8/19/09

Wednesday, I got the chance to have a meeting with the head of Chemical Engingeering here at RIT. My advisor had set up this meeting for me, which made it really easy for me to see what I may be doing in the future if I continue on the path I have started. I got an interesting outlook into what it is that chemical engineers do, as well as the things I should keep in mind when going to a college for that field. This was a very informative meeting that helped me put all my goals in perspective and figure out how to best achieve them.

8/18/09

Today was very fun. I started off the morning with a class on holograms. This was informative yet enjoyable and I got to see how complex the imaging process really is. There is a ridiculous amount of information about which I have no idea. We got to see an incredible hologram of a telephone with a magnifying glass in front of it. When you moved your head, the image reacted just like it would if you were standing in front of the thing itself. Even the image inside the magnifying glass changed. It was unbelieveable. One of the coolest things I have seen this summer for sure.
Next, we got to make holograms in the dark room. This was also a really neat experience, especially since I had made the chemicals with which to run the experiment. My first hologram didn't come out perfectly, so they allowed me to go down and do another one. It was nice that they didn't mind doing it all again.
I figured out the registration today with Karl's help. Things are working much better and the timing couldn't be any better either. Loose ends have all been tied up here at the end of the summer.

8/17/09

Monday was a productive day. I got to basically finish up my powerpoint presentation, so now I can relax and simply work on fluency regarding my presentation. Also, I had the chance to see another intern's presentation so that I could get more exposure to what I wanted my presentation to be like.
After lunch, I got more experience working with the HDR registration. Karl went through the program so that I could see what changes he was making and learn how to work with it myself. However, by the end of the day it was not working as well as we wanted it to.

8/14/09

Friday was a relaxing day after finishing up everything for the presentation the day before. I got a chance to work on my presentation throughout the day. Also, I was able to work with and get exposure to the HDR display that we are using for viewing x-ray images. I left at 11 am, so I left after working with the display for a while and getting things more prepared.

8/13/09

Thursday was awesome. We worked during the day on making sure that every aspect of my program as well as Photoshop worked perfectly. In the afternoon, we also worked to fix bugs in a program we are using to view x-ray images. Later on, we headed over to the Eastman House to present my program to the man who had asked for it.
It was neat finally getting to see the use for my program. Everything ran smoothly and he seemed very pleased with what we had done. At one point, we were able to put three images on top of each other for viewing. This was really cool. Also, I was introduced to the process behind creating a Dagguerreotype image and why he needed to know how to better preserve them. Silver compounds build up between the crystals on the surface of the image that eventually destroy the image. By viewing the images under different lighting, it is possible to see where new silver buildup is appearing before it takes over. I really enjoyed getting to see what goes on behind the scenes of an advanced place such as the Eastman House.

8/12/09

Today I spent all my time in front of the computer. I am testing the "Automatic Registration" that we have to see if it will work for any of the images that my program works for, but simply faster. I also have a lot to do in order to make sure that I am completely ready to present my program to those using it tomorrow. Although this is somewhat nervewracking, I am pretty confident in the work I have done. It will be nice to have a completed project that I was in charge of.

8/11/09

Today was fun. I ran my program with all combinations of images in order to avoid any final issues that I had not seen before. Finally, I got to pull the registered images into Photoshop along with the images they had been registered to. By pulling them into the same Photoshop document, I was able to layer them, one on top of the other, and change the opacity of the top image. This allows the viewer to see both images at once. I was pleasantly surprised to find how perfectly matched my images were.
We tried using the TV monitors in the conference room to run my program, since bigger displays help accuracy. This was a good get away from the same work I had been doing all day. Other people had the opportunity to stop by and it was neat to show them the work I had done.
I have made up some ground regarding what I have to do in the next two days. I'm feeling on top of the workload.

