Daniel Andrades

Daniel Andrades is a morning person, regularly hitting the gym at 8am.

His motto: “Start out the day good, and feel good for the rest of the day!”

Maybe that’s why the exercise science major has a seemingly bottomless well of energy—which he draws from to keep to his packed schedule.

Not only is Andrades a member of Towson University’s rigorous Honors College, but he also serves as a teaching assistant, a student ambassador, and event coordinator for the Exercise Science Club. Plus, he leads a Bible study and does missionary work as part of the Baptist and Catholic campus ministries.

If you can’t find him talking with prospective students on a campus tour or in a classroom, the busy senior is probably working in a Burdick Hall lab.

Yes, he’s also a research assistant.

Andrades conducts research alongside Towson faculty and leads his own research team. In one study, he is investigating the accuracy of Fitbit—the fitness-tracking device adorning the wrists of health-conscious folks the world over. Subjects wearing Fitbits are run through fitness tests that capture actual data, such as caloric expenditure, so the TU researchers can compare those figures with the estimates produced by the popular fitness-tracker.

Andrades appreciates that Towson professors offer undergraduates opportunities to get involved in research. This work, he says, allows him to explore a long-held fascination with exercise physiology and is opening his eyes to career possibilities.

“The faculty really invest in their students,” says Andrades. “We are their stories of success.”

A native of Pakistan, Andrades loves being at Towson because the TU community has enabled him to feel at home in his adoptive country.

“Towson,” says Andrades, “is my family.”

“ The faculty really invest in their students. ”