Preparation for Research Showcase

This week in ISM, I spent most of my time making sure that both my portfolio and display board were absolutely perfect and ready for Research Showcase. As I was updating my portfolio, I realized just how much I have accomplished and learned already in this program. It feels like just a few weeks ago that I was stressing out about giving a 2-3 minute Introduction Speech, or starting to contact biomedical engineers for research interviews. I can't believe that I'm already halfway through the year; time truly has flown by. For my display board, I'm really proud of how the final version turned out, because it represents who I am and accurately paints a picture of my growth through ISM so far. Another aspect of this week was preparing for Research Showcase, which is in less than a week! I handed out all my invitations for this event by Tuesday, and I'm extremely excited to introduce my mentor to my teacher and my classmates. In class, we had mock trials, in which we discussed the information on our boards and practiced answering some commonly asked questions. Then, we took turns describing a challenging concept in our field in less than 30 seconds. Both of these drills gave me a better idea of what to expect at the actual event, so at this point, I feel well-prepared for Showcase and know I can successfully inform others of my field and the research I have done so far. This upcoming week, I will read about some current events within biomedical engineering and create a checklist for the materials I need for Research Showcase.

Osseointegration

Based off all the research I have done about the different sub-fields of biomedical engineering and the information I learned through my research interviews with professionals, I have decided to focus on the topic of prosthetics this year. Prosthetics really fascinate me, because they essentially serve the purpose of replacing a lost limb and returning functionality to the user, so that these individuals can go out and live normal lives once again. Therefore, this week I found an article discussing the introduction of a relatively new technique for attaching an artificial limb to the patient's leg. This procedure is called osseointegration, and it involves directly implanting a metal rod into the bone at the site of the amputation, which can then be attached to the rest of the prosthesis.

To read my analysis, click here.

My Display Board

This week in ISM, I finished my display board and went on my first mentor visit. Over Thanksgiving Break, I had purchased all my supplies for the board, such as the letters, glitter ribbon, and papers to layer with and add more color to the board. Then, at the beginning of this week, I started printing off the information I wanted to include on the board, cutting the papers to the correct sizes, and placing everything on the board. At first, I had a really hard time trying to decide the best font sizes to use for the papers and also what research to include, so that I could convey what I had learned so far, but not confuse everyone who looked at my board. I think the hardest part of the process was just getting everything to look the way I had pictured it would look in my head. I'm also really glad that we had drawn out a draft of the display board in class several weeks ago, because it gave me a basic outline and design to refer back to as I worked. Another important aspect of this week was that I went on my first mentor visit at UT Southwestern! I wasn't exactly sure where to start in this whole mentorship process, but we covered a lot of general information in this meeting and began discussing several long-term projects. For example, my mentor gave me an excellent resource to get the necessary information for my original work and a great website I could use to find articles for research assessments. I can't wait to continue in this mentorship and see what else I can learn over the course of this year. This upcoming week, I will write my last interview assessment, hand-out invitations for Research Showcase, and fully update my portfolio.