8/1109

I am kind of concerned at the moment... I have to settle a lot of things in the next few days before I meet with the Eastman House. I kind of feel like this sped up on me and I'm barely going to be able to get it in on time. Maybe if we had sat down and looked at the time frame when I first started the registration project I could have been more prepared. However, some of it was out of our control since the man we are meeting had a very tight schedule. We'll see how it goes.

8/10/09

Monday was my first day back after my long vacation. However, it turned out to be a very productive day. The final issues that I was havig with my registering program were driving me insane because I had thought everything was perfect. NOW I have completely finished the program and writing out the script for any user to go by. This is really neat because it's something I have never done before and never thought I could do. I will be meeting with the Eastman House members to explain what I've done and gain more insight into what it is they will be doing. This will be a neat experience.
Also, I was recorded on a high- speed camera that had something crazy like 2000 frames per second. He recorded me making some ridiculous sound and it was hilarious to watch it in slow-slow-motion. Very cool.

7/30/09

Today I worked on the finishing touches of my program and eventually turned it into a function that can be run through MatLab. The user simply puts in the images, and gets out a new and registered image.

By the end of the day, when testing the program with more images, I found that there are some issues with the scaling of the images that we thought we had avoided. Looks like we will be continuing this project longer than I thought, since yesterday I was pretty much "done." This is teaching me how much effort goes into the simplest of projects at this level of research and work.

7/29/09

Wednesday was another full programming day. Karl and I worked most of the morning trying to discover how to make images fill up the window they were put into. He figured out the best way, and after that I did most of the cleaning up on my own. By the end of the day, this portion of the program was completely finished and I had a great sense of accomplishment. I continue to learn every minute that I work on this project.
Also, I attended a Ph. D defense regarding the calculating of gaseous leaks within industrial plants. The defense was humbling; I have never seen a master's level degree of mathematics and reasoning. Between the concepts he explained and the math that he used to justify and explain them, I was very lost but enjoyed seeing the extent to which certain people learn after college.

7/28/09

Tuesday I continued strenuous work on the computer program for registering the images. I have made a lot of progress, and the program does everything that it is supposed to. However, small details such as the positioning of the images on the screen have kept this an involved and challenging project. I am learning a great deal every step of the way, in addition to getting more comfortable with the concepts of the program in general.
Aaron, the mechanical engineer, had a new material for making hand molds. This time, he used Bath's hand (she is another intern working at RIT) and it came out very nice. I am looking forward to seeing the progress in this project as well.

7/27/09

Monday was a programming day. Right now, we are working on developing a program in MatLab that registers two images. This involves clicking corresponding points on two images so that the computer can transform one to be alike to the other. This includes orientation, size, and transformations. Clearly, this is not an easy program for a "new" person to write in MatLab. However, I am learning every minute that I work on this program, which makes it worth while and more enjoyable. The members of my lab are very patient and helpful in assisting me in my progress.
Halfway through the day, I had the opportunity to help with another research project for visual perception. They tracked my eyes while I looked at several pictures and then asked me questions about what I saw. Seeing this technology was really neat. I'm looking forward to doing more optical- involved projects.

7/24/09

Friday we needed to finish off the computers that needed to be donated to the ARC of Monroe. I worked in the morning and some of the afternoon developing modem connections that would allow the new users to get online where the computers will next be located. We came across some issues with one of the computers, but eventually got the connection to work. After speeding up the refresh frequency for each of the monitors, I was FINALLY done with these two donations! It is nice to be completed finished with a project that I did generally on my own (although I needed help every day with one thing or another).
Now for the really, really cool part of Friday. In the morning Bob Callens brought me down to the dark rooms, where I mixed a bunch of chemicals in water to create three different solutions, that would all be used to make holograms for visitors the next day. Also, we transferred photosensitive plates to new cases in the dark. This was neat, since I saw how important it is for light to not reach certain devices. I hope to do something like this again in the future, since it reconfirmed my interest in the chemistry arena of science.

