Childs grew up in Southern California. As a kid, one thing was certain: He wanted to swim.
“I thought I was going to stay in California,” he recalled. “Then I had a really good swim meet and that opened up an entire country worth of pools. I talked to a coach at North Carolina State and said, ‘Put me on a plane. I’ll be there in a couple months.’”
At North Carolina State University, his focus started to shift, and he became more interested in computer science. He transferred to UF and is seeking his Ph.D. in computer science at the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research under Butler, who specializes in cybersecurity for marginalized people.
As Childs was conducting research on using technology in a way that protects privacy and optimizes performance, the AI-Powered Athletics project was just beginning.
“I was in Dr. Kristy Boyer’s class, talking openly with my friends about this project. Then [Boyer] approached me and said, ‘This sounds like something we have going on. We need to chat,’” Childs said. “So I went to her with a proposal of what I’m looking at, and she explained more about the AI-Powered Athletics project. It seemed like a good fit.”
It was a good fit, he said, as the research merges his two passions: computer science and athletics.
“I wanted to get involved at the intersection of security and privacy and athletics.”
Kevin Childs, UF Ph.D. student in Computer Science
“I don’t have the full picture. I don’t think the academic community has the full picture of how the athletes feel about this technology,” Childs said. “Is it going to help their overall development as a student-athlete? Will it overload the athletic performance, or is it going to have temporary athletic benefits but create anxiety to the point where, at the end of the day, their athletic performance is affected by having technology and having the sense of being watched?”
As a former competitive swimmer and current triathlete, Childs approaches AI-powered athletics with an inside perspective.
“I am seeing how they are implementing technology, such as 24-hour heart rate monitoring,” he said. “And that’s all for performance, but I’m over here doing this security and privacy research and saying ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s take a step back. Let’s consider this.’ I really wanted to get involved at the intersection of security and privacy and athletics.”
That drive and curiosity add substantial value to an ambitious AI initiative, Thomas noted.
“Kevin has been very organized, energized, and engaged for this project,” Thomas said. “He provides great energy and a wealth of information about technology and cybersecurity.”
For the UF & Sport Collaborative, Childs sees AI merging multiple data streams; that includes injury profiles so athletes can go back and see what the risk factors were.
“I think we have the potential, by collecting this information and using it in the right way, to elevate the way we use athletic data and create a more holistic picture of training from all different data streams currently being used,” Childs said.
Like Brewer, Childs is a little surprised he ended up in muggy Florida seeking a Ph.D.
But he has embraced his new hometown, especially the natural springs. There you will find him not in the water but above the water in a canoe or kayak. After all, said the swimmer from California, “You guys have water, but there are a lot of gators.”