Thursday, August 25, 2011
Day 37- Thursday 8/25
The last day- presentation day! I never thought it would show up, but here it is! I helped Halle wrap presents when I first got here. I was nervous because Prati didn't show up until like quarter 'til, but then she showed up and we went in the auditorium together! Everyone did a really nice job, but I was a bit intimidated by how scientific their presentations were. We made ours as friendly as possible for an audience who knew nothing. So, they were different, but I think all of them were spectacular!!! I'm pleased with ours. I wasn't too nervous, and I only messed up once. That was exciting! The goodbyes were sad, but now I'm off to celebrate with pizza and cake! Thanks for the experience- I'll never forget it!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Day 35- Tuesday 8/23
Today I'm soldering and practicing the presentation several times, once in front of the entire lab and probably a few times with just Prati. Nothing much besides that is happening, however this is probably the last spare moment I'll have to write my blog before the presentation Thursday, so I'm writing ahead a bit.
P.S. THE SOLDERING FINALLY WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
P.S. THE SOLDERING FINALLY WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
Day 34- Monday 8/22
The presentation is done and working on Joe's computer! So, today we practiced a few times by ourselves and a few times in front of Karen. Without questions, the presentation took about 13 minutes. Yay! We also soldered today. I'm hoping my little circuit board actually works this time. Fingers crossed!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Day 33- Friday 8/19
Friday I did lots of conversions between movie formats and re-formatting of my powerpoint to get it to work on a PC because Jeff opened Windows on the Macs by using the option key. Prati showed up at 12 which was good because I was able to fill her in a little on the changes I had to make. We both said good bye to Jeff because he's out of town this week, so that was pretty sad. We also had the last interns lunch, and we got to play volleyball! It was a pretty good day overall, but it's a very stressful time in this internship.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Day 32- Thursday 8/18
Today I did more work on the presentation all day. I photoshopped pictures for Jeff, I added slides for Karen, and I sort of presented for Karen, Jeff, and Andy. It was scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also did an experiment for Carmen, and she gave me cookies. It was an experiment on change blindness, so there were two pictures and you had to find the difference. I only missed 4 out of 40 (which means I beat Prati muhahahaha)!
Finally, my experiment is finished. Hari helped us re-do the areas of interest (AOIs) on the SMI to try to make the data we collected from the first AOIs better. Although it didn't make the data better, at least the experiment is finally finished and I have a graph for my presentation!
I also did an experiment for Carmen, and she gave me cookies. It was an experiment on change blindness, so there were two pictures and you had to find the difference. I only missed 4 out of 40 (which means I beat Prati muhahahaha)!
Finally, my experiment is finished. Hari helped us re-do the areas of interest (AOIs) on the SMI to try to make the data we collected from the first AOIs better. Although it didn't make the data better, at least the experiment is finally finished and I have a graph for my presentation!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Day 31- Wednesday 8/17
It was a much better day this Wednesday because I made a lot of progress with the experiment and presentation. Karen and Andy helped me a lot with data analysis on Excel. Also, my dad helped me make the movies work on a Mac, so I added them to my presentation. It was very busy all day, but I learned about a T-test, degrees of freedom, standard error, standard deviation, and more statistics stuff. Still stressed, but I'm feeling a bit better now that I have some information to put on the presentation. Yay!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Day 30- Tuesday 8/16
It was not a very good day yesterday. It was extremely stressful because Prati isn't here today, Thursday, or Friday this week, and we had a lot to get done to be ready for our presentation next Thursday. So, we came up with a title, finished reading the article for the lab meeting, took a picture for our powerpoint, and made a video for our powerpoint. Unfortunately, the videos didn't go well because the Mac really doesn't like whatever the camera used to take the videos. Also, at the lab meeting, Jeff wanted us to each do the presentation by ourselves, and he wanted Prati to do it yesterday. The powerpoint still isn't finished because we still need help finishing the experiment! So, after the lab meeting, we tried to get the videos to work as quickly as possible. They didn't. We did the presentation in about 10 minutes sitting at our desk while showing Jeff the slides. Now, I'm worried we won't have enough to take up 15 minutes. Ugh!!! Wish me luck today getting everything done alone :(
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Day 29- Monday 8/15
Prati and I devoted most of the morning to reading the long lab article. We also talked to Karen about the statistics we need to do for our experiment. She showed us how to do a few on Excel (but not all- some of them we need a different program for fancier statistics, so that's for another day), and then I put them on our powerpoint under "Results." Exciting!
At about 11, Prati went to do an experiment on the SMI for Carmen. While she was doing that, I had to talk to the prospective imaging science student who was visiting. I really didn't know what to say, and I was very upset with Prati for ditching me! After that, we went to Crossroads with her for lunch and they had some very yummy cookies!
After lunch, Prati and I made flash cards for our presentation and made some changes to our powerpoint. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it took a very long time! So, that was our day! I'm excited by all of the progress we're making!
At about 11, Prati went to do an experiment on the SMI for Carmen. While she was doing that, I had to talk to the prospective imaging science student who was visiting. I really didn't know what to say, and I was very upset with Prati for ditching me! After that, we went to Crossroads with her for lunch and they had some very yummy cookies!
After lunch, Prati and I made flash cards for our presentation and made some changes to our powerpoint. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it took a very long time! So, that was our day! I'm excited by all of the progress we're making!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Day 28- Friday 8/12
Today was really really fun and I accomplished a lot! In the morning, we got some food from the undergraduate symposium (I got a cinnamon roll) and got our name tags. Then, Prati and I were finally able to get our data analysis done with the help of Hari, Carmen, and Karen! It was soooo exciting to finally get some numbers! Hopefully next week we can make a graph/do some statistics with the results to make it meaningful for our presentation.
Prati left for Georgetown before we finished, so I continued for a bit then went to lunch over in the Slaughter building (where the undergraduate symposium was taking place). They had Chinese food. I went with the other interns, and I had lots of fun! I also found a lucky penny!
After that, I came back to the lab and finished the data analysis. I have all of our numerical results ready for some statistics! Then, I started reading the new lab article. Unfortunately, I think it's the longest one yet :(
At about 2 (I think), the other interns came to get me to help out with the remote sensing lab on the roof! I helped measure the distance between a few things, and then we went to a talk because the plane wasn't going to fly over until around 4. So, at 3, we back to the Slaughter building and watched Ashley Miller's presentation on PTMs for dermatology. I thought it was a wonderful idea! After the presentation, we went back to the roof and waited for the plane to fly over. After the other interns got bored and went back to work, I helped Evelyn take some measurements and wait for the plane. I hope we get to see the pictures!! It was an amazing experience. I took some pictures of the campus from up there, and this is my favorite.
Now, I'm back in the lab all by myself (everyone left and I forgot my swipe card in here, so I was locked out until I knocked on the door to another MVR lab and a nice man came and unlocked the door for me)! I'm obviously writing my blog! Have a lovely weekend!
Prati left for Georgetown before we finished, so I continued for a bit then went to lunch over in the Slaughter building (where the undergraduate symposium was taking place). They had Chinese food. I went with the other interns, and I had lots of fun! I also found a lucky penny!
After that, I came back to the lab and finished the data analysis. I have all of our numerical results ready for some statistics! Then, I started reading the new lab article. Unfortunately, I think it's the longest one yet :(
At about 2 (I think), the other interns came to get me to help out with the remote sensing lab on the roof! I helped measure the distance between a few things, and then we went to a talk because the plane wasn't going to fly over until around 4. So, at 3, we back to the Slaughter building and watched Ashley Miller's presentation on PTMs for dermatology. I thought it was a wonderful idea! After the presentation, we went back to the roof and waited for the plane to fly over. After the other interns got bored and went back to work, I helped Evelyn take some measurements and wait for the plane. I hope we get to see the pictures!! It was an amazing experience. I took some pictures of the campus from up there, and this is my favorite.
Now, I'm back in the lab all by myself (everyone left and I forgot my swipe card in here, so I was locked out until I knocked on the door to another MVR lab and a nice man came and unlocked the door for me)! I'm obviously writing my blog! Have a lovely weekend!
Day 27- Thursday 8/11
Thursday, we had the field trip to CVI Melles Griot. It was very short! It was also fairly similar to RPO, just a bit smaller. After we finished there, we went to Pellegrino's for lunch. I got a meatball sub and a cookie, and it was yummy, but I was the last one to get my food! The whole trip was still very fun and informative over all :)
After our field trip, Prati and I went to the freshman lab and soldered for a few hours. Our little chips are almost done, we just have to put them all together today. I also did some Yarbus. So, I accidentally went over by 2 minutes because there was so much to do and I got distracted. Sorry! At least it was a good, fun day!
After our field trip, Prati and I went to the freshman lab and soldered for a few hours. Our little chips are almost done, we just have to put them all together today. I also did some Yarbus. So, I accidentally went over by 2 minutes because there was so much to do and I got distracted. Sorry! At least it was a good, fun day!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Day 26- Wednesday 8/10
Today was a very interesting day! After doing the usual morning routine of checking e-mail, blogging, working on presentation, meeting, blah blah blah, Prati and I hehehe went to help Melanie clean out the back room again. We sorted through some papers from the 90s that Jeff was keeping for some reason, and we found a few funny things- like a picture of Jeff with hair! :) He found some kits in the back room that he wanted us to use to learn how to solder. So, after finishing up in the back room, he took us up to the freshman lab and taught us how to solder. The first time I tried, my hand was shaking so bad because I was very nervous! Eventually, though, I started to get the hang of it.
Prati and I spent several hours working on the kits, and we didn't finish. We also missed the picnic :( so, after trying to find some food there, we went downstairs with our random lunches and found some other interns! We ate with them and it was fun! Kelsey braided Halle's hair in a very interesting way!!! We also listened to some ultrasound stuff Ed had on his phone, and I guess I have good hearing! After lunch, Prati and I returned to the lab and received a big list of things to do! First, Karen helped me scan a special, unclassified paper to PDF for Jeff. Then, we had to Yarbus Glenn's videos. It was NOT fun because there was lots of unassisted overriding to do! After doing Glenn's videos, I worked on the presentation a bit more and went home.
The most exciting part of the day was definitely when Preeti brought in cake, Prati and I took the last 2 pieces, and Jeff tricked us and stole a few bites!!!!!!!!
It was a fun day :)
Prati and I spent several hours working on the kits, and we didn't finish. We also missed the picnic :( so, after trying to find some food there, we went downstairs with our random lunches and found some other interns! We ate with them and it was fun! Kelsey braided Halle's hair in a very interesting way!!! We also listened to some ultrasound stuff Ed had on his phone, and I guess I have good hearing! After lunch, Prati and I returned to the lab and received a big list of things to do! First, Karen helped me scan a special, unclassified paper to PDF for Jeff. Then, we had to Yarbus Glenn's videos. It was NOT fun because there was lots of unassisted overriding to do! After doing Glenn's videos, I worked on the presentation a bit more and went home.
The most exciting part of the day was definitely when Preeti brought in cake, Prati and I took the last 2 pieces, and Jeff tricked us and stole a few bites!!!!!!!!