7/23/09

Thursday I started the day off with updating an older computer that we plan on donating to the ARC of Monroe. In order to do this, I had to download and update software so that the computer can work quickly and be user- friendly for whoever may deal with it next.
Around 11 am, Aaron, the mechanical engineer I am working with, removed my "fake hand" from the softer shell that surrounded it. The hand was very good, however it was somewhat unbalanced, which meant we had to do it over again at some point. Since my hand was obviously not meant to be held flat, we decided to use his hand instead. When mixing the liquids, the substance solidified way too early and we ended up having an unsuccessful attempt at the new mold. On the bright side, we have ordered a new material that should be easier and more accurate. After this trial, Aaron showed me around the mechanical engineering machinery, which was overwhelmingly impressive and interesting.
After lunch, I finished organizing the donor computers and they will be shipped out soon. It felt good to have completed a task such as this.

7/22/09

This morning was really fun. I got to work with Aaron, a mechanical engineer, to mix the powders her bought in order to make a gel-like substance which I placed my hand into. After about 10 minutes, I removed my hand and there was a hollow spot where my hand was inside the gelatinous mass. Next we poured this other mixed liquid into the hollow area and it will solidify over night. In the morning, we will remove the softer outer shell and be left with a replica of my hand in a cement-like solid. This was really cool to experience.
After lunch I worked on getting the network card for a computer to be donated to work so that I can install new software onto the computer. This way, the new owners will have access to virus scanners and other fun applications. I watched Karl and Rob work through a lot of network issues and so I learned a lot about how the network system can be looked at, changed, restarted and located.

7/21/09

This morning we worked on calibrating the projector and monitor that we have setup to acquire a higher contrast for viewing images. Although I did not take part in any direct programming, I was observing two very experienced computer whizzes have conversations regarding troubleshooting.
After lunch, this continued but unfortunately I wasn't feeling well. I tried to focus and follow what they were trying to accomplish. Also, Rob explained to me some of the steps he was taking in MatLab to program the setup in a different way. Soon I went over to Maria's office to listen to a phone conference regarding a phantom hand that needs to be built. My hand will be used for the mold! This will be neat. To add to the type of work I have been doing, I will now get a cool experience with mechanical engineering since I will get to see the entire process of building the phantom. I needed to leave early today because I was feeling so crummy, however they were all understanding.

7/20/09

Monday was a productive day. In the morning I built tubes with slits in one end and defraction gratings on the other. This was done to provide a clean and clear spectrum for the viewer to see and analyze. These tubes will be used in an optics lab for students to work with images and the wavelengths that they are composed of.
After lunch, Maria and I began working with the new pulser that we will do our ultrasound biofilm research with. Although there was some confusion, we got the pulser set up and it is ready for use once we get a new oscilloscope. With a new oscilloscope, we can begin to go after our research full throttle, which I am really excited about.

7/17/09

Friday involved a great deal of computer checking in order to rid our lab of extra computers, keyboards, mice, etc. While I was checking each device, which took a long time, I also went down outside the building to spray paint tubes for an optics lab that will be coming up. Although Maria joked about the fact that I have not been able to start the project I came here to work on (ultrasound research) , I have still enjoyed the variety of tasks I am completing. Also, it is impressive how optimistic and flexible all my co-workers remain through frustrating setbacks. This flexibility has made this internship work enjoyable and more efficient.
After all the computer work was done, I went over to the Color Science Building to help with an eye-tracking research project that a grad student is doing. For 45 minutes I looked at and analyzed images to see which of the two was more "glossy." This was fun and interesting. Experiences like this have led me to think outside the box and look at the simply things in my life as complex scientific concepts.

7/16/09

Today I got the chance to work on some optical lab experiments which were really fun and interesting. This started the day off well since it was so hands- on.
After lunch, I got the opportunity to speak to kids in California that are also involved with a science experience about which they are blogging. They asked some very good questions and it felt neat to be able to explain something with a false sense of professionalism and accomplishment! I enjoyed explaining the experience, since it gave me an idea of my OWN thoughts on what I was doing and to what extent I understood it. Also, it put the internship in perspective in the sense that I should constantly be evaluating my surroundings and experiences to see how I feel about going into this field for my career.

