Tuesday, February 21, 2017

You Print I Scan

Wow, here we are again! It seemed like just yesterday Week 3 had begun. This week may not be as exciting as the previous weeks, but I can definitely tell you that I’m getting the full intern experience. I apologize in advance for my lack of pictures. After you read about my week, you'll understand that there wasn't anything too picture-worthy. Now presenting the week overview:

Monday Miracles
I was provided some relief when I found out President’s Day was a federal holiday, so no internship for me! Along with binge watching Friends, this day off also gave me time to start making the changes in my proposal that I talked about in my update post.

Wake Up, Wednesday!

It made me feel bad for ever laughing at Chandler Bing’s job as a...well, I still don’t know, but something to do with numbers. Yes siree, that was me, scoring more questionnaires and putting them in a spreadsheet. It’s a very big spreadsheet, I should take a picture of it some time to show you all. Oh, but then later I was given the awesome responsibility of double checking numbers. I was able to catch 3 or so mistakes, so basically I saved the data. You’re welcome!

TGI Thursday
I made it to the last day of the internship week, but there was nothing there to prepare me for the massive amounts of scanning I would be doing. Thank goodness the printer was in a room nearby, so I didn’t have to walk that far.

Ooh, story time! I was in the printer room waiting for some copies to print. In the copy room, there are also four desks in the room where people work. One woman at her desk turned to look at me and asked, “So are you a visiting doctor, Dr. Carlson?” I had to politely say that I was not a doctor, just an intern to Dr. Chong. I was super flattered that she thought I was a doctor. Dr. Carlson! It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Then for the rest of the day, it was a mix of going to the printer to scanning subject’s files than returning to the computer to label each file (0393-1-001, 0393-1-002, etc.). Tedious work, but I was glad to be of service to Dr. Chong. Now, one need only find the file on the computer rather than rifle through a bunch of papers.

Part of the reason for putting these files into the computer is for Dr. Chong to be more organized for their move next week into a bigger office with more space. Her current office is like the old BASIS, so I understand why she's so excited to move. This brings me to my next point. Because I'll be helping the department move next week, I probably won't have anything new to bring to the table, so I just thought I'd warn you in advance. I'll keep you in the loop about how the changes in my proposal going. See you next week!

20 comments:

  1. Awww! This was such a cute post, Kiri (or should I say, Dr. Carlson- tbh, it does have a wonderful ring to it)! I'm so excited for you and Dr. Chong :D Good luck moving! Quick question, is there a certain reasoning behind the file names/numbers (ex: 0393...)? Thank you!

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    1. Thanks so much, Saleena (or should I say Dr. Kang? ;D)! I can already imagine all the boxes piling up. To me those numbers mean nothing, but I'll ask Dr. Chong on Monday to see if she knows. Usually, they just assign random numbers to each study in order to differentiate them. Have a great weekend!

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  2. Hi Kiri! I hope all the scanning and numbers pays off the end to give you results! Have you seen any interesting trends or noticed anything related to gender differences yet or are you mainly focusing on organizing all of the data to compare in the future?

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    1. Thanks, Rachel, I hope it all pays off as well. Unfortunately, it's mostly been just inputting and organizing numbers. Once we finish evaluating participants and analysing their MRI brain scans, I'll be able to start looking for gender-based comparisons. Have a nice day!

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  3. What a nice post, Kiri! All of your gifs never fail to entertain me. It is so funny that you were called Dr. Carlson! It is a sign :) The other blogger that I am following also got misnamed by another co-worker. I guess the class of 2017 is qualified! I am excited for your upcoming posts! Keep having fun from your "side" of the world (@adele) :)

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    1. Thank you very much, Lorena! Since I had no pictures of my own, I can only pick the best of the best gifs. And yes, getting mistaken as a doctor is better than having my named butchered by pronounciation any day. I agree that the Class of 2017 is L17!!!! I may be on the 'other side', but I'll still stay in touch via posts! :P

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  4. It sounds nice that they will be getting a better office! Are you changing anything about your project besides taking out the sports related part?

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    1. Yes, Serena, I'm sure they were as happy as we were when we found out we were moving. ;D Currently, the sports-related part is the only section being removed, but I'll be sure to let you know if anything else changes about my project. Thanks for bearing with me!

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  5. Hi Kiri! It sounds like it's been a somewhat exciting week for you! Are there any specific meaning to each of the numbers?

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    1. I knew what I was signing up for when I became an intern, which means I've got to take the exciting with the sometimes not-so-exciting. It's all good though because it's all a part of the experience! Unfortunately, the numbers don't have any significance except for distinguishing which study is which. Until next time! :)

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  6. Hey Kiri! It sounds like you had a fun week. Sorry you were doing all that scanning, but I'm sure you'll be doing more fun things soon. Good luck in week 4!

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    1. Thanks, Grayson! I was told by Dr. Chong that it will definitely be this week that I will get to listen in while a radiologist analyzes an MRI brain scan, so I'm super excited for Wednesday. This may help me progress with my project, and I'll learn more specifically what I should be looking for in terms of gender-based differences. Week 4 here we come!

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  7. Hey Kiri! Sounds like you had a calm yet humorous week. Scanning and spreadsheet logging although does sound quite tedious. And I read your other post about removing the Sports Related title. I think that was a good move in terms of expanding how many people you can test on. How large can you estimate your focus group that you will be able to survey will now be?

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    1. Hi, Isabella! It was tedious, yet at the same time, it was very satisfying to scan and organize everything (not that it wasn't organized before, just making it more organized). And yes, by not limiting the criteria for the cause of the concussion, the results of my project will be more accurately reflected and supported by Dr. Chong's studies. So, for most of her participants, the popular cause of their concussion had been from slipping and/or falling. Once we start analyzing the results, I'll be able to better explain how I'll be using Dr. Chong's studies as well as what data I'll be using to answer my own research questions. I apologize that everything is a bit vague right now. Stick with me, and hopefully everything will be cleared up soon! :D

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  8. Hi Kiri! Great post. They always make me laugh:) Dealing with all of those files must be very tedious work. Have you come up with any new rhythms/patterns of work to make it more bearable since you first started your project? Can't wait for next week's update!

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    1. Thanks, Reyna, I'm glad I can continue to keep you entertained. During all the scanning, I keep myself entertained by contemplating life's quandaries and our role in the universe...only kidding, though I occasionally hum songs in my head while I wait, I'm usually paying attention to the papers so that I don't mess up. I find organizing things very satisfying, so once I got the motions down, it was pretty enjoyable. Since Week 4 is moving week, I've got a lot more scanning ahead of me...wish me luck! :)

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  9. Hey Kiri! I feel like all of us have spent so much time just on spreadsheets at all of our internships we must be getting expert by now. It sounds like you're doing a really great job and I hope the move goes well next week! Looking forward to more.

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    1. You're so right, Sarah! If anybody needs any help in terms of spreadsheets, guess we'll have to fight over who gets to help. ;D I can't wait to see their new office, and I'm so excited that I get to be a part of it all. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures! :)

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  10. Sounds like you are really helping out the lab Kiri, or should I say Dr. Carlson! Are all of the files you are currently inputting participants in the study, or people you plan to invite to participate in the study?

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    1. Thanks, Ms. Conner! It's a pleasure to help out Dr. Chong whenever I can. Yes, all the files I've inputted are participants in one (or more) of the studies she is conducting. I include the 'or more' because sometimes subjects can crossover into more than one study if they fit the criteria without it being a problem. I think that's pretty handy for, as the saying goes, it kills two birds with one stone, or in this case, fulfills two studies with one participant. Have a great day!

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