I originally picked D.I.Y because of my curiosity surrounding the development and mechanics concerning the way diagnostics work. When I began in the lab I thought I was going to be drawn to the wet-lab projects like Waller Creek project or the LAMP based projects but now I am most excited about all the computer-based projects like the Parkinson’s project because of my long-standing interest in the early detection of Parkinson’s through non-intensive means.
It was an interesting experience explaining what FRI and specifically DIY were to my parents as my dad is a physician and familiar with many different diagnostics, so he was excited to see what I would be working on. My mother is not very versed in science so she thought what I was doing seemed like magic! I really feel like a scientist whenever I explain my project to other people because they always wonder how it is possible to create mobile apps that can be used on any device with so much functionality.
My interest in the creation of a mobile app was due to my positive experience when learning about programming in this stream. This was also the source of my greatest accomplishment in the lab, which was to set up a cloud development environment and create a functional cloud-based application.
Of course, there are plenty of fun moments during research, including playing music in the hallway to instill holiday cheer and make the hours in the lab more lively. Overall, this stream has improved my outlook on research and has given me the confidence to pursue a project, even the chance of it working is uncertain.