7/15/09

This morning was somewhat wide open, since the work that Maria and I had was independent of each other's work. I read some interesting and complex material regarding phantom creation of a hand that will serve to replicate the properties of human skin, bone and cartilage for ultrasound tests.
Soon, Maria took me over to an awesome part of the mechanical engineering building, where we talked with an intelligent graduate student. I still enjoy the exposure this experience is giving me to different people and areas of study. Keeps me on my toes.
The presentation on E. coli was interesting and helpful in that I noted some things that I wish to take in and improve upon based on this girl's delivery.
Also, I had the chance to work with more computer equipment and totally loved taking memory chips and a hard drive out of old computers. I am enjoying many aspects of this internship which keep me guessing each day.

7/14/09

Today went very smoothly. I had some down time for the first couple minutes of the day that allowed me to organize the things I had to remember for the day. Maria updated me on where we were regarding all our projects at the time, which helped me feel on top of what it is we are doing. Soon I did some fun and informative computer work for Karl while he worked on the more intense computer stuff. The oscilloscope that "I broke" will either be opened up, sent in for repair or replaced with a new one, which gives us something to look forward to. Although it is frustrating to have equipment that isn't behaving, we have found productive things to do with our time all the while we are here. I worked on another old computer in order to install Windows, so that the organization we are donating it to can use it. I enjoy working with the computers because, although I have to ask way too many questions, I am learning a lot and gaining confidence in the process. It is important to get as much exposure and variety in this internship as possible.
Maria and I went through the lab that didn't work smoothly yesterday. It was really neat to see a picture of a white light spectrum, and once again I got to see something new and interesting. This experience has been very humbling so far; these people are all brilliant.

7/13/09

Today was a frustrating day as far as technology goes. We had a great time nonetheless. We started off the morning working with motors that would move the ultrasound scan, one of which was broken. Then, the program wouldn't work (which Maria had predicted). I still enjoyed all of this since I was able to see first hand how to go about trying to fix it. After lunch, however, the oscilloscope (an expensive machine) wouldn't turn on. I worried about it all day because it happened when I was there! I am hoping there is nothing I did to cause it to not turn on.
Soon we went to work on a fun lab involving spectroscopy. This was awesome. We saw the light broken down into its components which was really cool. However, we struggled with a computer for hours and had the whole imaging science staff making suggestions. I was still enjoying all of this thoroughly. My poor advisor was worn out and we called it a day. I had fun today however, it was not productive but it wasn't our fault so we had a lot of laughs in the process. Better luck tomorrow.

7/10/09

Today was a big work day. From 9 in the morning until 1230, I helped Karl with computer work and watched him sync computers as well as many other things I have no idea about. I have come to enjoy taking apart and working with computers, however it is frustrating to do things that I do now know about. I am also frustrated that I cannot contribute to discussion regarding computer topics because I do not know nearly as much as the people I am working with. This is not their fault, I simply hope they remain patient as I get used to what people like Karl would probably call "common knowledge."

After lunch, we went over x- rays, both real and fake, of anatomical images that will be used to test the new display that will improve contrast in looking at x- ray images. This was enjoyable as well as informative, since I was able to see what it is that they are focused on at the same time as various other projects.

Soon we met with another man, I do not know how to correctly spell his name so I will not try, that has an expertise in ultrasound wave analysis. This is the stuff that really interests me. We are going to try to use our data to find recognizable traits between different 'biofilms' created by bacteria that will hopefully be used for sick patients in years to come. In this way, we could help them figure out which plan of attack to use for certain bacteria, since they could now recognize the bacteria by the process we will be going through for the next 6 weeks. I consider myself lucky to be involved in this internship at a time where I can be immersed in such an interesting challenge. This experience has shown me the level of knowledge these professionals hold in their respective areas of expertise.

