Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student (Summer 2021)

"I developed a variety of technical and professional skills during my time in the CIRP REU program. Working on studies on selective motor control in young children with cerebral palsy under the guidance of Drs. Laura Prosser and Valentina Graci allowed me to contribute to various stages of the research process and deepen my understanding of the field of rehabilitation engineering. Throughout the summer, I worked on various subprojects ranging from coding to a literature review to novel testing device design.

This variety of subproject types allowed me to practice multiple engineering disciplines that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of modern and medical engineering. My primary project this summer was converting the feedback game from Scratch to Python. This made it possible to have multiple game modes, directions, and avatars. The goal of this subproject was to make the game more user-friendly for study participants and investigators. Working on this subproject allowed me to improve my clean coding and organizational skills and gain experience with Python libraries and interfacing across multiple devices and languages, such as Arduino boards, a NI USB DAQ device, and MATLAB scripts.

This taught me how to be flexible and adaptable during the design process and in a more technical sense, I learned how to connect material from my prior coursework across multiple classes. Additionally, preparing a literature review on upper limb extremity reaching allowed me to advance my knowledge of the research process. Finally, the opportunity to design and manufacture a specialized table for another study on selective motor control gave me a valuable opportunity to practice iterative design and better communicate design ideas using CAD software and prototypes.

The opportunity to tackle highly open-ended research problems allowed me to prepare myself for practical engineering. This was especially beneficial in learning about user-focused design and how it applies to software, hardware, and physical systems. My work at CHOP/CIRP allowed me to experience firsthand the roles that various disciplines of engineering, such as mechanical engineering, systems engineering, and computer engineering, can have in medicine. I was able to see firsthand how engineering can positively impact society and I am now more prepared to pursue a career in rehabilitation engineering."