It was a fun day :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Day 25- Tuesday 8/9
There was still no progress on our experiment today because we either can't get the Dongle, or we can't use the SMI because other people working in that lab :(
However, Prati and I both helped clean out/organize the back room in one of the MVR labs. We spent about 3 hours making labels and organizing wires. This included untangling a massive box of wires, wrapping them up (around our legs for the big ones), and then using rubber bands/wire thingies to make them stay wrapped up. I had quite a headache after we finished, but I did have fun with Prati listening to music and dancing while we wrapped the wires!
Next, we had lunch with the other interns. It was fun, but I was zoning out really badly because I was sooo tired from the wire-wrapping!
After that, we had our lab meeting. It was better today because we got to watch a magic trick online. After all, the article was about magic! We also got to watch people play basketball and change the color of cards. You should watch them and see why this is relevant!
Basketball Players
The Amazing Color Changing Card Trick
However, Prati and I both helped clean out/organize the back room in one of the MVR labs. We spent about 3 hours making labels and organizing wires. This included untangling a massive box of wires, wrapping them up (around our legs for the big ones), and then using rubber bands/wire thingies to make them stay wrapped up. I had quite a headache after we finished, but I did have fun with Prati listening to music and dancing while we wrapped the wires!
Next, we had lunch with the other interns. It was fun, but I was zoning out really badly because I was sooo tired from the wire-wrapping!
After that, we had our lab meeting. It was better today because we got to watch a magic trick online. After all, the article was about magic! We also got to watch people play basketball and change the color of cards. You should watch them and see why this is relevant!
Basketball Players
The Amazing Color Changing Card Trick
Monday, August 8, 2011
Day 24- Monday 8/8
This morning I got here at about 7:30 because my sister has camp! I checked my e-mail and responded to multiple, important messages. Then, I read the lab meeting article all day. At 12, I went to lunch with the other interns, and we ate downstairs. It was super fun!
After lunch, Prati and I continued reading! At 2:30, we showed Bethany's summer camp kids the SMI. One girl did a calibration and then watched some of the video, so we opened BeGaze and showed them where she was looking. They were a bit talkative.
Finally, we finished reading! I checked my e-mail, and I am now writing my blog. That's my day!
After lunch, Prati and I continued reading! At 2:30, we showed Bethany's summer camp kids the SMI. One girl did a calibration and then watched some of the video, so we opened BeGaze and showed them where she was looking. They were a bit talkative.
Finally, we finished reading! I checked my e-mail, and I am now writing my blog. That's my day!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Day 23- Friday 8/5
Today I got to sleep in here and got here at 8! I did my blog and checked e-mail, then went to the meeting. We didn't do anything too exciting. Next, Prati and I went back to the lab and we sort of had a party that wasn't planned. I brought cookies, Prati brought cupcakes, and Karen brought donuts. What a coincidence! We also listened to some Friday songs and (Katy Perry/Rebecca Black) other YouTube songs while learning Semanticode (you tell the program what a person is fixating on). It was really fun!!! Prati and I also reserved the SMI for Monday for Bethany. Hopefully that helps her.
We went to Ameils to start the field trip next. I got a meat ball sub, and it was really yummy! I also had fun with the other interns :) The Xerox part was pretty interesting, but I was veerrrrryy sleepy after eating the sub, so I was having trouble focusing again. They talked about things like monitoring vital signs without wires (with thermal imaging), follow-up medical movies that are custom made for you, cigarette detectors, security printing, and mobile printing using the cloud. We then got to see the iGen4, a $600,000 printer Xerox makes! It was really big, and it prints 110 pages per minute! I wish my printer did that.
We got back to RIT, and I started reading the article for the Tuesday lab meeting. I also wrote this blog before I forget everything...anyway hooray for the weekend!
We went to Ameils to start the field trip next. I got a meat ball sub, and it was really yummy! I also had fun with the other interns :) The Xerox part was pretty interesting, but I was veerrrrryy sleepy after eating the sub, so I was having trouble focusing again. They talked about things like monitoring vital signs without wires (with thermal imaging), follow-up medical movies that are custom made for you, cigarette detectors, security printing, and mobile printing using the cloud. We then got to see the iGen4, a $600,000 printer Xerox makes! It was really big, and it prints 110 pages per minute! I wish my printer did that.
We got back to RIT, and I started reading the article for the Tuesday lab meeting. I also wrote this blog before I forget everything...anyway hooray for the weekend!
Day 22- Thursday 8/4
This morning I got here around 6:30 again. Luckily, it's the last day I have to worry about making up all this time! I went to my dad's office again and wrote yesterday's blog. When I finished around 7, he walked me over here because there was a gaggle of geese walking along in the road!!! It was a very scary/cool experience :)
Once back in this building, I started this blog and checked my e-mail. It took forever again! Lots of new e-mails. I also tried working on the earthquake maps again because I haven't in awhile. Unfortunately, they're still being very jumpy and blurry, so it was very difficult. I e-mailed Don to tell him about these difficulties and the fact that I haven't really made any progress. Oh well, nobody can say I didn't try!
At the morning meeting, we talked about our presentations and field trip.
After the meeting, we went to our lab and took some pictures in the SMI. We also tried to get our experiment off the SMI and onto our new account in the lab (to log in, we can put our fingers on a little pad!!!!! It's AWESOME!!!!). We also learned a little Java programming from Dennis...he was helping Prati with more advanced stuff, but I did learn that there are classes, methods, and objects, Java is case sensitive, you end a line of code with a semicolon, and there are lots of little bracket thingies. Other than that, I was lost.
Next came our cook out! It was lots of fun and we had lots of good food. Everyone liked my mom's cookies a lot :) We also played frisbee and got one stuck in the tree. Matt Greco tried to climb the tree to get it down, but it was an unsuccessful attempt. After playing frisbee for awhile, we sat, talked and listened to music.
After the cook out, Prati continued working on her programming and I got the mobile eye trackers ready for Bethany's high school visitors at 2:30. When they got there, Prati explained about the eye trackers, and then we got one of the boys set up with the eye trackers. We had him calibrate, and then Jeff had him find Bethany's office. After he was back, we took the eye trackers and I Yarbused the videos (under pressure). While we were waiting, Prati and I explained the word search experiment and our advertising study. When they left, we made the video and then worked on giving it to Bethany. It was such a big file that it wouldn't work on Prati's flash drive, so we put it on a little orange thing. After trying to give it to Bethany, Jeff told us the orange thing wouldn't work on a PC. So, he had us export the movie at a lower quality, and then it was small enough to put on Prati's flash drive.
After that, I went to the undergraduate talk at 4. Maria was the presenter, and the Medical Imaging she talked about was really cool! I learned about MRIs, x-rays, CT scans, and PET scans. Then, she talked about the studies her lab was doing.
Next, I came back to the lab at 5 ish. Karen, Jeff, and Glenn were talking about Glenn's algorithm for figuring out what a fixation or saccade (when the eye moves) is. I had some trouble following, but I certainly learned a lot and it was very fun to listen to them talking about all of this college-level science.
That was our day! It was actually really enjoyable even though I was exhausted. Plus, today's Friday! :)
Once back in this building, I started this blog and checked my e-mail. It took forever again! Lots of new e-mails. I also tried working on the earthquake maps again because I haven't in awhile. Unfortunately, they're still being very jumpy and blurry, so it was very difficult. I e-mailed Don to tell him about these difficulties and the fact that I haven't really made any progress. Oh well, nobody can say I didn't try!
At the morning meeting, we talked about our presentations and field trip.
After the meeting, we went to our lab and took some pictures in the SMI. We also tried to get our experiment off the SMI and onto our new account in the lab (to log in, we can put our fingers on a little pad!!!!! It's AWESOME!!!!). We also learned a little Java programming from Dennis...he was helping Prati with more advanced stuff, but I did learn that there are classes, methods, and objects, Java is case sensitive, you end a line of code with a semicolon, and there are lots of little bracket thingies. Other than that, I was lost.
Next came our cook out! It was lots of fun and we had lots of good food. Everyone liked my mom's cookies a lot :) We also played frisbee and got one stuck in the tree. Matt Greco tried to climb the tree to get it down, but it was an unsuccessful attempt. After playing frisbee for awhile, we sat, talked and listened to music.
After the cook out, Prati continued working on her programming and I got the mobile eye trackers ready for Bethany's high school visitors at 2:30. When they got there, Prati explained about the eye trackers, and then we got one of the boys set up with the eye trackers. We had him calibrate, and then Jeff had him find Bethany's office. After he was back, we took the eye trackers and I Yarbused the videos (under pressure). While we were waiting, Prati and I explained the word search experiment and our advertising study. When they left, we made the video and then worked on giving it to Bethany. It was such a big file that it wouldn't work on Prati's flash drive, so we put it on a little orange thing. After trying to give it to Bethany, Jeff told us the orange thing wouldn't work on a PC. So, he had us export the movie at a lower quality, and then it was small enough to put on Prati's flash drive.
After that, I went to the undergraduate talk at 4. Maria was the presenter, and the Medical Imaging she talked about was really cool! I learned about MRIs, x-rays, CT scans, and PET scans. Then, she talked about the studies her lab was doing.
Next, I came back to the lab at 5 ish. Karen, Jeff, and Glenn were talking about Glenn's algorithm for figuring out what a fixation or saccade (when the eye moves) is. I had some trouble following, but I certainly learned a lot and it was very fun to listen to them talking about all of this college-level science.
That was our day! It was actually really enjoyable even though I was exhausted. Plus, today's Friday! :)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Day 21- Wednesday 8/3
I got here extra early today- around 6:30- because my father has to leave early, and he's my ride :( Unfortunately, I couldn't get in the building so I went over to his building (he has a key), clocked in there, and wrote my blog for Tuesday until about 7, when I came over here to start this and check my e-mail. It took me forever today, so it was a good thing I got here so early!
Next, I had the usual morning meeting. Nothing too exciting except for our talk about concerts!
After the meeting, I worked on the powerpoint some more. With all the time I'm putting into this thing, it better turn out really well!!! I actually think it will. I'm very proud of it :)
Halfway through working on the powerpoint some more, a guy came over to our lab from the KIDS lab and asked us to do an experiment for him. It was cool because we watched a little spiral go around over and over again. Then, we looked at a picture and had to tell them when it stopped wiggling. It made me dizzy!
The rest of the powerpoint took until the pizza/movie lunch during which I caught up with the interns a bit. It was nice to have lunch with them again! Unfortunately, Prati and I had to leave a bit early because I had been clocked in for 6 hours and I had to clock out or else! So, we did some homework/facebook/YouTube/online shopping in the lab during our clocked out time.
After we clocked back in, we were going to use the SMI to analyze our data. Instead, however, Jeff told us to put BeGaze onto a computer in our lab and analyze our data on that. To do this, we needed a license for the software. That was on a thing called a dongle. It took us forever to try to install it, so we decided to just go hang up posters for the same guy who had asked us to do the experiment earlier. He was just practicing on us, but he needs some real subjects. Hence, the posters.