Although I am thoroughly enjoying this, I need to try to avoid getting discouraged. This discouragement comes from feeling stupid when I do something wrong or do not easily understand a concept that I am being presented. Hopefully this discouragement will fade with experience, listening and practice.

7/10/09

Following today's morning staff meeting, I had a nice 20 minutes to organize what I wanted to get done in the next couple days at work and my mindset for the work I would be doing. I enjoyed feeling trusted and independent enough to have the key to an empty lab room.

I spent the first half of the day taking apart computers. This internship seems most valuable when it is providing a variety of ways to learn about various subjects. Now I am learning about ultrasound technology as well as computer technology. It makes things much more exciting.

The computer class was interesting and very complex today. We got exposure to the large amount of capabilities that this program has. Now, when working with this program, I will feel confident and familiar with the situations I am put into. The computer training class was a success.

7/8/09

Started off the day with a staff meeting that went over the issue concerning the tutorial on IDL. This was helpful and opened up everyone's minds at the tutorial that was held today. I think that everybody felt much better about it and it became more and more interesting. We are getting to a broad range of information that IDL works with so that we will be much more familiar with its capabilities and properties.

After the staff meeting, I waited for Maria and looked over some more reading about the ultrasound imaging I will soon be working with. Then she taught me about the ultrasound technology and the multiple machines that I will need to be familiar with. I completely enjoyed this morning and working with this incredibly accurate technology. Very cool since it was so hands- on.

We had a meeting with Aaron at 11 about the mechanical hand we need to create, and we successfully laid down a general plan of action that will take place over the next couple weeks. I am very excited for this all to get rolling. Everything about this internship is running very smoothly and I'm enjoying myself.

7/7/09

Started off the morning with a informative meeting beneath Bob Callens and Joe Pow, with an overview of the plan for the day that did a good job of clearing up any misunderstandings. Spent the first hour and a half of the day reading from a textbook that I had read 40 pages in last night. However, I don't mind the extra "homework," although it is in summer, since it is interesting material on ultrasound technology. On the other hand, this information would be much easier to absorb if I had been given the option of reading up on the subject when I was first chosen for the internship. Maybe something to consider. 

Met with Aaron, who I will be assisting in building a neat mechanical hand for ultrasound imaging that we will send to an outside user. Good talk with him and Maria that set down everything we had planned for the next few weeks.

Maria did a great job of informing me of WHAT and WHY we are doing what we are doing. Helped me stay motivated and focused on what needs to be done and what I can do to help. So far I am LOVING the sound of what I'll be doing. I feel like a professional scientist... and that's a cool and new feeling.

At 1, the computer tutorial for IDL was hard to follow. This grad student was very knowledgeable, however didn't do a great job of organizing the information that he was presenting. I understand it is a hard topic to explain in a structured fashion, but I was trying very, very hard to follow and learn this material and I feel like I failed in that regard. Partly my fault, I'm sure, and partly his. I did try to ask questions to stay focused, because I did want to learn this neat programming technology, but even questions yielded little further understanding. Although I do not mind that I am personally not learning a great deal about this program, (even though I am truly excited about it), I am concerned that I will be able to provide less assistance for Maria. Since I have so much respect for her, I want to do everything possible to help her in our projects. Good first day... I am excited about the ultrasound projects.

7/6/09

Today we were involved in a successful team- building activity that also familiarized us with the campus. This was efficient in that it required us to get to know one another as well as erase any fear of talking with the people we passed on the campus. As a result, a lot of the nerves that accompanied the "first day at work" were dismissed. After the search for pictures across the campus, we sat down for pizza while Mr. Pow introduced us to the field of Imaging Science and its growing importance in the modern world. It was neat and interesting to see the strides that RIT has made in this area. Next, we worked out the issues regarding cards and accounts for interns quickly and at the same time had another opportunity to relax in this new environment and get to know the other interns. Finally, each intern met with their adviser which served as a great ice- breaker. This first day got rid of the butterflies so that I can now focus on being attentive, focused, relaxed and successful in this exciting opportunity.