*WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS BRIGHT IMAGES AND ANIMAL CT SCANS*
Vocabulary:
Angiogenesis - The development of new blood vessels.
Arteriogenesis - A term that relates to the diameter of blood vessels.
Voxel - Think of this like a pixel but 3-D
Summary of my Senior Project: Who, What, Where?
For my Senior Project, I am working in a translational research lab on the OHSU campus. Alongside Mateo Sufuentes, we will be working under Dr. Lindner and the fellows in his laboratory. I specifically am analyzing the CT scans of test subjects and looking at the intensity, binary, pixelation, and density of blood vessels (excluding major veins.) All of this data is determined by analyzing each voxel, which thankfully is not done by hand. So far I haven't been working with any other fellows in the lab and because of the pandemic, I have been working more at home.
Why did you choose this particular project?
I knew that I wanted to do something with STEM in my senior project, particularly something that had to do with analyzing data. I asked Dr. Lindner if I could run a certain ANOVA with him or convert units in a lab project, little did I know that he would offer me such a large project. When he asked if I wanted to research the angiogenesis and arteriogenesis of test subjects I was thrilled to be part of such a rigorous project.
Introductions - What was your inspiration, who are the people you’re working with, etc
I have always been surrounded by so many phenomenal people that inspire me every day in STEM so it felt very natural asking for a small role as well as when I started working in the lab. Although I have the opportunity to ask any question to the fellows, I am working mainly with myself with my mentor.
3 goals for your senior project (set these with your mentor)
- Learning new technology (specifically testing out which program works best with analyzing the scans)
- Being flexible about what I am doing. Possibly changing my analysis based on what is mission-critical.
- Feeling comfortable in a lab environment. Knowing what materials I am using and why.
Cool project, Emma! I'm glad you're getting to contribute to the lab's work and are able to do so even from home. I'd love some more detail about your photos - what they show, how you're analyzing them, how they were collected in the first place (I know you didn't do that part), and what the overall research question is that led to this project in the first place.
ReplyDeleteEmma - Such a neat undertaking! Appreciate your note about being flexible/open to what you are doing. I too would love to know the overall research question that led to this project taking shape. Best of luck to you! Excited to hear/see/read more.
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