We went all over the place, and probably not in the most efficient way because we got a little turned around a few times. However, we ended up hanging up posters in the SAU, right by Java's, at the bus stop, in a few random buildings, and in the bathrooms for our building. Prati even ran into the boys bathroom quickly and it was quite funny to see the guy's reaction when we told him he didn't have to put a poster in the second floor boys bathroom. That was dedication right there! Also, while at Java's, we got a muffin and ate it on the way to the bus stop. It was yummy!
Once we got back to the lab, we worked on installing everything again because it wasn't working earlier. That just about took us up to 5, so Prati did her blog and I watched. Then, before leaving, we hid the dongle in a very secret spot because Jeff told us we couldn't leave it out and that we had to give it to him or Karen when we were done. Unfortunately, they had both left! So we'll give it to them today. I'm hoping it's still in our very secret hiding place becasue it's worth a lot of money. What a day!
Next, I had the usual morning meeting. Nothing too exciting except for our talk about concerts!
After the meeting, I worked on the powerpoint some more. With all the time I'm putting into this thing, it better turn out really well!!! I actually think it will. I'm very proud of it :)
Halfway through working on the powerpoint some more, a guy came over to our lab from the KIDS lab and asked us to do an experiment for him. It was cool because we watched a little spiral go around over and over again. Then, we looked at a picture and had to tell them when it stopped wiggling. It made me dizzy!
The rest of the powerpoint took until the pizza/movie lunch during which I caught up with the interns a bit. It was nice to have lunch with them again! Unfortunately, Prati and I had to leave a bit early because I had been clocked in for 6 hours and I had to clock out or else! So, we did some homework/facebook/YouTube/online shopping in the lab during our clocked out time.
After we clocked back in, we were going to use the SMI to analyze our data. Instead, however, Jeff told us to put BeGaze onto a computer in our lab and analyze our data on that. To do this, we needed a license for the software. That was on a thing called a dongle. It took us forever to try to install it, so we decided to just go hang up posters for the same guy who had asked us to do the experiment earlier. He was just practicing on us, but he needs some real subjects. Hence, the posters.
We went all over the place, and probably not in the most efficient way because we got a little turned around a few times. However, we ended up hanging up posters in the SAU, right by Java's, at the bus stop, in a few random buildings, and in the bathrooms for our building. Prati even ran into the boys bathroom quickly and it was quite funny to see the guy's reaction when we told him he didn't have to put a poster in the second floor boys bathroom. That was dedication right there! Also, while at Java's, we got a muffin and ate it on the way to the bus stop. It was yummy!
Once we got back to the lab, we worked on installing everything again because it wasn't working earlier. That just about took us up to 5, so Prati did her blog and I watched. Then, before leaving, we hid the dongle in a very secret spot because Jeff told us we couldn't leave it out and that we had to give it to him or Karen when we were done. Unfortunately, they had both left! So we'll give it to them today. I'm hoping it's still in our very secret hiding place becasue it's worth a lot of money. What a day!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Day 20- Tuesday 8/2
This morning, I got here at about 7 so I could try to make up some time from my Illinois trip and catch up before the day really started. Since I got home last night at 11:30 and got up this morning at 5:30 to be here, I was very tired! Anyway, I caught up on my blog, checked my e-mail, and worked on the reading for the lab meeting today. Super fun! At about 8, some other interns showed up and they played Queen from YouTube while we worked. It was really fun because we were all singing along!
At the morning meeting, we just talked with Joe about the presentations on 8/25. I'm a little nervous about that!
After the meeting, Prati read the article while I did some Yarbus for the driving videos. When we were done, we went over to the KIDS lab to work on analyzing our data on the SMI. Jeff came in and talked about putting a picture-in-picture of the eye on the SMI video with Hari and Sai (that's way beyond our scope of knowledge!). We also took a little walk to get some food because we were very hungry and tired. We needed to wake up! Once back, we worked on our powerpoint.
Next, we went to lunch. I went with my dad because we had no food at home after our little trip (we like to clean out the fridge and such)! So, we went to the Student Union as usual, and I got some soup and a salad. It was very yummy!
After lunch, we worked on the powerpoint some more until the lab meeting. The lab meeting was in another building this time. It was kind of hard to focus because I was so tired, but I did learn some things about statistics, such as what an ANOVA is (I think that's how it's spelled). After the long lab meeting, it was about 4. Prati left at 4:30, so I continued to work on our powerpoint. I'm trying to use some of the things we learned from the movie we watched last Wednesday called Presentation Zen. I think it's really going to make our powerpoint look good and make us sound good!
At 6, I finally went home and went to bed as quickly as possible.
At the morning meeting, we just talked with Joe about the presentations on 8/25. I'm a little nervous about that!
After the meeting, Prati read the article while I did some Yarbus for the driving videos. When we were done, we went over to the KIDS lab to work on analyzing our data on the SMI. Jeff came in and talked about putting a picture-in-picture of the eye on the SMI video with Hari and Sai (that's way beyond our scope of knowledge!). We also took a little walk to get some food because we were very hungry and tired. We needed to wake up! Once back, we worked on our powerpoint.
Next, we went to lunch. I went with my dad because we had no food at home after our little trip (we like to clean out the fridge and such)! So, we went to the Student Union as usual, and I got some soup and a salad. It was very yummy!
After lunch, we worked on the powerpoint some more until the lab meeting. The lab meeting was in another building this time. It was kind of hard to focus because I was so tired, but I did learn some things about statistics, such as what an ANOVA is (I think that's how it's spelled). After the long lab meeting, it was about 4. Prati left at 4:30, so I continued to work on our powerpoint. I'm trying to use some of the things we learned from the movie we watched last Wednesday called Presentation Zen. I think it's really going to make our powerpoint look good and make us sound good!
At 6, I finally went home and went to bed as quickly as possible.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Day 17- Thursday 7/28
I got here at 7 so I could leave early and we could drive to Illinois. I did my blog, checked my e-mail, worked on our powerpoint, and brainstormed for our experiment. After the meeting, we had another subject watch Jeopardy!, and I felt bad because we made it totally silent.
After that, we worked on videos from the driving study. I tried coffee for the first time, which was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted!!
Next, Prati and I had lunch. The reading room was closed and it was raining, so everyone was eating separately. I ate with Prati and we had a lot of fun talking near the little color cube in the lobby.
After lunch, we had another subject watch Jeopardy! silently, and I felt bad for them again. Lots of people walked in while we were trying to do this subject's study. It was kind of annoying, but I don't think it affected our data. We continued Yarbusing the driving study. While one video was rendering (saving), Prati and I bonded with some people in our lab by taking photo booth pictures! It was very fun! I left at 3, and it was off to Illinois!
After that, we worked on videos from the driving study. I tried coffee for the first time, which was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted!!
Next, Prati and I had lunch. The reading room was closed and it was raining, so everyone was eating separately. I ate with Prati and we had a lot of fun talking near the little color cube in the lobby.
After lunch, we had another subject watch Jeopardy! silently, and I felt bad for them again. Lots of people walked in while we were trying to do this subject's study. It was kind of annoying, but I don't think it affected our data. We continued Yarbusing the driving study. While one video was rendering (saving), Prati and I bonded with some people in our lab by taking photo booth pictures! It was very fun! I left at 3, and it was off to Illinois!
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| This is Dennis...team bonding! |
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| Rawr |
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Day 16- Wednesday 7/27
Today Prati and I did our experiment! I can't say anything about it until we finish the last 2 subjects today, but then I will tell you all about it. One thing I will say is that I got very tired of the Jeopardy episode we chose, but very good at the SMI!
After the 6 had gone, Prati and I tried analyzing the data a little. We aren't really sure how...hopefully someone will give us an awesome idea today!
For lunch, Prati and I went to watch the Presentation Zen video. I think it will be very helpful in our presentation on 8/25! I also had some pizza, which is always yummy.
After lunch, a few other interns, Prati and I went for a short walk and talked about college and school and such.
Sorry the blog's so short for Wednesday, but I can't talk about details until we have all the subjects do the experiment. Just in case some of them read it. Thanks!
After the 6 had gone, Prati and I tried analyzing the data a little. We aren't really sure how...hopefully someone will give us an awesome idea today!
For lunch, Prati and I went to watch the Presentation Zen video. I think it will be very helpful in our presentation on 8/25! I also had some pizza, which is always yummy.
After lunch, a few other interns, Prati and I went for a short walk and talked about college and school and such.
Sorry the blog's so short for Wednesday, but I can't talk about details until we have all the subjects do the experiment. Just in case some of them read it. Thanks!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 15- Tuesday 7/26
I got here at 8 and checked my e-mail. We had our meeting, and then Prati and I went to the lab. There, we decided to practice our advertising study on the SMI before we did it for real. Therefore, we recruited a person in our lab whose name I will leave out (just in case it's embarrassing to them or something), and he/she watched the video for us. Carmen and Hari helped us a lot with running the SMI and the experiment.
At 12, another person needed to use the SMI, so we got read to go to our lab lunch. Prati and I rode with Kurt, Nadya, and Jon. We listened to many interesting musical selections :) We eventually got to the King and I, a Thai restaurant. I'd never eaten there before, so I was somewhat nervous. In fact, I'd already eaten a PB&J sandwich before we left just in case! However, I tried a mango smoothie, which I split with Prati, and it was very good. I also ordered the chicken broccoli with steamed rice. It turned out to be very very good, but I didn't eat it all. The soup before lunch got there was equally delicious with lots of vegetables. I will be sure to remember that little place when I get good grades and my parents want to take me out to dinner!
After lunch, we got back and had our lab meeting. Jeff made Prati and I start (I was very sad), and I apparently misunderstood the entire article because Jeff questioned me about a definition I gave for salience, one of the big topics in the article. It was not a fun situation! After he was done questioning both of us, other people spoke. Everyone came up with lots of good points, so I ran away when the meeting was over.
I checked e-mail and talked to the rest of the people in the lab about RIT, scholarships, and such after the meeting and after Prati left. After everyone but Jon and Glenn and I had left, they started discussing Modern Physics and relativity, some topics Jon is apparently going to study this year. To illustrate his points, Glenn showed us a YouTube video called Imagining the Tenth Dimension (or something like that). It was soooo confusing! They were talking about Modern Physics and relativity, and I was just thinking of a Wrinkle in Time (if you watch it, you might understand why I thought of a Wrinkle in Time)! I highly recommend it if you're ever feeling like challenging your mind and you have about 10 minutes. It was a confusing, but fun (and educational, and work-related) way to end the day! :)
At 12, another person needed to use the SMI, so we got read to go to our lab lunch. Prati and I rode with Kurt, Nadya, and Jon. We listened to many interesting musical selections :) We eventually got to the King and I, a Thai restaurant. I'd never eaten there before, so I was somewhat nervous. In fact, I'd already eaten a PB&J sandwich before we left just in case! However, I tried a mango smoothie, which I split with Prati, and it was very good. I also ordered the chicken broccoli with steamed rice. It turned out to be very very good, but I didn't eat it all. The soup before lunch got there was equally delicious with lots of vegetables. I will be sure to remember that little place when I get good grades and my parents want to take me out to dinner!
