Congratulations to Josh Gubler and Sam Lewis, who have been awarded UROP Fellowships for the Summer 2023 semester. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) allows students to assist with faculty research or to carry out their projects under the guidance of a faculty member.
Josh’s project will focus on the compression of EMG for mobile use while also examining the impact of downsampling EMG signals on signal controllability. Sam’s project will investigate the effects of different-sized dry surface electrodes on the quality of EMG signals measured at the wrist.
The UROP Fellowship provides a $1,200 stipend and educational programming for students, allowing them to gain valuable research experience while receiving financial support. We are thrilled to see Josh and Sam receive this well-deserved recognition for their dedication and hard work. We wish them all the best as they embark on their research projects this summer, and we look forward to seeing the results of their work in the future. Congratulations, Josh and Sam!
With great pleasure, we congratulate Aaron Wang, a senior at Skyline High School, on being awarded the prestigious General Sterling Scholar Award on March 22, 2023. This is a remarkable achievement and a reflection of Aaron’s hard work and dedication to his studies.
Aaron’s sterling scholar award is a testament to his academic excellence, and we are proud to have him as a research assistant in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab at the University of Utah. Aaron’s work in our lab has been exceptional, and we have been impressed with his ability to apply theoretical concepts to real-world problems.
As a paid research assistant, Aaron has been working on methods to align training data to improve machine learning approaches to use electromyography to control smart home environments. Aaron recently submitted a first-author conference proceeding for his work, which is an incredible achievement, and we believe that it reflects Aaron’s hard work in the field of machine learning and robotics.
On behalf of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, we would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Aaron on this remarkable achievement. We are proud of his accomplishments and are confident that he will continue to excel in his academic and research pursuits.
Graduate student Michael Adkins was awarded a $160,000 fellowship from the NIH to span two years, which he will use to focus on developing a device to quantify the fine motor function of patients who have experienced stroke — the Electronic Grip Gauge (EGG).
“Ideally, this will allow for physicians and their patients to use the more accurate assessment capabilities to train their grip force,” he said. You can learn more about the fellowship award and Michael’s device here. Congratulations Michael!
Congratulations to Caleb Thomson on being selected as a recipient of the Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). This prestigious award recognizes trainee researchers who have demonstrated scientific merit and excellence in research. As part of the award, Caleb will receive complimentary registration to the SfN 2022 Annual Meeting and $1,000 to help with travel costs to the conference. Additionally, Caleb will present his poster in a session with other awardees, attend at least two Professional Development Workshops, and access the TPDA online community for the next year.
At SfN, Caleb will present his work on improving myoelectric control for assistive robotic devices and inclusive virtual reality experiences.
Congratulations to Monika Buczak and Connor Olsen for their recent awards at the Myoelectric Controls Symposium (MEC) held in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The conference occurs every three years, and part of the conference includes the Student Podium Presentation Competition. This year, our lab walked away with both first and second place! Monika Buczak was awarded 2nd place for her presentation, Disentangling Sensory and Motor Deficits of Fine Hand Function Using An Electronic Grip Gauge (EGG) to Simulate Transferring Fragile Objects. Connor Olsen was awarded 1st place for his presentation, An Inexpensive and Adaptable Prosthetic Wrist Improves Dexterity and Reduces Compensatory Movements.
Our lab was well represented at MEC22, and we are immensely proud of all the presentations given. Find the conference proceedings here.
This summer, our lab hosted Caden Hamrick through the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR). SPUR sponsors undergraduate students as full-time researchers for a 10-week program. Caden applied and was accepted to this program and completed his research through our lab. Caden was a dedicated worker and used his experience in deep learning to develop a control method to determine hand gestures and intensities from electromyographic muscle signals. Caden’s work contributes to the EMG wristband project that will be used for controlling smart devices around the home. Caden Presented his research at a University-wide symposium on August 4th.
Caden will be starting his senior year in Computer Engineering at Mercer University in Georgia this fall.
Congratulations to Cassandra, Mia, Nathan, and Jérémi for being awarded undergraduate research fellowships for Spring 2022! Their award-winning research projects are listed below:
These prestigious research fellowships are awarded through the University of Utah’s Office of Undergraduate Research. Congratulations to these super-star undergraduates!
