I am part of the SURP-Stats program for this summer. I will be researching with the De Leo lab. So far, I have not been given a clear idea of what the project I will be working on in the summer will be. When I met with the PhD student that will be in-charge of my research experience, he told me that the overall project is to attempt developing seasonal indices of environmental risk of schistosomiasis in West Africa based on a deep understanding of specific wetland vegetation dynamics (where the vectors of schistosomias, freshwater snails, live) driven by Planet Labs satellite data trained on drone data. However, it is still not confirmed as to which part of this project I will be working on, or if the project is going to pivot towards another focus.
On the other hand, I am currently trying to join a new lab to conduct research with during the academic year called the “Advanced Financial Technologies Lab (AFTL).” I met with a PhD student from this lab on Friday, 5th April, and hope to join the lab sometime next week after corresponding with the PI of the lab. I am also considering working with this lab on a project for this class instead of the De Leo lab based on whichever project I find more interesting.
So far, I have been reading literature on schistosomiasis and how it is spread. I am unsure about the type of data the De Leo lab already has that I could use for a tangential project in the same space for my class project. I reached out to Dr. De Leo a few days ago, and he replied to me saying that he is currently away from campus. I have exchanged emails with the PhD student that is in-charge of me and informed him of the deliverables for this class. The next step in this process is to schedule a meeting with the PhD student and discuss what sort of project the lab would like me to do for this class so that I can gain a better understanding of the topic area, as well as the data analysis skills needed for the summer.
After meeting with the PhD student from the AFTL on Friday, I am waiting for him to get back to me on Monday with an email including the projects that are currently being worked on in the lab. After that, I plan on meeting with the relevant PI for the project that most interests me and joining the lab. In that conversation, I plan on telling the PI and PhD student about this class and how I am exploring the potential of doing a project that is related to my AFTL research in this class. Then, I plan on working with them to construct a project and obtain data that I can use for my class project.
When I finalize which project I want to do after meeting lab members from both labs, I envision the data collection and analysis process to go quite smoothly. As the project will be related to the work that I am doing in either lab, I will be able to get advice and help from the PhD student in-charge of me in the lab, as well as keep the PI updated on my progress. I am also fairly confident that the lab will already have most, if not all, of the data that I will require. For the little data that might be missing, I can always obtain more with their help and visit Office Hours for the class in case I get stuck or need new ideas. Through these discussions, I will be advised on how to construct an effective data story in terms of which new data sets and other data sources I can include, since the labs will have experience in their respective subject specialties. Lastly, I plan on discussing how I will address Tufte’s 6 principles with the lab, as well as in Office Hours, to make sure that my project is meeting all relevant requirements.