After lunch, we got back and had our lab meeting. Jeff made Prati and I start (I was very sad), and I apparently misunderstood the entire article because Jeff questioned me about a definition I gave for salience, one of the big topics in the article. It was not a fun situation! After he was done questioning both of us, other people spoke. Everyone came up with lots of good points, so I ran away when the meeting was over.
I checked e-mail and talked to the rest of the people in the lab about RIT, scholarships, and such after the meeting and after Prati left. After everyone but Jon and Glenn and I had left, they started discussing Modern Physics and relativity, some topics Jon is apparently going to study this year. To illustrate his points, Glenn showed us a YouTube video called Imagining the Tenth Dimension (or something like that). It was soooo confusing! They were talking about Modern Physics and relativity, and I was just thinking of a Wrinkle in Time (if you watch it, you might understand why I thought of a Wrinkle in Time)! I highly recommend it if you're ever feeling like challenging your mind and you have about 10 minutes. It was a confusing, but fun (and educational, and work-related) way to end the day! :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day 14- Monday 7/25
Anyway, today I got here at 8 and finished reading the long article. After the meeting, I came up with experiments we'd do to solve some of the problems mentioned until the field trip to Rochester Precision Optics.
We took a party bus, and the field trip was interesting. However, I know for certain that I don't want to work at a factory! After the field trip, we went to Pizza Hut. It wasn't too bad, but I only had one helping.
Once back, we printed everything for our experiment, made copies, and passed out all of the consent forms. We have several back now!
For the rest of the day, we got to know our fellow lab workers and started Yarbus on the driving study for Jeff. We also learned how to manually override the pupil and corneal reflections if they're wrong. It was super fun!
It was a good day! Hopefully tomorrow we can start our experiment before our lab meeting.
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| Karen had Mini Teddy Grahams!!! I ate lots of them :) |
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day 13: Friday 7/22
I got here at 7 today because I have to leave at 3 for College and Careers. Anyway, they were cleaning in both computer places when I got here, so I ended up on the lab computer after I asked them where I could go. I worked on the powerpoint for August 25 until the lab meeting, and there's basically not any more to add until Prati and I finish our study.
For the meeting, we visited Matt and Jason's lab. It wasn't working, but it still seemed cool!
For the rest of the day, besides the picnic and blogging, Prati and I read the article for Karen. That's it.
The picnic was fun, but I lost Apples to Apples really bad :( oh well! At least I learned how to throw and catch a frisbee better!
Lots of people stopped and talked to us today, including Joe, interns, and some other nice people. One lady said she, "admired our dedication." I was glad, because I was kind of unmotivated at that moment.
Also, we had to convert something for Ashley, so we asked Hari to do it for us because we can't. He did, and we are so thankful!!
That's it for today, have lots of fun this weekend!
For the meeting, we visited Matt and Jason's lab. It wasn't working, but it still seemed cool!
For the rest of the day, besides the picnic and blogging, Prati and I read the article for Karen. That's it.
The picnic was fun, but I lost Apples to Apples really bad :( oh well! At least I learned how to throw and catch a frisbee better!
Lots of people stopped and talked to us today, including Joe, interns, and some other nice people. One lady said she, "admired our dedication." I was glad, because I was kind of unmotivated at that moment.
Also, we had to convert something for Ashley, so we asked Hari to do it for us because we can't. He did, and we are so thankful!!
That's it for today, have lots of fun this weekend!
Day 12- Thursday 7/21
I got here at 8 and started reading the very lol long article from Karen, then I went to the intern meeting and we had donuts!
Next, we finished our surveys and finally designed our experiment! We also made a sign for Jeff because everyone kept asking us where he was. It's pretty awesome. I just took a picture of it this morning for your viewing pleasure, but we can't be in our lab today (waxing the floors) so there's some caution tape- sorry! In fact, at about this point the others in our lab were moving computers and tables out and we were just watching :) don't worry we helped later!
We also took a bathroom break at one point, and Prati brought her water bottle. I'm only mentioning this because she said she'd be upset if someone took it, so I took it and hid it but she didn't even notice! So I just put it back without her ever knowing! I wonder if she'll ever read this...
I went to lunch with my dad, and we walked very fast and got some sandwiches and subs at the student union again. I saw Glenn and said hi. It was very nice, but like I said, we had to rush a bit so I could get back in a half an hour again (it actually worked out perfectly all day again!).
After lunch, we started working on our powerpoint for the end of the year. As we did this, people were still moving things, and Jeff showed up and asked us to help. (He liked our sign!!!) So, we helped move things to the other MVR lab room and then returned to our lab because our computer was still there. A photographer came in and asked us to help stand there so he could get the lighting right. He was a little creepy after awhile. Then, everyone who was actually in the picture came in and we continued working. It was fun to be there! At the end of the photo shoot, Jeff came over and told us that our Abe and Uni (burned pictures) were still in the magazine (he didn't take them down)! I decided at that point that I love the people I work with :)
At the end of the day, we were trying to watch our powerpoint, but all of a sudden the screen went black. We hadn't saved it in a few minutes, so we were very nervous and asked another student, Preeti, to help us (we got to know her pretty well during our little clean out). She couldn't, and neither could Karen, so they just turned it off. We made sure not too much was lost, grabbed a cookie from the other lab, and left. Before we did, though, Kurt and Nadya decided we would be called Intern 1 and 2, and I called dibs on being 1. It was a very fun day :)
We also took a bathroom break at one point, and Prati brought her water bottle. I'm only mentioning this because she said she'd be upset if someone took it, so I took it and hid it but she didn't even notice! So I just put it back without her ever knowing! I wonder if she'll ever read this...
I went to lunch with my dad, and we walked very fast and got some sandwiches and subs at the student union again. I saw Glenn and said hi. It was very nice, but like I said, we had to rush a bit so I could get back in a half an hour again (it actually worked out perfectly all day again!).
After lunch, we started working on our powerpoint for the end of the year. As we did this, people were still moving things, and Jeff showed up and asked us to help. (He liked our sign!!!) So, we helped move things to the other MVR lab room and then returned to our lab because our computer was still there. A photographer came in and asked us to help stand there so he could get the lighting right. He was a little creepy after awhile. Then, everyone who was actually in the picture came in and we continued working. It was fun to be there! At the end of the photo shoot, Jeff came over and told us that our Abe and Uni (burned pictures) were still in the magazine (he didn't take them down)! I decided at that point that I love the people I work with :)
At the end of the day, we were trying to watch our powerpoint, but all of a sudden the screen went black. We hadn't saved it in a few minutes, so we were very nervous and asked another student, Preeti, to help us (we got to know her pretty well during our little clean out). She couldn't, and neither could Karen, so they just turned it off. We made sure not too much was lost, grabbed a cookie from the other lab, and left. Before we did, though, Kurt and Nadya decided we would be called Intern 1 and 2, and I called dibs on being 1. It was a very fun day :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Day 11- Wednesday 7/20
Today I had some time at the end of the day so I decided to write my blog! This morning, I wrote my blog for Tuesday/Day 10 but it didn't save. So, I had to start all over and I was very upset. Then, I had the meeting where Bob told us we'd be going on a field trip the day I wasn't here, which also made me sad. We visited Alex's lab next, which was very interesting.
Once back to the lab, we finished the video. I can say no more on the subject, sorry! We also talked to Glenn (a student in our lab) about our word search data and the program he wrote. We applied it to Karen's video, but I don't know what happened with it after he started it.
Next, we went down to the entrepreneur movie. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I listened the whole time wondering why the imaging science department would want to play an entrepreneurship movie!
After that, Prati, Elaine, Kelsey and I went for a little walk just to get away from it all for a moment- I certainly needed a breather! We took a few pictures, which I will eventually, hopefully put on the blog. It was lots of fun.
When we got back, Prati and I tried to burn another piece of paper with a different lens, but we were unsuccessful :( When we got back inside, we worked on making the video compatible with the SMI (eye tracking computer thingy), did one slide on our end-of-summer powerpoint (Macs are evil), and worked on our after survey. One memorable highlight was when Andy gave us a consent form to participate in one of his studies (Mom, I know you're reading this- if I forget to have you sign this, please remind me!! Thanks, you're the best!). Prati started reading it in a weird voice because she does that when she needs help focusing, and Jeff and Glenn just stopped talking and gave her a very weird look! We had the giggles pretty much the whole afternoon, it was very entertaining!
Now, I'm writing this blog until I go home at approximately 5. Tomorrow morning I will probably read an article from Karen for the lab meeting...it's really long! Then, we will probably continue on everything we started today! Good times :)
Once back to the lab, we finished the video. I can say no more on the subject, sorry! We also talked to Glenn (a student in our lab) about our word search data and the program he wrote. We applied it to Karen's video, but I don't know what happened with it after he started it.
Next, we went down to the entrepreneur movie. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I listened the whole time wondering why the imaging science department would want to play an entrepreneurship movie!
After that, Prati, Elaine, Kelsey and I went for a little walk just to get away from it all for a moment- I certainly needed a breather! We took a few pictures, which I will eventually, hopefully put on the blog. It was lots of fun.
When we got back, Prati and I tried to burn another piece of paper with a different lens, but we were unsuccessful :( When we got back inside, we worked on making the video compatible with the SMI (eye tracking computer thingy), did one slide on our end-of-summer powerpoint (Macs are evil), and worked on our after survey. One memorable highlight was when Andy gave us a consent form to participate in one of his studies (Mom, I know you're reading this- if I forget to have you sign this, please remind me!! Thanks, you're the best!). Prati started reading it in a weird voice because she does that when she needs help focusing, and Jeff and Glenn just stopped talking and gave her a very weird look! We had the giggles pretty much the whole afternoon, it was very entertaining!
Now, I'm writing this blog until I go home at approximately 5. Tomorrow morning I will probably read an article from Karen for the lab meeting...it's really long! Then, we will probably continue on everything we started today! Good times :)
Day 10- Tuesday 7/19
Tuesday was a pretty eventful day! I clocked in and out perfectly (8:00, 12-12:30 for lunch, and 4:30), so I was very excited because the time clock stresses me out! Anyway, I got here at 8 as usual and did my blog, but the pinwheel of death (instead of an arrow) prevented me from logging out of all of my things, and I was late for breakfast, which started at 8:30. Oh well, it was still good because I ate 2 muffins and 2 donut holes!
After breakfast, Prati and I started reading an article Andy sent us. At 9:45, we did the tutorial from the e-mail for the meeting at 10...Then, at 10, we went to a remote sensing meeting about the New Zealand earthquake just to do something different. I'm actually really glad we went! It gives us an opportunity to experience a different aspect of imaging science.
Once it ended, we came back to the lab and I did 5 maps. Basically, the website (http://tomnod.com/geocan/?group=2) gives you two maps: a before, and an after. You click on the outline of buildings that are damaged, and you say they sustained either substantial damage, heavy damage, or complete destruction.
