This week was primarily devoted to my research project. To test the hypothesis that scan position and level of hydration affects vein size in MRI patient images, I needed to scan several volunteers before the summer's end. The week before I learned how to operate the MRI scanners with Dr. Prince's help, and scanned a dehydrated volunteer and volunteered myself to be scanned. I wanted to experience the same level of dehydration and what it was like to be scanned in an MRI machine before I asked several volunteers to do the same. That was a wise choice, because then I was able to accurately describe the experience to my volunteers beforehand so they wouldn't be surprised or nervous by the new experience. This week was spent scanning volunteers in the clinic at night, after all the patients are done for the day and the scanners are available.
I've found my research on human subjects quite eye-opening. My thesis research is mostly focused on instrumentation and animal models of diseases, so the whole research "flavor" is quite different than the research I've done here. With my laser imaging experiments, I can loosely plan my experiment, try it, take notes on what worked and what didn't, and then try it again. However, with my human volunteers the goal is to optimize the experimental design as much as possible beforehand so that by the time they're involved, most of the details are taken care of and I can get them quickly through the experimental process. The last thing I want to do is miss something during the experiment and have to bring a volunteer back in to repeat a scan.
For me, it's been a fun challenge to learn how to proficiently use the MRI machine while simultaneously developing a professional bedside manner with the volunteers during the experiments. If my future research or career involves clinical device testing or interaction with human subjects, I imagine this experience will help me make that transition much quicker and I will know what to expect.
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