I am currently a Bioengineering major with a concentration
in Health Care Informatics along with a double major in Economics at George
Mason University. I have always had a passion for creating solutions and
breaking solutions – which I think is the best of both worlds. To me, a bioengineer
means to be an engineer at heart who is able to utilize subjects – math,
physics, biology, etc. and create a solution for a problem. Now it is one thing
to learn about previous works and learn from their mistakes but to be the
person doing the research is a world of its own. The URSP research position has
allowed me to experience this world and has allowed me to gain new passion for
my topic.
Currently, I am conducting research on determining how heart
rate variability (HRV) and differential pulse transit time (dPTT) correlate
with fatigue levels. Using videos to extract pulse velocity waves (PVW) from
specific region of interests (ROI), the potential extraction for dPPT can be
determined. Now I have come to understand that developing an optimized algorithm
for determining anything is not easy obstacle to overcome. Long days of
programming and getting nowhere can be very frustrating from time to time. But
even though that may sound a bit discouraging, it has given me a bigger drive
to understand what is not working and how should I fix it. Some of the research
that I had done inclined me to do: literature reviews for fundamental
understanding, validation of methodology, validation of working environment,
algorithm validation, and cross-validation of methodology. I think these
research skills have helped me grow as individual and to understand what it
means to be a researcher. In the works of my research experience, I have
learned to balance the ups and downs in conducting research. Another important
attribute that I have learned is defiantly how patience is important to any
type of research. Patience is very important as not everything may work at an
instant but the journey makes it worthwhile.
Overall, I think I have learned what is to be researcher and
I am very grateful for the experience as it has helped open my eyes. I am very
eager to continue my ongoing work on my research project and future research
projects. I would also like to thank my mentor, Dr. Ikonomidou, for everything
she has done for me and the great people from the OSCAR department.