After that, I started working on our "before surveys," or the surveys we'll give our subjects before they complete the experiment. I was having some trouble because Word is different on Macs, and I'm so used to PCs. I figured it out eventually, it just took me a bit longer. I also condensed them to fit onto 2 pages instead of the original 4 pages it was supposed to be- just trying to save the world!
Before I finished, we went to lunch. We ate outside in the grass with everyone, and it was very nice! Unfortunately, I had to leave at 12:28 before everyone else because I wanted to have a perfect day!
After lunch, I finished the "before surveys" and started to work on the "after surveys" when I realized we'd need to make the video before we could do the "after survey." Therefore, we spent the rest of the day getting frustrated and downloading YouTube clips (legally I think)! We couldn't find the show we were originally planning on using, so we "nabbed" a different show with the help of a YouTube video that taught us how. By "nabbed," I mean using a site called clipnabber to download videos on URLs you can copy and paste into the little space and then "nab" them. I started getting very good at this, and at iMovie. I won't say any more because we might be using some of you readers as lab rats!
I went home before we finished, so I'm excited to see what Prati has! Tuesday was a very good day because we started our study, and we now have lots to do! I hope you have enjoyed this blog post because it is the unintentional second draft. I just wrote this at 8:30, but it apparently didn't save and therefore I had to start over!!! UGH!!! Then, it did it again!!!!!!!! This time, though, I copied it before I tried publishing so it was much better. Anyway, thanks for reading and sorry for the delay!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day 9- Monday 7/18
I got here at 8, and I started reading an article for today's MVRL meeting from 2-4. Prati got here at 8:15, and I was very surprised! She decided it would be easier for her to read this article if she printed it out, and we discovered with the help of a student that the printer's name in the computer lab is "Sailfish."
At that point, we went to the intern meeting and decided to eat in the reading room for lunch. There wasn't a lot of other information that I recall except some reminders about working only 40 hours a week...oops!
Back at the lab, Prati and I met with Andy (a professor). He talked to us about the hallway study he did a few years ago, and he taught us a bit about setting up an experiment with as few confounds as possible. It was extremely helpful (thank you if you're reading this, Andy!), and Prati and I will be using lots of his information.
The rest of the morning we read countless articles, including the one we printed out before the intern meeting, Andy's paper on the hallway study, and many article summaries on the wiki.
It was finally lunch time, and we ate in the reading room. We discussed what to bring for breakfast today, but besides that, nothing very exciting happened. I did clock in after exactly a half hour, which was good! Then everyone went to the bathroom at the same time, which was kind of funny.
After lunch, Prati and I worked on our experiment. We are thinking about using other interns, so to avoid any bias, I won't say any more! I will just say we had some fun on the internet, created a survey, and got a lot accomplished :-) now all we need is a question to answer with our study!
It was a very fun day, and I was reluctant to leave. Unfortunately, I had to leave a little early because I had a doctor's appointment! Oh well! Hopefully today will be just as fun.
At that point, we went to the intern meeting and decided to eat in the reading room for lunch. There wasn't a lot of other information that I recall except some reminders about working only 40 hours a week...oops!
Back at the lab, Prati and I met with Andy (a professor). He talked to us about the hallway study he did a few years ago, and he taught us a bit about setting up an experiment with as few confounds as possible. It was extremely helpful (thank you if you're reading this, Andy!), and Prati and I will be using lots of his information.
The rest of the morning we read countless articles, including the one we printed out before the intern meeting, Andy's paper on the hallway study, and many article summaries on the wiki.
It was finally lunch time, and we ate in the reading room. We discussed what to bring for breakfast today, but besides that, nothing very exciting happened. I did clock in after exactly a half hour, which was good! Then everyone went to the bathroom at the same time, which was kind of funny.
After lunch, Prati and I worked on our experiment. We are thinking about using other interns, so to avoid any bias, I won't say any more! I will just say we had some fun on the internet, created a survey, and got a lot accomplished :-) now all we need is a question to answer with our study!
It was a very fun day, and I was reluctant to leave. Unfortunately, I had to leave a little early because I had a doctor's appointment! Oh well! Hopefully today will be just as fun.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Day 8: Friday 7/15
This morning, I got here at about 8:30 because I wanted to sleep in a little, and I had extra time from the week. I added something to my blog in the reading room (where the meetings take place every morning for my family and friends outside of RIT), but it took forever because the computer had to update itself or something! Then, we had our meeting. Today, all the interns visited the MVRL, our lab! Prati showed everyone the eye trackers, and I pulled up a word search video we'd made of Nadya. I think it went pretty well.
Prati and I stayed in the lab and researched advertising and eye tracking all day. We have two lovely posters of brainstorming on the walls of the lab now. We also drew on the papers we burnt on the first day of boot camp! One was Abe, and one was Uni. Prati and I wanted to have some pictures on our blogs finally!
Prati and I took a lunch without the other interns today because we wanted to basically take a nap. So, we sat out on the grass by the grill from yesterday and basked in the sun! It was a beautiful day. We went back inside and discovered that the other girls were actually sitting under some trees across the road. Oops!
For the rest of the day, Prati and I researched more. We started the first draft of a survey we will give subjects before and after they complete our experiment. Unfortunately, I'm slowly crashing from staying up for Harry Potter last night. We also don't have a lot to do until we actually start our big summer study. I'm writing this blog now to stay awake until I leave in approximately a half hour (one other thing Prati and I did today was to make schedules for ourselves to avoid any further confusion)! It wasn't the most exciting or energetic day, but I did get to know Prati better and I enjoyed Harry Potter last night. Next week I will come back refreshed and ready to start our summer eye tracking study! Have a wonderful weekend.
P.S. On our way out, Jeff told us a funny story about how he got arrested once. There were also planes flying all around and it was really cool, but also really loud. Oh, and I got a 5 on my APUSH exam! That's not really relevant to work, so I'm sorry for including it, but I'm also very excited about it! Bye!
Prati and I stayed in the lab and researched advertising and eye tracking all day. We have two lovely posters of brainstorming on the walls of the lab now. We also drew on the papers we burnt on the first day of boot camp! One was Abe, and one was Uni. Prati and I wanted to have some pictures on our blogs finally!
Prati and I took a lunch without the other interns today because we wanted to basically take a nap. So, we sat out on the grass by the grill from yesterday and basked in the sun! It was a beautiful day. We went back inside and discovered that the other girls were actually sitting under some trees across the road. Oops!
For the rest of the day, Prati and I researched more. We started the first draft of a survey we will give subjects before and after they complete our experiment. Unfortunately, I'm slowly crashing from staying up for Harry Potter last night. We also don't have a lot to do until we actually start our big summer study. I'm writing this blog now to stay awake until I leave in approximately a half hour (one other thing Prati and I did today was to make schedules for ourselves to avoid any further confusion)! It wasn't the most exciting or energetic day, but I did get to know Prati better and I enjoyed Harry Potter last night. Next week I will come back refreshed and ready to start our summer eye tracking study! Have a wonderful weekend.
P.S. On our way out, Jeff told us a funny story about how he got arrested once. There were also planes flying all around and it was really cool, but also really loud. Oh, and I got a 5 on my APUSH exam! That's not really relevant to work, so I'm sorry for including it, but I'm also very excited about it! Bye!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Day 7- Thursday 7/14
I usually write all my posts in the mornings, but today I have some spare time, and I'm not going to come in tomorrow until 8:30 ish (I'm seeing Harry Potter at midnight!!!!!).
Anyway, this morning I wrote my blog of course. It took me a long time because yesterday was so eventful! Also, I was dressed in my Luna Lovegood attire, so people were giving me strange looks. Sarah and Elaine came in and liked my little costume. I loved Elaine's- her Hermione was very accurate! Oh, and I saw the intern pictures for this summer. I rarely like pictures of myself, but this one was definitely not my best! I might try changing it.
The meeting took place as usual, then Prati and I went to Boot Camp Part 2. There were some cookies, mini donuts, and mini muffins that were all delicious! The actual information was more about eye movements today. At 10, Prati and I told everyone about our findings on the cornea and Lasik eye surgery. They thought our findings were very interesting. Finally, at 12, lunch came in the form of some vegetables and pizza. I ate 3 little slices with some carrots, cauliflower, and a cookie. Then, Prati and I went outside with the other interns and there was more food! I had some chips and strawberries, and eventually I gave in to the left over hot dogs calling my name. I accidentally dropped one, so I ran to the trash can quickly but everyone noticed! Oops...
After eating a brownie and a hot dog and watching some planes fly overhead, Prati and I returned to Boot Camp. This part of Boot Camp was mostly about what the different parts of the MVRL lab are doing. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been in that room for the majority of 2 days, but I was having trouble focusing (especially when Prati told me we get our AP scores soon!).
Finally, it was 4 and Prati and I returned to the lab. She left at 4:30, and now I'm using the computer to write the blog! Overall, today wasn't as exciting as yesterday. I'm ok with that because it made me tired, which will allow me to take a nap, which will allow me to enjoy Harry Potter at midnight!!!!
Anyway, this morning I wrote my blog of course. It took me a long time because yesterday was so eventful! Also, I was dressed in my Luna Lovegood attire, so people were giving me strange looks. Sarah and Elaine came in and liked my little costume. I loved Elaine's- her Hermione was very accurate! Oh, and I saw the intern pictures for this summer. I rarely like pictures of myself, but this one was definitely not my best! I might try changing it.
The meeting took place as usual, then Prati and I went to Boot Camp Part 2. There were some cookies, mini donuts, and mini muffins that were all delicious! The actual information was more about eye movements today. At 10, Prati and I told everyone about our findings on the cornea and Lasik eye surgery. They thought our findings were very interesting. Finally, at 12, lunch came in the form of some vegetables and pizza. I ate 3 little slices with some carrots, cauliflower, and a cookie. Then, Prati and I went outside with the other interns and there was more food! I had some chips and strawberries, and eventually I gave in to the left over hot dogs calling my name. I accidentally dropped one, so I ran to the trash can quickly but everyone noticed! Oops...
After eating a brownie and a hot dog and watching some planes fly overhead, Prati and I returned to Boot Camp. This part of Boot Camp was mostly about what the different parts of the MVRL lab are doing. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been in that room for the majority of 2 days, but I was having trouble focusing (especially when Prati told me we get our AP scores soon!).
Finally, it was 4 and Prati and I returned to the lab. She left at 4:30, and now I'm using the computer to write the blog! Overall, today wasn't as exciting as yesterday. I'm ok with that because it made me tired, which will allow me to take a nap, which will allow me to enjoy Harry Potter at midnight!!!!
Day 6- Wednesday 7/13
This Wednesday started out normal. I got here at 8 as usual, finally able to open the doors with no problem. I then wrote my blog and went to the meeting as usual, where we talked about the grill for today. I offered to bring in water, but everyone shot me down! I'm not sure I'll be able to go anyway- I have boot camp today.
