HOMEPAGE OF
DAVID A. WATTS

PHYSICS MUSIC AIKIDO



Don't forget to visit the photo archive !!!

New photos added 1st July, '03

Quick links

Who is David A. Watts?
Nelson BC Info Site

Shawn's Home Page
Matt's Home Page
James's Home Page
Marc's Saxophone Page

The Absinthe Groove
Leisure Lab
LarG Productions


PHYSICS
Studying physics at Simon Fraser University was a natural progression from the Kootenay home turf. There I enrolled in a Bachelor's of Science program with a major in applied physics studying topics such as mechanics, electromagnetism, electronics and digital interfacing, computing and computer architecture, programming, optics, thermodynamics, astronomy, and quantum physics.


To supplement the theory I enrolled in Co-operative Education : a program that places students into employment positions in areas of research or industry related to their degree. I completed work semesters with
During my last year of study and after graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in April 2001, I worked for Scitech Instruments aiding in the development and production of a product that measures the properties of nano-particles in solution. This is achieved by scattering and collecting photons (small packets of light) and then using a process known as "photon correlation". Scitech has given me technical experience in the areas of:

Early this year (2003) I attended the Joint University Accelerator School (JUAS) in Archamps, France, along with twenty or so other students, learning about the physics, technologies, and applications of modern accelerator machines. I enjoyed this ten week course VERY much and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and in-depth study of accelerator technologies. You should also check out the home pages of these other JUAS students with photos from JUAS:

Mikele's Web Site (In Italian)
Steph's Web Site

As of March 2003, I am pleased to be employed as a fellow at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) for a two-and-a-half year fellow contract in the Division TS, Group DEM-PMT. Visit my project page of the Field Gradient Lattice Detector for more information on my research at CERN.


To learn more about my technical or academic qualifications, contact me by email to request a CV package or resume...




MUSIC
Equally as enthusiastic about playing music as about science and technology, and as a guitar player at heart and an occasional trumpet and percussion player, I put my paws to work to create spontaneous grooves. Ever an explorer of how things work, I am naturally curious about musical theory and have an unquechable jazz thirst... below you can find links to some of my musical endeavors.

AGS

Here's one of my latest projects with locals in the Geneva area... heavy, raunchy, and politically INcorrect!!! What does AGS stand for??? DON'T ASK!!!

In the Funky Boot

Another current project with fellows from the CERN community... as long as it's funky, cool, and jazzy, throw it in the funky boot!

The Absinthe Groove

While at university in Vancouver, I was fortunate to met up with other like-minded musicians and so The Abinsthe Groove was formed. Eventually, with an established repetoire of groovalicious tunes, we sought to create an album that would capture our original sound. You can download the tracks from our self-recorded album and other jam sessions by visiting the Absinthe music page. Or, you can even purchase a copy of the album from me directly... just send me an email for information.

Leisure Lab

Another project, playing guitar and bass in the original soul-funk septet Leisure Lab from Vancouver, has also led to an independent recording which has produced a demo CD. You can sample the music from this demo CD by visiting their homepage on New Music Canada.

Mayguru

From March until June of last year (2002), I was helping with the production and playing trumpet on another CD by a band hither to unknown to the english speaking world named MayGuru. Although best known in Spoleto, Italy, but with original music, they did an elite tour of BC during the summer of 2002! Their self-produced CD - entitled "To Get To The Other Side" - is also now available.



Below you'll find some more links to other independent groups we like...

A relaxing track with Aaron Jones on the hammer dulcimer with waves of Kootenay Lake!

And here's some tunes recorded from a brief 2004 reunion of friends... Leisure Lab meets Absinthe Groove meets Marco La China!!!


AIKIDO
I discovered Aikido thanks to the recommendation of a flamboyant friend of mine.

Here are some Aikido-related links... the first link to World Headquarters has a nice description of "What is Aikido?"...



Here's some more information about the dojos where I train...

As I'm currently living in St. Genis (just outside of Geneva, in France) and working at CERN in Switzerland, I've been frequenting the Aikido Club Meyrin. I was recently tested in the fall of 2003 for my 4th kyu by Francis Chapuis, 4th Dan.

During my three month stay in central Italy in 2002, I trained for two months at a small dojo in Foligno. On the 1st and 2nd June of that year, I attended a seminar in Reggio nell'Emilia, organized by the Aikikai d'Italia.

I first encountered Aikido at my university, at the SFU Aikikai , under instruction by Kim Riddick and Micheal Smorhay. I attended two seminars by Y. Kawahara Shihan, 7th Dan, technical director of Aikido in Canada and was tested by him for my 5th kyu in the summer of 2000. I am also a member of the Canadian Aikido Federation.



Here are two useful links to Aikido in Switzerland...
Swiss Aikido Web
Assosiation Culturelle Suisse d'Aikido


While making six-months of travels through Europe last year, I stopped in at several dojos, all of which welcomed me onto the mats without question. Here are the links to some of their websites...

Aikido Parma
Aikido Ikeda-Dojo Zurich
Aikido Heidelberg
Copenhagen Aikido Club
Lund Aikido Club



Contact me by email at

dwatts_at_alumni_dot_sfu_dot_ca


This site copyright Ó 2004 David A. Watts. All rights reserved.