Faculty of Kinesiology (unpaid work experience for course credit). She worked with the Canadian Sport Institute Sport Product Testing Team and then with Dr. William Wannop, assistant professor in Kinesiology.  

“It was my first introduction to the world of biomechanics and seeing how to work with industry partners like Lululemon and adidas,” says Dittmer.

Landing internship at adidas

While completing a practicum with Wannop’s group, Dittmer applied for an internship with adidas. 

“Before I knew it, I was leaving home for the first time and flying to Germany to complete a six-month internship,” says Dittmer.

She worked in the outdoor department inside the adidas sport science and innovation lab on projects that were similar to her work with the Wannop lab. 

“It was biomechanics-heavy work, mainly focusing on hiking footwear and trail running. I could relate to it growing up in Calgary close to the Rockies, and doing a lot of outdoor sports,” says Dittmer. 

Her breadth of knowledge was a benefit on the job, as Dittmer noted, “At adidas they were impressed with the type of experience I was able to gain as an undergraduate at UCalgary.”

Deciding on a career biomechanics

It was a combination of all her experiences at UCalgary that guided her choice to pursue a career in biomechanics. 

“I can’t say enough about the summer research programs at UCalgary, and the professors here who are willing to take students, they are so helpful,” says Dittmer. 

In the fall, Dittmer is entering an MSc. program in biomedical engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, supervised by Dr. William Wannop.