Research Science Institute 2013
During the summer of 2013, I participated in the Research Science Institute, organized by the Center for Excellence in Education and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Each year, approximately 50 domestic students are chosen from the United States, along with 30 students from other nations, to embark on a stimulating journey in the realm of scientific exploration. RSI Scholars experience the full research cycle, from conceptualizing project proposals to preparing conference style presentations and academic papers. Every RSI Scholar is provided with a $10,000 merit scholarship to cover the full cost of attending the program. Throughout the summer, RSI scholars also participate in a series of interactive lectures and seminars held by leading scientists from the Boston area, including several Nobel laureates.
Words cannot even begin to describe the impact that RSI has had on me. The exposure that I gained to the very forefronts of innovative scientific research and the peers that I met, were simply inspiring beyond description. After this summer, I am more determined than ever to continue in my exploration of the application of mobile devices into medical contexts.
As part of the 2013 RSI, I worked under the guidance of Dr. Gil Alterovitz in the Biomedical Cybernetics Laboratory of the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School on a mobile application platform that uses augmented reality as an intuitive map visualization tool.
Project Title: SmARt AR: An Intuitive Mobile Platform for Secondary Data Visualization
Abstract:
We describe the implementation of a mobile application platform that can be used to transform visual representations, such as maps, to depict other secondary relationships between nodes in the visual. In this particular iteration of the platform development process, we implemented a prototype of the SmARt AR Map Application, which aims to transform a geographical map of the Earth to represent the travel times due to the transportation networks in a region. This application can project these visual maps into physical space using augmented reality, to combine morphed and standard visuals in one view frame for intuitive exploration. We tested the morphing algorithm and validated that it accurately represents the secondary relationships in the map data set. This general methodology can be applied in other medical contexts to create intuitive visualization tools.
Links:
Cupertino Patch Article
Center for Excellence in Education Press Release
Harvard Center for Biomedical Informatics Interns 2013
Nishant Jain, Monta Vista High School, Yale University
