The DIY Diagnostic stream stood out to me because of all the possibilities it holds. There are so many directions you can go in research trying to develop diagnostic tools from disease and health, to environmental preservation. The streams’ goal of creating diagnostic tools would be applicable to everyday life and hopefully helpful to many people. All of these factors added up to my decision in picking the DIY Diagnostic research stream.
The DIY stream is a research lab within the Freshmen Research Initiative. It is an opportunity for undergraduate freshmen and sophomores to be a part of research that most students would not dream of doing until they are seniors or even graduate students. A community forms within the research lab that really propels us to go further into research and academics at UT in general because of the competitive, yet nurturing atmosphere. Being in an FRI lab, we gain skill and knowledge that most students at our level have not yet attained, putting us another step ahead.
One of the diagnostic ideas that we are currently working on developing is relevant to water and environmental safety. By researching the stream that runs through UT’s campus, Waller Creek, we hope to gain knowledge on bacteria levels in the creek and possibly develop new ways to test bodies of water for contamination levels. Once we reach the point of knowing what to test for and what levels are acceptable, there is the possibility of developing an at home diagnostic tool for people to use in their everyday life or travels. This tool could be helpful in developing areas to gain insight on whether water sources are actually clean or not. There is nothing quite as exciting as knowing that a potential diagnostic tool could have a global impact!
One of the things I love about science is how much it can uncover about the world we live in. To the common eye, many things go unnoticed, seem of little importance, or appear to be at the point of hopelessness. To a researcher, we get to look at details that are often neglected, ask more questions, and work towards resolving issues that seem far gone. Because of my time in the DIY Diagnostic stream, I now consider myself a scientist and researcher. We are asking more questions about water safety and bacteria levels, studying the water from a stream most students at UT never notice, and potentially developing a tool for the every day person to test water safety levels.
In the DIY Diagnostic stream, we have also learned how to program mobile apps. At first, it seemed frustrating because of how tedious coding an app can be. Thankfully, with every new app we make, the more advanced and useful the apps become. This summer, many of us got to work on developing an app for a “micro-fellowship.” I worked in a team with Michelle Gungstrom, and we developed a Global Disease app. This app can be used as a tool for travelers to gain knowledge of the diseases and precautions to take at a destinations. It works on mobile phones and computers alike.
Any friends that I know doing undergraduate research have not gotten to start until their junior or senior year of college. Thankfully, FRI breaks those barriers. The DIY Diagnostic stream stands out even more compared to other undergraduate research experiences that I have heard of because there are many routes to take within diagnostic research. Most of the time, undergrads are in a lab where their opinions and ideas are not usually heard out as much as they are here in DIY Diagnostics.
Twenty years from now, diagnostics will most likely be at a point beyond anything we can imagine. Diagnostic tools have the potential to completely transform healthcare by having more personalized tools or general health trackers. By that point, we could have tools that would enable us to have greater knowledge and awareness in our everyday environment. Maybe I will be using a diagnostic tool in Kenya to test the local drinking water. Perhaps I will be in a hospital using a diagnostic tool to identify whether a patients tumor is cancerous or not. The possibilities are endless.