Young Scholars Orientation
I enjoyed sitting in with the young scholars that were selected for the research program. The students were very enthusiastic about the opportunity, and eager to share their interests and career goals. Through an ice breaker activity entitled, “Picture Yourself in the Future,” with Allen Antoine, the students explained how the STEM initiatives and research provided through the PATHS-UP program would correlate to their future career goals and aspirations. Students were asked to provide a picture that represents their interests. Next, each student was asked to try to match the picture with another student that posted it. Allen Antoine spoke about computational imaging as one of the focal points for the PATHS-UP research, but also related that innovations in other technological fields can be utilized in the health setting as well. Ultimately, I gathered that he was reassuring the students to have free expression and that computer science and software development encompasses almost every field.
The young scholars related many interesting career paths. One student was heavily involved in automobiles and wanted to help develop software to improve racing efficiency. One student wanted to become a biomedical engineer. Another student plans to study ophthalmology due to a medical condition of her sister.
I was especially impressed with one student named Tracy. She mentioned that she wanted to research educational technologies, but specifically wanted to help create technologies that also function in developing regions around the world. She said that she was interested in computing for developing regions because of the lack of affordable technology digital literacy skills. A great point that she mentioned was that, “I feel like a lot of technology now advances upward or forward rather than backwards so the reason why I joined this program is to gain more research experience while also specifically focusing on increasing the accessibility of technology.”
On Wednesday, Dr. Souptik Barua presented information on Data-Driven Technology for Managing Diabetes. It was entitled, “Digital Diabetes Technology: How Sensors and Data Analytics Can Help Manage and Prevent Diabetes.”
While there were many interesting points brought out in the presentation, one of the aspects that resonated with me the most was that the one challenge of addressing the complications of diabetes is that it is self-managed. Also, managing one’s diabetes can actually be considered a burden by some. He mentions that “there is a large burden of diabetes in the US and this burden is not even. Many groups face a disproportionate burden of diabetes than others do not.” He explains that through his research, “we’re very mindful of developing technology for underserved populations.” I mentioned that both of my parents have diabetes and that they are not comfortable with their ability to use the technology properly. They, like many, are not very tech savvy, but want to do as much as they can to improve their health. This uncomfortability in using technological tools without the proper education and trust is definitely a barrier. Dr. Barua brought out an interesting point. There are several things to be sensitive to. One must keep in mind that it is an issue of faith not only regarding the effectiveness of the technology, but the ethical integrity of the information once it is acquired. He mentions, “Removing the burden as much as possible will help, and that I think there are two aspects [to consider]. One aspect is faith in technology. Do you believe that the technology actually works. Do you have concerns about security and privacy?”
Next, he mentions the second aspect. He questions, “do you have faith that the technology actually works? Is it that you feel there is still too much of a burden on you, or is it a bother at all? The research focuses on levering technology to be minimally invasive. He gives an example by saying, “I think the second aspect [could be using a] glucose monitor. It is really affecting you because you’re always aware of it and this can be a burden. He asks, “so can we design something more efficient? Can we have low cost, accessible sensors that are made of more comfortable materials?” I appreciate how he related that there must be a right balance of analytics, and information necessary to address the needs of these individuals.
Takeaways
Overall it was another great week of activity. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the feedback and support from my cohort. I appreciate hearing their expertise and knowledge of the material. The presentations were very informative and interesting as well. Each presenter has been very knowledgeable, and the complex material that each presented, was done so in a way that could be easily understood. The research project on Breast Cancer has been a bit challenging. I understand the methodology of the research along with its importance, and use of machine learning to process data that results in computational imaging. There is a learning curve, especially with the programming aspect. I know that will come with practice and time. Despite this, I’m eager to learn more and just see some of the practical ways in which the data is applied and automated through each unique algorithm.