After the meeting, Prati and I went down to boot camp! There were donuts there, and I grabbed 2 plain ones. Yum! Eventually, it started. Jeff made everyone introduce themselves. There were lots of people, from us lowly interns to undergrads to people with Ph.Ds. Then he started talking about the history of eye tracking, the parts of the eye, and things that go wrong with the eye (near-sightedness like me, far-sightedness, etc). He borrowed my glasses to show what the lenses do, but I have no idea what they did because I couldn't see anything!! Far-sighted glasses focused light into a little dot when the lenses were focused.
All of a sudden, there was a fire drill, or a real fire, or something. I still don't know. If it was indeed a fire drill, it never occurred to me that colleges had those! Anyway, I grabbed all my stuff (which was probably bad but oh well) and went outside with Prati and everyone else. Prati and I watched clouds. We found Abraham Lincoln's/the cat in the hat's hat, a face/whale/fish, Mickey Mouse ears, and a giraffe just to name a few. We then moved to another building to continue boot camp. The chairs in the conference room we went to were really comfortable. Unfortunately, I didn't understand this part of boot camp as much because the Ph.Ds started asking questions of another Ph.D., and I had no chance of understanding. Also, Jeff told Prati and I to research an answer to several of their questions! I knew he was going to pick us as soon as he said he was going to pick someone in the front row who hadn't contributed to boot camp yet. I tried to avoid making eye contact, but it was hopeless and sure enough, he said, "Prati and Liz, you can do it!"
Once we got back to this building and clocked out for lunch, I went out to lunch with my dad. We went to the student union, and I got a turkey sandwich. I also ate some strawberries I brought for my normal lunch. I didn't eat very much because I was really full from the 2 donuts from boot camp! I also didn't get to talk to Dad very much because I wanted to get back in exactly a half an hour, and we had to shove down the food to do that. Luckily, I clocked in after exactly a half an hour, and I was very excited about it.
After lunch, I went back to the lab to wait for Prati. I started reading the article about Remote Sensing that Bob wanted us all to read, but Karen came in and asked me what I thought of boot camp. I told her that I really didn't understand the last part and she said we would have a group teaching session. So, when Prati got back, Karen, Glenn, and Mike took us to a room and started recapping what everyone was talking about in boot camp. It was really helpful! People kept trickling in and out to help out. Prati eventually asked why the fovea, a little pit in the retina, was off center with the pupil, and Glenn and Mike tried to come up with answers. Jeff walked in eventually and spent an hour coming up with more answers. He also explained why we shouldn't look directly at the sun- basically, the lens in our eyes would concentrate the sunlight on the back of our retina and burn it, just like an ant under a magnifying glass. So, we went outside with Thomas's lens, and Prati and I burnt holes in a piece of paper by focusing the sun's light. It ended up looking exactly like Abraham Lincoln so Prati hung it up in the lab!
Jeff went to a talk, so Glenn and Mike continued to teach us until we didn't have any more questions. Nadya and Kelsey came in and the three undergrads started talking about RIT, imaging science, and everything! It was really cool, and I found out that RIT is the second largest brick structure in the world. It's only second to the Great Wall of China! Also, there's a rumor that anyone who counts all the bricks and tells the president would get a free ride- that would be so hard!
After we went back to the lab, Prati and I researched the answers to the Ph.D's questions. The first two parts were right on wikipedia, but we couldn't find the third part anywhere! In case you were wondering, the question was how many layers of the cornea are cut during Lasik eye surgery, and why can't it heal correctly? Prati even called Lasik eye surgery offices, and nobody knew! I think we were talking mostly to secretaries, but still, it makes me nervous that they don't know. The highlight of these calls was when Prati said her name was Maria. Prati and I also watched a video about Lasik eye surgery, but I was way too squeamish to watch it! All I know is that I will never, EVER get Lasik!!! EVER!!!
After we decided that the company just didn't want to let other people copy them with the exact measurements, I read the Remote Sensing article and went home. It was probably the best day of the internship yet!
After the meeting, Prati and I went down to boot camp! There were donuts there, and I grabbed 2 plain ones. Yum! Eventually, it started. Jeff made everyone introduce themselves. There were lots of people, from us lowly interns to undergrads to people with Ph.Ds. Then he started talking about the history of eye tracking, the parts of the eye, and things that go wrong with the eye (near-sightedness like me, far-sightedness, etc). He borrowed my glasses to show what the lenses do, but I have no idea what they did because I couldn't see anything!! Far-sighted glasses focused light into a little dot when the lenses were focused.
All of a sudden, there was a fire drill, or a real fire, or something. I still don't know. If it was indeed a fire drill, it never occurred to me that colleges had those! Anyway, I grabbed all my stuff (which was probably bad but oh well) and went outside with Prati and everyone else. Prati and I watched clouds. We found Abraham Lincoln's/the cat in the hat's hat, a face/whale/fish, Mickey Mouse ears, and a giraffe just to name a few. We then moved to another building to continue boot camp. The chairs in the conference room we went to were really comfortable. Unfortunately, I didn't understand this part of boot camp as much because the Ph.Ds started asking questions of another Ph.D., and I had no chance of understanding. Also, Jeff told Prati and I to research an answer to several of their questions! I knew he was going to pick us as soon as he said he was going to pick someone in the front row who hadn't contributed to boot camp yet. I tried to avoid making eye contact, but it was hopeless and sure enough, he said, "Prati and Liz, you can do it!"
Once we got back to this building and clocked out for lunch, I went out to lunch with my dad. We went to the student union, and I got a turkey sandwich. I also ate some strawberries I brought for my normal lunch. I didn't eat very much because I was really full from the 2 donuts from boot camp! I also didn't get to talk to Dad very much because I wanted to get back in exactly a half an hour, and we had to shove down the food to do that. Luckily, I clocked in after exactly a half an hour, and I was very excited about it.
After lunch, I went back to the lab to wait for Prati. I started reading the article about Remote Sensing that Bob wanted us all to read, but Karen came in and asked me what I thought of boot camp. I told her that I really didn't understand the last part and she said we would have a group teaching session. So, when Prati got back, Karen, Glenn, and Mike took us to a room and started recapping what everyone was talking about in boot camp. It was really helpful! People kept trickling in and out to help out. Prati eventually asked why the fovea, a little pit in the retina, was off center with the pupil, and Glenn and Mike tried to come up with answers. Jeff walked in eventually and spent an hour coming up with more answers. He also explained why we shouldn't look directly at the sun- basically, the lens in our eyes would concentrate the sunlight on the back of our retina and burn it, just like an ant under a magnifying glass. So, we went outside with Thomas's lens, and Prati and I burnt holes in a piece of paper by focusing the sun's light. It ended up looking exactly like Abraham Lincoln so Prati hung it up in the lab!
 |
| Abe <3 Uni! |
Jeff went to a talk, so Glenn and Mike continued to teach us until we didn't have any more questions. Nadya and Kelsey came in and the three undergrads started talking about RIT, imaging science, and everything! It was really cool, and I found out that RIT is the second largest brick structure in the world. It's only second to the Great Wall of China! Also, there's a rumor that anyone who counts all the bricks and tells the president would get a free ride- that would be so hard!
After we went back to the lab, Prati and I researched the answers to the Ph.D's questions. The first two parts were right on wikipedia, but we couldn't find the third part anywhere! In case you were wondering, the question was how many layers of the cornea are cut during Lasik eye surgery, and why can't it heal correctly? Prati even called Lasik eye surgery offices, and nobody knew! I think we were talking mostly to secretaries, but still, it makes me nervous that they don't know. The highlight of these calls was when Prati said her name was Maria. Prati and I also watched a video about Lasik eye surgery, but I was way too squeamish to watch it! All I know is that I will never, EVER get Lasik!!! EVER!!!
After we decided that the company just didn't want to let other people copy them with the exact measurements, I read the Remote Sensing article and went home. It was probably the best day of the internship yet!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day 5- Tuesday 7/12
This morning I got here at 8 again and did my blog. Then, it was time for the meeting. We visited Kelsey today to see what she was doing, and Betsy was very cool!
Prati and I then went to our lab, where we continued reading "Eye movements in reading and information processing: 20 years of research" by Keith Rayner. It took FOREVER! We were only skimming, and it still took us 3 hours to read. In fact, when we finally finished, it was time for lunch.
We punched out and went down to look for everyone, but they weren't there. I was convinced they had already left (we were 2 minutes late, after all), but Prati wanted to look around after stopping at the vending machine. So, we punched back in and looked for everyone in their labs. We found Kelsey, but everyone else had left like I thought. We punched out again and walked to Global Village as usual. We went back a different way this time, and I didn't really know where to go. At least I was with a bunch of people who knew the way!
After lunch, Prati and I watched the videos we made of Kurt, Mike and Karen on Monday. We decided that we needed one more video to make the experiment better, and we asked Nadya to do a word search for us. Thankfully, she did! If you're reading this, Nadya, happy birthday (yesterday)! Thanks!
Nadya and Kurt tied, finding 7 words, Karen found 15 words, and Mike found 12. Nadya and Kurt had similar strategies to finding words. Prati and I called their method "line by line," which was the slower method. They went line by line to look for words. Karen and Mike picked a word to look for, scanned the whole letter grid, read two lines at a time, and while looking for one word found another. They also looked at the list of words more frequently so they knew what to look for.
When we finished, we talked to Karen about our results. She told us that if this was a real study, we would probably need to try forcing people to use different strategies. If it was just the strategy, Karen and Mike would probably find fewer words. However, if Karen and Mike were just better at finding words, the reason for Karen and Mike beating Nadya and Kurt might not be different strategies. This is called a confound.
We decided that since this wasn't a real study, we wouldn't bother running more tests to make sure it wasn't a confound. However, today we are going to look at the videos we already made and look for other factors, such as time spent looking at the list or grid, continuing to look at letters they know are wrong, where they started searching, and changing strategies. Karen is also going to teach us how to use a program called Semanticode, which will tell us the number of fixations, the length of fixations, and specifically what everyone is looking at.
We then asked Karen about the article we read, and by the time we had asked only a few questions, it was time to go home for the day.
Some highlights of the day included Harry Potter hangman and tic-tac-toe while waiting for Nadya to do her test and waiting for her video to finish rendering, discovering the existence of a Pirate language on facebook while looking for Amanda Kearney, and then finally meeting Amanda Kearney! No more creeping for us!!!!
By the way, thanks to everyone who has started following my blog! Sorry it's so long...I just get on a roll! Wish me luck at boot camp today!
We punched out and went down to look for everyone, but they weren't there. I was convinced they had already left (we were 2 minutes late, after all), but Prati wanted to look around after stopping at the vending machine. So, we punched back in and looked for everyone in their labs. We found Kelsey, but everyone else had left like I thought. We punched out again and walked to Global Village as usual. We went back a different way this time, and I didn't really know where to go. At least I was with a bunch of people who knew the way!
After lunch, Prati and I watched the videos we made of Kurt, Mike and Karen on Monday. We decided that we needed one more video to make the experiment better, and we asked Nadya to do a word search for us. Thankfully, she did! If you're reading this, Nadya, happy birthday (yesterday)! Thanks!
