Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Student (Summer 2018)
"During the summer of 2018, I had the privilege of working as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) intern at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) under Dr. Megan Ryerson. I joined the Safe Mobility team and worked heavily on the data analysis of the safety of the Market Street and JFK Boulevard bike lanes. I became very familiar with the Tobii Eye Tracking Glasses, learned a new coding language, and developed a method to map time-dependent values to distance. I also assisted in the Inter-Terminal Wayfinding Project at JFK Airport in New York, where we equipped participants with the Tobii Eye Tracking glasses to study the experience of finding the terminal and gate of a connecting flight.
I am a rising junior at Swarthmore College and am working towards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree with minors in Computer Science and Physics. This experience has opened many doors for me and my future in engineering. Because of my positive experience with research, I plan to attend graduate school and am considering research as a career. I loved working with my lab and will continue to work with them during the school year. I will also be attending a conference and presenting my work to others in the field, which is a privilege I did not even consider before this internship. The people at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania have provided overflowing opportunities and support to the REU students, and I am thankful to have been chosen as one."