It's Coming

The weeks are progressively increasing and soon the year will be over, but the tasks to do prior to that are yet to approach.

Weekly Report 11/27/2017 to 12/03/2017

As Research Showcase approaches in a little over a month, we are gearing towards the first major project of our ISM Journey, the original work. Prior to Thanksgiving break, the original work proposal was due which is a major component required prior to starting the research process. Due to the influence from my second interview with Dr. Bruno Braga, I found his proposal on researching spinal cord and brain regeneration intriguing, however, the difficulty of stem cell research cannot be leveled with the time we have to research. Instead, the topic decided on was to look into pediatric brain tumors and assess types of pediatric gliomas which are the most common type of tumor in children, to see which form of treatment is best suited for each type of tumor. This is a more simplified version that could potentially aid in neural regeneration research if it is possible to understand the parts the the brain that are lost during operative procedures. The research can be very comprehensive, but careful analysis and hopeful help of a mentor can aid in being able to execute the the details of this project. The primary goal of this research project is to provide some sort of security to patients who are coming in unaware of the details and differences between tumors. In fact, oftentimes surgery is not the only route towards treating a tumor and sometimes surgery can impact the surrounding area negatively when a tumor is resecting, thus ensuring that patients are aware of the risks is highly important. In doing so, I will also be working towards creating a prototype that demonstrates the summarized version of the the data into a visual representation.

Prior to Thanksgiving break were our research presentations in which a ten to twelve minute presentation was presented to our classmates based on the progress that has been made by far in terms of research, interviews, and original work. Personally, the time restriction was not a problem, however, my tendency to talk rapidly made the presentation seem much shorter than it should have been. Speaking fast is the primary constructive criticism that was received in addition to a somewhat weak introduction. In order to modify the introduction, I plan to possibly replace it with the introduction that was used in the introduction speech which started off with a story and seemed to appeal to the audience much more than a list of facts. In terms of speaking rapidly, it has been difficult to counteract especially because of my natural tendency to speak fast whether due to nerves or not. During presentations, it makes it difficult to assess when the voice speed is different or not since I am so used to talking fast. In addition, another factor that can be improved on is voice inflection and change the tone of voice every once in awhile in order to not be monotonous. Overall, these can be improved upon by attempting to implement them into everyday life and trying to talk slower than I normally do to make it more habitual when it comes time to presentations.

The primary step of any event is the invitation and this past week was spent doing just that. Much more goes into making invitations than is seen on the exterior of the design process. It takes a lot of meticulous attention to detail in order to be able to ensure that the color pallet remains the same, the invitation is appealing yet not too distracting, font that is readable and legible, etc. Keeping track of all the details in addition to including all the information for reference was the main component of this week’s advancement towards the Research showcase.

The coming weeks hold numerous tasks prior to winter break including devoting at least 12.5 hours of time to original work, finding a mentor, initiate the initial mentor visit, and get prepared for the first formal conference. Although right now it seems as if not much is occurring, the next several weeks hold an immense of work especially with research showcase approaching. The following few days my goal is to assess exactly who I want as my mentor and send an email as soon as possible with the hope that the doctor says yes. The following weeks seem packed with work as we make it towards finalizing original work projects and executing them either on our own or obtaining a mentor and using their help to do so.