Nadya and Kurt tied, finding 7 words, Karen found 15 words, and Mike found 12. Nadya and Kurt had similar strategies to finding words. Prati and I called their method "line by line," which was the slower method. They went line by line to look for words. Karen and Mike picked a word to look for, scanned the whole letter grid, read two lines at a time, and while looking for one word found another. They also looked at the list of words more frequently so they knew what to look for.
When we finished, we talked to Karen about our results. She told us that if this was a real study, we would probably need to try forcing people to use different strategies. If it was just the strategy, Karen and Mike would probably find fewer words. However, if Karen and Mike were just better at finding words, the reason for Karen and Mike beating Nadya and Kurt might not be different strategies. This is called a confound.
We decided that since this wasn't a real study, we wouldn't bother running more tests to make sure it wasn't a confound. However, today we are going to look at the videos we already made and look for other factors, such as time spent looking at the list or grid, continuing to look at letters they know are wrong, where they started searching, and changing strategies. Karen is also going to teach us how to use a program called Semanticode, which will tell us the number of fixations, the length of fixations, and specifically what everyone is looking at.
We then asked Karen about the article we read, and by the time we had asked only a few questions, it was time to go home for the day.
Some highlights of the day included Harry Potter hangman and tic-tac-toe while waiting for Nadya to do her test and waiting for her video to finish rendering, discovering the existence of a Pirate language on facebook while looking for Amanda Kearney, and then finally meeting Amanda Kearney! No more creeping for us!!!!
By the way, thanks to everyone who has started following my blog! Sorry it's so long...I just get on a roll! Wish me luck at boot camp today!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 4- Monday 7/11
I was so tired this morning even though I went to bed at 9:30 Sunday night. I got here at 8 again, but this time nobody was in either of the places I could go for computers, and I had to ask someone for help. Luckily, there was a nice lady on this floor who helped me get into the computer lab, and I was very grateful to her. I worked on my blog for Friday, and then I went to the meeting at 8:30 as usual. I'm really looking forward to the grill on Thursday, but Prati and I have boot camp then and I'm not sure we'll be able to.
When Prati and I went to the lab after the meeting, Karen was there and she wanted us to run some other people on our word search project today. So, Prati and I ran Kurt and Mike from our lab. Their calibrations were soooo much better than ours. It was really easy to run their tests through Yarbus. However, we couldn't move everything with the flash drives we had for some reason. They should have had enough space to move the movies from the lap top in the eye tracker to the other computer for Yarbus, but it kept saying there wasn't enough space! Glenn let us borrow his, and it worked fine.
While waiting for people to do their word searches for 5 minutes, I was looking for the mysterious girl from last week's scavenger hunt. I had an awesome idea to look at Joe's friends on facebook, and I found someone who looked promising. It ended up being her mother, who of course had a picture of her daughter. I won't say any more for now, but I was so excited to have finally found her name! Hopefully sometime this week, Prati and I will be able to find her on campus.
After running both Mike and Kurt's videos through Yarbus and rendering them, we went to lunch with the other interns. Today, though, Prati and I left after a half an hour so we could leave on time. It was actually really nice! We got to talk to the others for a little while, and then we went back.
Unfortunately, Prati's water bottle spilled in her purse, so when we got back, we just sat in the bathroom for awhile while her purse dried a bit.
When we got back to the lab again, we ran Karen. She was also really good at calibration, and she found the most words (15- I had 13...). Oh well, at least I beat the boys in the lab!
As we were making the video of Karen, Jeff came in to see how we were doing. He told us that we needed the eye to be more centered and less crooked because of homography. I didn't totally understand what this meant, but I will definitely be more careful about centering the eye next time! As I told my mom on the way home, the day Jeff comes over and says good job is the day that Prati and I are experts at Yarbus!
Anyway, Jeff left for a meeting in the middle of explaining what Prati and I needed to do with our new videos, so we started reading something about eye tracking by Keith Rayner. It is an extremely long article, so to make it more interesting, we let the computer read it to us with an Australian accent! It made it notably more entertaining. We also liked the MVRL crew and Yarbus on facebook at the request of the college students in our lab. It was almost time to go at this time, so Prati and I decided to go to the bathroom and try to find the mysterious girl. We went to the computer lab and I found out from my e-mail that she is a student...again, I won't say any more just in case someone actually reads this and steals my discoveries! However, Prati and I still don't know where she is located on campus. We'll find her eventually!
Finally, at 4:34, I clocked out and went home with my mom. We stopped at China Buffet on the way home, and then I relaxed the rest of the night!
Today, I'm fairly sure Prati and I will be interpreting our data on the word search experiment and finishing the very very very long article.
After working here for a few days and talking to some of the other interns, I'm extremely glad that I'm in the MVRL lab. Everyone is so nice and helpful, and I think I will learn a lot over the summer. Thanks everyone!
When Prati and I went to the lab after the meeting, Karen was there and she wanted us to run some other people on our word search project today. So, Prati and I ran Kurt and Mike from our lab. Their calibrations were soooo much better than ours. It was really easy to run their tests through Yarbus. However, we couldn't move everything with the flash drives we had for some reason. They should have had enough space to move the movies from the lap top in the eye tracker to the other computer for Yarbus, but it kept saying there wasn't enough space! Glenn let us borrow his, and it worked fine.
While waiting for people to do their word searches for 5 minutes, I was looking for the mysterious girl from last week's scavenger hunt. I had an awesome idea to look at Joe's friends on facebook, and I found someone who looked promising. It ended up being her mother, who of course had a picture of her daughter. I won't say any more for now, but I was so excited to have finally found her name! Hopefully sometime this week, Prati and I will be able to find her on campus.
After running both Mike and Kurt's videos through Yarbus and rendering them, we went to lunch with the other interns. Today, though, Prati and I left after a half an hour so we could leave on time. It was actually really nice! We got to talk to the others for a little while, and then we went back.
Unfortunately, Prati's water bottle spilled in her purse, so when we got back, we just sat in the bathroom for awhile while her purse dried a bit.
When we got back to the lab again, we ran Karen. She was also really good at calibration, and she found the most words (15- I had 13...). Oh well, at least I beat the boys in the lab!
As we were making the video of Karen, Jeff came in to see how we were doing. He told us that we needed the eye to be more centered and less crooked because of homography. I didn't totally understand what this meant, but I will definitely be more careful about centering the eye next time! As I told my mom on the way home, the day Jeff comes over and says good job is the day that Prati and I are experts at Yarbus!
Anyway, Jeff left for a meeting in the middle of explaining what Prati and I needed to do with our new videos, so we started reading something about eye tracking by Keith Rayner. It is an extremely long article, so to make it more interesting, we let the computer read it to us with an Australian accent! It made it notably more entertaining. We also liked the MVRL crew and Yarbus on facebook at the request of the college students in our lab. It was almost time to go at this time, so Prati and I decided to go to the bathroom and try to find the mysterious girl. We went to the computer lab and I found out from my e-mail that she is a student...again, I won't say any more just in case someone actually reads this and steals my discoveries! However, Prati and I still don't know where she is located on campus. We'll find her eventually!
Finally, at 4:34, I clocked out and went home with my mom. We stopped at China Buffet on the way home, and then I relaxed the rest of the night!
Today, I'm fairly sure Prati and I will be interpreting our data on the word search experiment and finishing the very very very long article.
After working here for a few days and talking to some of the other interns, I'm extremely glad that I'm in the MVRL lab. Everyone is so nice and helpful, and I think I will learn a lot over the summer. Thanks everyone!
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| Coins from Prati's wet purse- all the money she has! |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 3- Friday 7/8
I'm writing this on Monday, so a weekend of relaxation might make this post a bit less detailed than my two previous posts. Just a warning.
Anyway, I got here at 8 Friday morning so that I could work on my blog without causing anyone to go searching for me or distracting me. It took me a long time and I was almost the last person into the meeting! But I wasn't, and surprisingly neither was Prati! After the meeting, where we got free lanyards, Prati and I went back to the MVRL lab and she worked on her blog while I brainstormed some ideas for our big summer project. The first few ideas were really good, but as time went on, they started getting kind of stupid...for example, "birdwatching"is the second to last idea on that list. I have never watched birds in my life!
Karen eventually came in and asked us what we were planning on doing that day. I showed her the word searches I had brought in to practice using the eye trackers and Yarbus. She thought it was a good idea and told Jeff about it when he came in. Jeff taught us several things we might run into with this experiment, including "paralax" and extrapolation vs. interpolation. With this information, we came up with a design for the calibration.
At this point, it was about 10 and we wanted to see the Ph.D. defense of Grigorios Tsagkatakis...which I hope I spelled right. It was very intimidating because Prati and I were by far the youngest. We also only had little notebooks, while lots of the other people had lap tops. Plus, it was very quiet, so we whispered about Harry Potter 7 (coming out this Thursday night!!!) until it started. When it started, I took notes about the format he used and Prati took notes about the content...but it was way over our heads so we just did our best!
After it was over, we stopped at the vending machine because we were starving! By the time we got back to the lab after telling Karen about our experience, we could only finish designing the experiment a little and then we went to lunch (it was 12). We went to lunch with all the other interns at Global Village, which was fun. Unfortunately, we didn't get back until 12:48 and I knew I would have to stay an extra 17 minutes! Today I will definitely do my best to keep it only a half an hour so I can be home by about 5:30 (I live an hour away).
After lunch, we made copies of our word searches and did the experiment. We decided to put the word search and calibration on the wall so we could get a good view of the corneal reflection and the pupil in the eye video. I went first, and my video was harder to calibrate because I was standing closer than Prati (I didn't have my contacts in Friday). The points went off the scene, and it was hard to tell when I was looking at which point. We ended up calibrating it eventually, but it didn't turn out well and we redid the experiment with more calibration points that were labeled and smaller. It was better this time, but I had Jeff looking over my shoulder as I worked on my calibration and it made me very nervous. Prati and I left at about 5:10 because we were having problems saving it...so much for leaving at 4:30!
Overall, it was a very educational day! ...I was still very glad it was Friday: it's hard working 8 hour days!
Anyway, I got here at 8 Friday morning so that I could work on my blog without causing anyone to go searching for me or distracting me. It took me a long time and I was almost the last person into the meeting! But I wasn't, and surprisingly neither was Prati! After the meeting, where we got free lanyards, Prati and I went back to the MVRL lab and she worked on her blog while I brainstormed some ideas for our big summer project. The first few ideas were really good, but as time went on, they started getting kind of stupid...for example, "birdwatching"is the second to last idea on that list. I have never watched birds in my life!
Karen eventually came in and asked us what we were planning on doing that day. I showed her the word searches I had brought in to practice using the eye trackers and Yarbus. She thought it was a good idea and told Jeff about it when he came in. Jeff taught us several things we might run into with this experiment, including "paralax" and extrapolation vs. interpolation. With this information, we came up with a design for the calibration.
