This past week has been my second week interning for pediatric spinal cord research and rehabilitation, and it has been amazing. On Monday, we conducted the last experiment for our safety and feasibility study. Things ran a lot smoother this time, as we had learned from the past mistakes and brought a printed-out protocol to follow. There was less confusion and all data was collected. On Friday, the post-docs of my department presented and discussed our data during a seminar, showing different movie clips showing the before and after of the spinal cord being stimulated in our subjects.
The other interns and I
ice cream we got at
I also learned that the EMG data is analyzed with a software that quanitfies the impact for each individual muscle on either the left or the right, such as the right pectoralis major or the left deltoid. This data needs to be carefully examined for its validity, or other issues may result in interferences which could impact the interpretation of the results.
the program used to analyze data
When I was less busy, I read about the different side effects for children with Spinal Cord Injury, and discussed what I learned with Dr. Behrmann. Reading about this was, although sad, very interesting.
Outside of my internship I went go-carting with my host brother and his friends and tried some of the local ice cream stores. This past Saturday I switched host families and I am excited to experience another aspect of life in Louisville
Wow, I am so proud of you Elena. The internship and other activities seem amazing. I can’t believe you have grown up to be such an amazing young woman. #proudmom