Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student (Summer 2023)

"My experience at CIRP this summer opened my eyes to the world of clinical research. I was mentored by Dr. Valentina Graci on a project investigating differences in balance after ACL reconstruction surgery in adolescents. Being involved in data collection, analysis, and abstract writing, I experienced research from a variety of perspectives. Working on an interdisciplinary team required me to learn new skills and reinforce skills with which I entered the program. 

I was responsible for carrying out the kinetic data analysis in MATLAB for this project. Starting with the raw force plate data, I isolated the time frames of interest, filtered, and extracted the intended measures for each participant (with plenty of debugging and improvements along the way). In addition, I got to explore the use of a new parameter to describe center of pressure data—entropy. Researching a technique from the ground up and then implementing it was an exciting experience and gave me true ownership over my project.

I spent this summer working with fellow engineers, physical therapists, post-bacs, and medical students. Learning how to communicate with an interdisciplinary team was a skill I hadn’t developed before my time at CIRP, but I know it will follow me throughout the rest of my career. I have built so many wonderful connections this summer; I didn’t expect the goodbyes to be so difficult. I will truly miss the rest of my amazing REU cohort and all the individuals at CIRP that have made my time here so wonderful.

This fall I’ll be entering my senior year at the University of Florida finishing my degree in Biomedical Engineering. After my REU experience at CIRP, I am much more confident in my ability to make a meaningful contribution to a research project, and I’m excited to pursue a career in research. I will be bringing the lessons I’ve learned at CIRP back to Florida as I complete my senior thesis in Biomechanics and apply to PhD programs."