This week Kiarra and I worked together to map out the key topics that we wanted to focus on as we brainstormed about the Abstract and Introduction for our paper. Now that we are combining the two papers that we originally started with, it will take a little coordination to get the paper to flow well.

A visual representation of where we are headed…

As we (hopefully!) move forward on site selection (we are waiting to hear back from IU about sites where they might allow sensor stations), I questioned whether we should go proposed site locations and test the cell signals in those locations.  Onset uses ATT/T-Mobile for their cell broadcast, so once we have a list of proposed sites, we can check the signal.  Given that there is some concern from the university about the aesthetic qualities of the sensors, I made cardboard prototypes so that we could visualize the size of the components that we will be working with.

I am excited to possibly be getting access to the Maker Lab to be able to use tools and equipment if we need to craft mounting options. If I end up needing to create a laser-cut box to make our data loggers more visually appealing, this is my first draft of what it might look like:

Onset Computer Corporation has a wealth of information available on their website, so I am in the midst of combing through installation guides for the sensing stations and user manuals for the HOBOware software to identify any potential issues that may arise. Onward and upward!

Project Timeline (and revisions): Now that week 4 has come to a close and the sensors still have not been ordered, there are some changes that will have to occur with our proposed timeline.

Week 4 updates:  The team met with a liaison from Indiana University on Monday to explain our research project and discuss possible locations for our environmental sensors to be deployed.  (Unfortunately I was home with a sick child and had to connect remotely to the meeting, so I never heard the woman’s name or department affiliation.) Dr. Habeeb said that our request would be brought up at a meeting on Thursday, but we have not yet heard any results of that meeting.  Since we still do not know where we will be able to install the monitoring stations and how we will be permitted to mount the equipment (a tripod is the industry standard, but that is not very aesthetically pleasing), we have not yet ordered the HOBO units.  In the original timeline, we had hoped to have the units ordered by the end of last week so that they would be delivered some time during week 5.  Onset Computer Corporation, the company that makes the HOBO catalogers, said that it will take 1-2 weeks before the units will ship, once they are ordered.

So, timeline going forward: (timeline changes marked in bold text.

Week 5: (hopefully!) order HOBO units and on-body sensing equipment.  The wearable sensors should arrive fairly quickly, so that will allow us to get oriented to the data collection process that will be required for that equipment.  If we get a list of acceptable sensor locations from the university, then we will need to go to those locations and determine which options provide the desired ground cover (tree canopy, open field/grassy surface, impervious surface) that we need for the study and have a strong enough cellular signal to allow us to broadcast the data.  Once the HOBO units are ordered, I can start going through the mountains of documentation on the HOBOlink, HOBOmobile, and HOBOware software to start planning our data storage and analysis.  I will also start the process of getting certified to use the laser cutter and 3-D printer so that I can help craft any mounting equipment or covers that we may need if the university wants us to camouflage the monitoring equipment.

Week 6: (hopefully!) sensors arrive, wearable sensors can be deployed, environmental sensors stations can be assembled, tested, and deployed.  Onset claims that the equipment does not require calibration, so once we can confirm that the sensors measure similar data in the same circumstance, we can get the units in the field are start data collection.

Week 7: Data collection.

Week 8: Data analysis.

Week 9-10: Finalize deliverables.

 

Questions for the week:

Our final deliverables will include: research paper, research poster, personal website (and professional online presence), research video, and annotated bibliography. We will be presenting data on the reliability of wearable sensors in measuring air and body temperature and relating that to the possibility of determining an individual’s heat stress.

I was included in a conference call with my faculty mentor this week.  Unfortunately I was home with a sick child the only day that she was in the office this week.  We primarily communicate through our Slack channel.  We still do not have a confirmed graduate student mentor.  This has probably been the most frustrating part of the REU experience so far.  Tom and Ben have been great about answering my questions when I go to them, but it would be great to be able to get regular feedback about our project, and some more direction.

The biggest challenge faced this week is the uncertainty of where we will be permitted to site our environmental monitoring stations.  I have attempted to be proactive and try to think about the ways that we can overcome potential obstacles, but until we can complete our site selection and order the HOBO units, the research project, from the environmental monitoring side, is stalled.  I will continue to work on setting up the back-end data collection, so that when sensors are finally delivered, we can hit the ground running.