This week’s post examines what it was like to be involved at the ASSIST Center for my internship and what I got out of my experience while there. For starters, my internship wrapped up last Friday, before the second Kenan Professional Advancement Institute. And, while others are still working at theirs, I am comfortable in the knowledge that the wearable devices team got a full, hands-on understanding of what both the center and the field of nanotechnology is all about! We toured numerous labs and businesses as well as took part in lots of hands-on activities to get a firm understanding of how broad the topic of wearable devices really is and the number of people/industries involved in creating them. We toured a variety of labs at NC State, visited engineering firms who design products, looked at wireless communications and energy harvesting, toured the EPA, and even learned the nuance of using motion capture. When needed, Dr. Jur and Dr. Veety brought in other professionals to talk with us so we could hear about specific topics straight from the researchers who are doing the work. We worked with building electronics, researched sensor components, did some programming and built our own devices. It was a whirlwind of a summer. I honestly feel our team experienced more aspects related to the topic of wearable devices than a lot of college students receive in two years. Kind of crazy…but a fun crazy!
Probably the most difficult part of my internship was pulling everything together to create three separate lessons for use in the One Health Challenge the RETs are putting together to introduce middle and high school students to a lot of the same things we did over the summer. While we knew we had to get these products done, the bulk of the work was completed the final week as we were also working on finishing up building our wearable device as a team, learning additional information, and preparing to present what we accomplished during a culminating research symposium. It was very fast paced and I got very stressed out, wondering if I would be able to complete everything in time! But…of course…I finished everything that was expected of me!
So, what did I take away from this experience? A lot! I am amazed at the scope of knowledge we received in this program and although it doesn’t really surprise me, how much goes into making a wearable device. A lot of the techniques I got to witness are things I have taught for years but had no experience with outside of lecturing on it. I now have real-world experience that I can incorporate into my lessons. Making wearables is a team effort, even if members of the team barely or rarely talk with one another…everyone involved has their piece in the puzzle and work together like a well-oiled machine!
I feel I made some amazing connections in Dr. Jur and Dr. Veety who will make great guest speakers for my students somewhere down the road and if they can’t make it, they have the connections I need in order to introduce my students to wearable devices and nanotechnology. They will also make great resources of information when I might have a question about something I saw/experienced so I can be certain that I explain the information correctly. Add to this the innovative thinking and personal/professional connections I made with other teachers at my internship and this was an invaluable experience for me!
Another take-away from the program are the lessons we created! While I am using one of them for my Kenan product, I have two additional lessons that are great to use with my students as well. And, the amazing equipment that is needed to do the lessons is also being provided to us through our internship. While we receive some items which will be purchased for us, Dr. Jur is creating a “library” of sensor and wearable technologies that we can borrow for a week at a time, if we need more or different equipment than we already have. Talk about an amazing resource!
It’s only been a week since the last time I walked through the door of the ASSIST Center and two days away from (most) of the other Kenan cohorts, but I miss the camaraderie we’ve developed in both my internship and the Kenan training already. I am definitely looking forward to the October Professional Advancement Institute so I can see everybody again.