At this point, it was about 10 and we wanted to see the Ph.D. defense of Grigorios Tsagkatakis...which I hope I spelled right. It was very intimidating because Prati and I were by far the youngest. We also only had little notebooks, while lots of the other people had lap tops. Plus, it was very quiet, so we whispered about Harry Potter 7 (coming out this Thursday night!!!) until it started. When it started, I took notes about the format he used and Prati took notes about the content...but it was way over our heads so we just did our best!
After it was over, we stopped at the vending machine because we were starving! By the time we got back to the lab after telling Karen about our experience, we could only finish designing the experiment a little and then we went to lunch (it was 12). We went to lunch with all the other interns at Global Village, which was fun. Unfortunately, we didn't get back until 12:48 and I knew I would have to stay an extra 17 minutes! Today I will definitely do my best to keep it only a half an hour so I can be home by about 5:30 (I live an hour away).
After lunch, we made copies of our word searches and did the experiment. We decided to put the word search and calibration on the wall so we could get a good view of the corneal reflection and the pupil in the eye video. I went first, and my video was harder to calibrate because I was standing closer than Prati (I didn't have my contacts in Friday). The points went off the scene, and it was hard to tell when I was looking at which point. We ended up calibrating it eventually, but it didn't turn out well and we redid the experiment with more calibration points that were labeled and smaller. It was better this time, but I had Jeff looking over my shoulder as I worked on my calibration and it made me very nervous. Prati and I left at about 5:10 because we were having problems saving it...so much for leaving at 4:30!
Overall, it was a very educational day! ...I was still very glad it was Friday: it's hard working 8 hour days!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day 2- Thursday 7/7
This day wasn't quite as exciting as the first day's scavenger hunt, but I still learned a lot. I was the first one here, so I was very excited when other people showed up. We had our meeting, and then we got our computer accounts. Also, Bethany told us about College and Careers, which I had already signed up for. Before trying to find Karen, I told her that I was doing it. Then, Prati and I went to the computer lab to set up our blogs because unfortunately, we couldn't find Karen. I had a hard time setting it up, so I'm just crossing my fingers it's working now. I also checked my e-mail, and it made me feel very grown up to have a job where I have to check my e-mail! Then, Bob came in at about 9:30 and said that Karen was looking for us. I quickly wrapped up my e-mail and went with him. I felt bad, but I think Prati and I made the right choice to try to use our time wisely when we couldn't find Karen.
When we got to the lab with Karen, we found out that we would be doing an experiment to see how we read. She helped us, but today we are on our own a bit more. Anyway, Prati was all set up when Jeff asked her to come model for something about dermatology. We had to take the glasses off her, which was a little annoying, but Karen had me practice setting her up. Then, she helped set me up when Prati got back. It was weird wearing the glasses because I felt so exposed! What if I was looking at something I shouldn't be? What if I am the weirdest reader anyone has ever seen before? Why did I sign up for an internship that tapes me- what if I look bad?! But after I did the experiment for awhile, these little worries went away. It was all for science, and we were only trying to collect data, not embarrass me. So, I did the head-tick method of calibration, which is staring at a target and moving your head in a plus sign and an "x" with four little ticks until you couldn't see the target. Sorry if that's confusing, but I don't know how to describe it any differently. After calibration, I went out in the hall to read posters. Prati and Karen were making me work harder than I expected- analyzing graphs, giving summaries of what I'd read, etc. I thought I was taking a test! I don't think it helped that my contacts were acting up because of allergies, but I did my best. Oh, and there were lots of people around. For example, Joe walked by and said it was a good look for me.
After that, it was Prati's turn. I set her up, but I was not sure of myself at all and kept asking Karen if I was doing it right or if it was ok yet. She did the calibration, then went out in the hall to read. This time, I told her what to do and it went much faster, especially without all the people. When she was done, we went back to the lab and started to put the videos onto Yarbus. It was about 12:15 when we got close to done with Prati's calibration, and I was starving but didn't want to say anything. Luckily, Karen remembered lunch and offered to take us to the SAU. I didn't need to go there because I brought my standard school lunch, but Prati had to. It took us about 45 minutes, and I'm hoping today it will only take 30 minutes so I can get my full 8 hours! At the SAU, I was sad because they didn't have normal Cheerios- what if I go here someday? We ate, and talked about ourselves a little. I would tell you what I learned, but I don't want Prati or Karen to get mad at me for putting anything personal on the internet!
After lunch, I ran into Bob, who asked me to come get my free t-shirt! Most of them were too big, so I went with a medium- my smallest choice that was still way to big. Oh well, at least it had a cool design!
I came back to the lab, and for the remainder of the day, we finished the videos and made observations, compared the three kinds of calibrations we tried the first day, and made a wiki page of our discoveries. We just reported to Karen when we were done, not like the first day when she was here the whole time. With the more freedom, we read about Yarbus a little like Jeff told us to the first day. The college students told us to like Yarbus and Joe on facebook, but they wouldn't tell us the mysterious girl's identity!
I went home at 5:15 after making a list of things to do today, and I have just finished my first bullet on that list! I'm feeling more comfortable now because everyone is so nice at RIT and I'm starting to get used to it here. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll even be able to find my way around!
When we got to the lab with Karen, we found out that we would be doing an experiment to see how we read. She helped us, but today we are on our own a bit more. Anyway, Prati was all set up when Jeff asked her to come model for something about dermatology. We had to take the glasses off her, which was a little annoying, but Karen had me practice setting her up. Then, she helped set me up when Prati got back. It was weird wearing the glasses because I felt so exposed! What if I was looking at something I shouldn't be? What if I am the weirdest reader anyone has ever seen before? Why did I sign up for an internship that tapes me- what if I look bad?! But after I did the experiment for awhile, these little worries went away. It was all for science, and we were only trying to collect data, not embarrass me. So, I did the head-tick method of calibration, which is staring at a target and moving your head in a plus sign and an "x" with four little ticks until you couldn't see the target. Sorry if that's confusing, but I don't know how to describe it any differently. After calibration, I went out in the hall to read posters. Prati and Karen were making me work harder than I expected- analyzing graphs, giving summaries of what I'd read, etc. I thought I was taking a test! I don't think it helped that my contacts were acting up because of allergies, but I did my best. Oh, and there were lots of people around. For example, Joe walked by and said it was a good look for me.
After that, it was Prati's turn. I set her up, but I was not sure of myself at all and kept asking Karen if I was doing it right or if it was ok yet. She did the calibration, then went out in the hall to read. This time, I told her what to do and it went much faster, especially without all the people. When she was done, we went back to the lab and started to put the videos onto Yarbus. It was about 12:15 when we got close to done with Prati's calibration, and I was starving but didn't want to say anything. Luckily, Karen remembered lunch and offered to take us to the SAU. I didn't need to go there because I brought my standard school lunch, but Prati had to. It took us about 45 minutes, and I'm hoping today it will only take 30 minutes so I can get my full 8 hours! At the SAU, I was sad because they didn't have normal Cheerios- what if I go here someday? We ate, and talked about ourselves a little. I would tell you what I learned, but I don't want Prati or Karen to get mad at me for putting anything personal on the internet!
After lunch, I ran into Bob, who asked me to come get my free t-shirt! Most of them were too big, so I went with a medium- my smallest choice that was still way to big. Oh well, at least it had a cool design!
I came back to the lab, and for the remainder of the day, we finished the videos and made observations, compared the three kinds of calibrations we tried the first day, and made a wiki page of our discoveries. We just reported to Karen when we were done, not like the first day when she was here the whole time. With the more freedom, we read about Yarbus a little like Jeff told us to the first day. The college students told us to like Yarbus and Joe on facebook, but they wouldn't tell us the mysterious girl's identity!
I went home at 5:15 after making a list of things to do today, and I have just finished my first bullet on that list! I'm feeling more comfortable now because everyone is so nice at RIT and I'm starting to get used to it here. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll even be able to find my way around!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Day 1-Wednesday 7/6
As I woke up earlier than I had all summer, I opened my eyes and thought about the new experience that would start in a few hours. Surprisingly, I wasn't too nervous. Yes, I had a few butterflies, but it was nothing compared to the usual feeling of panic when new, unknown things start. I got up and got ready, extremely tired. Then I got in the car with my dad, and we started driving.
After some one way roads and traffic, we finally made it. He walked me into the building, and Emily was sitting outside the reading room. My dad left for work, and I started talking to her. I felt much better having another person to talk to, and my butterflies disappeared. Other people got there eventually, and we went into the Reading Room to wait. Prati, my fellow MVRL intern, wasn't there yet which worried me a little. Joe and Bob came in and started talking about how it would be this summer.
Prati got there a few minutes late, and then we started a scavenger hunt! I love scavenger hunts, so I was very excited even though this one promised to be very difficult. Elaine, Alex, Matt, Evelyn, and I were in the group called Remotely Senseless. We first decided to look around the building, and we immediately found Bethany. Then we walked around and found a few of the pictures we were looking for. After looking around for a little while longer and asking people for help, we decided to explore the art building. Even though we didn't find anything there, we did find a nice man who gave us a map of RIT. We would have been very lost without it! We continued going through buildings and asking people where things were. It was REALLY hot outside, and I had worn jeans expecting to be in air conditioning all day. My favorite part was going back to the same room in the engineering building 3 times in search of a drill that we never found. By 11:30, we'd found about 25 out of 36 and we decided to go back to the imaging building to start uploading our videos. Our plan was to let it upload for about 5 minutes then split up: three of us would stay in the computer lab working on the movie, and two of us would continue finding things. I volunteered to go find things with Elaine because I've never used a Mac before, and I knew I'd be much more helpful finding things. Unfortunately, the uploading was supposed to take a half an hour that we couldn't waste. Elaine and I decided to use her phone's camera instead of the camera Joe gave us to at least get some partial credit. At this point, it was about 11:45, and we visited Bethany. She gave us tips to find many of the remaining things we had to find, and we rushed off to find them. We had to make it all the way to Global Village to find one thing (we'd already been there about an hour earlier and I was annoyed we hadn't looked closer), so we decided we had no choice but to run. Like I said before, it was really hot out! Elaine and I were drenched with sweat by the time we returned, having found 8 of the missing 11. We ran back to this building, and we had about ten minutes to spare. I emailed the videos on Elaine's phone to my email, and Evelyn, Matt, and Alex figured out how to put them in the complete video. We were a few minutes late because it took a long time to turn into a movie, but Elaine and I used the waiting time to catch our breaths. When it was done, we went back to the Reading Room fairly confident that we'd won with all of our extra efforts. We all watched the videos, and Remotely Senseless was declared the winner! I do think the Astrologists on Coffee had the better, more entertaining video, but we found more of the pictures!
After eating, they took us to our labs and I was kind of nervous again because that was when we'd actually be starting work. Joe took us to Karen and Jeff, who were very nice to us. We set up wiki accounts, and then we learned how to use the eye trackers and Yarbus. Luckily, I took notes after we'd seen it once and I think I'll be able to do it today when we practice!
At 5, I went home with my dad and I was even more tired after my first 8 hour day of work that included lots of running. I ate, showered, and went to bed as soon as I possibly could!
It was a very fun first day, and I think this summer is going to be a wonderful new experience!
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