RainaMourad - Vaping Detection & Mitigation Pathway

Raina Mourad

Week(s): 7/12/2020, 7/19/2020, 7/26/2020

Overview of things learned:

  • Collecting survey data from a broad range of people
  • Interpreting logic gates/truth tables
  • Learning more about FPGAs and the Quartus software
  • Learning about different types of vaping detectors
  • Organizing data collected from surveys

Technical Area:

  • Creating and modifying a Google form
  • Downloading and running a new software
  • Researching vaping detectors (HALO and FlySense)
  • Using logic to understand truth tables
  • Navigating a new communication platform (STEM-Away forum)

Tools:

  • Quartus Software
  • Google surveys
  • Google sheets
  • STEM-Away platform
  • Trello
  • Google calendar

Soft Skills:

  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Seeking help when confronted with technical problems
  • Indendependly troubleshooting technical problems
  • Organization

Achievement Highlights:

  • Collected almost 200 survey responses from various people
  • Uniformed data from 200 respondents
  • Worked effectively with my team to host Happy Hours
  • Downloaded and ran the Quartus software
  • Compared two vaping detectors and their pros/cons

Meetings Attended:

  • Introduction to FPGA, 7/14
  • Team Meeting, 7/14
  • FPGA Training, 7/16
  • Team Meeting, 7/20
  • Office Hours, 7/22
  • FPGA Training #2, 7/23
  • Happy Hours, 7/24
  • Team Meeting 7/27
  • FPGA Training #3, 7/30
  • Team Meeting, 8/3

Goals for the Upcoming Week:

  • Create graphs to display survey data
  • Contribute to the team presentation
  • Complete the VA section of the presentation
  • Complete self-assessment for next week

Tasks Done:

  • Duplicated/modified a Google form
  • Collected survey data
  • Compiled/uniformed survey data
  • Researched vaping detectors (HALO)
  • Compared/Contrasted two different detectors (HALO and FlySense)
  • Completed additional training on logic gates/truth tables
  • Downloaded/ran Quartus software
  • Watched first introductory video on FPGA training

Week: 8/03/2020 - 8/09/2020

Overview of Things Learned:

Technical Area:

  • Interpreting logic gates/truth tables
  • Compiling and organizing data
  • Using various communication platforms to facilitate teamwork

Tools:

  • Google Sheets for graphing and compiling data
  • Trello for assignment tracking
  • Further understanding using the STEM-Away platform
  • Quartus Prime software for practicing logic gates

Soft Skills:

  • Communication and teamwork on a group presentation
  • Planning/participating in team-building activities at a weekly meeting
  • Public speaking during a group presentation
  • Collaborating with a team member to further develop our research on harmful chemicals in vapes
  • Organizing assignments for upcoming days

Achievement Highlights:

  • Collaborated on the midway group presentation
  • Compiled/organized survey data based on trends across sub-sections
  • Presented data to colleagues, Dabaleena and Mandy at a mid-project meeting
  • FPGA board training with logic gates/truth tables

Meetings attended:

  • Team Meeting: 8/3
  • FPGA Training: 8/6
  • Week 4 Team 1 Presentation: 8/7
  • Vaping Co-Team Weekly meeting: 8/8

Goals for the Upcoming Week:

  • Complete a survey summary
  • Research on biological processes involved in healing lung damage from vaping
  • Biological pathways different harmful chemicals take in the body to create damage
  • Complete a logic solver exercise as a part of the Intel Quartus training
  • Add to the group block diagram assignment
  • Refine/update the presentation to add more details

Tasks Done:

  • Presented vaping research progress in midway presentation
  • Analyzed survey data by categorizing people into teacher, parent, or student groups
  • Performed additional research on HALO detectors
  • Organized data into comprehensive formats (i.e graphs and charts)

Week: 8/10/20-8/16/20

Overview of things learned:

Technical area:

  • Using quartus to work on FPGA training labs
  • Delving into in depth research about biological processes in regards to vaping from scientific journals
  • Collaborating on block diagrams to understand the function of a detector

Tools:

  • STEM-Away platform
  • Google meet
  • Trello
  • Google calendar
  • Quartus

Soft Skills:

  • Communication with my teammates during the co-team weekly meeting about achievements both teams accomplished
  • Collaboration with J on the in depth research
  • Joining office hours when troubleshooting a technical problem
  • Public speaking during the team presentation of our research

Achievement highlights:

  • Completing a survey summary with more detailed analysis on the data collected in the weeks prior
  • Collaborating with J to research the biological effects of vaping/the different chemicals involved in the flavors etc.
  • Began working through the FPGA training course

Meetings attended:

  • Team meeting: Aug 10th
  • Office hours: Aug 12th
  • FPGA training: Aug 13th
  • Vaping Co-Team Weekly Meeting: Aug 15th

Goals for the upcoming week:

  • Comment on my teammates research
  • Complete Quartus lab
  • Learn from an experienced mentor about writing scientific papers
  • Improve the block diagram on a HALO sensor
  • Edit the survey summary into a more scientific format

Tasks completed:

Week: 8/23/20-8/28/20

Overview of things learned:

Technical area:

  • Using quartus to attempt the calculator lab
  • Furthering my research on biological processes in regards to vaping by formatting it into segments in the final report
  • Completing an individual block diagram based on collaborative notes my group and I completed together

Tools:

  • STEM-Away platform
  • Google meet
    *Microsoft Excel
  • Trello
  • Google calendar
  • Quartus

Soft Skills:

  • Communication with my teammates/coordinating to divide the workload
  • Collaboration with J on the shared segment we created about biological processes that are affected by vaping
  • Proposing new ideas to the group related to organization and conciseness of our report

Achievement highlights:

  • Completing an individual block diagram
  • Collaborating with my team to make the first draft of the final report
    *Designing Excel tables to clearly display the data

Meetings attended:

  • Team meeting: Aug 24th

Goals for the upcoming week:

*Internship will end
*Hopefully will continue the final report if not already completed

Tasks completed:

  • Designed various tables to display the data
  • Helped edit the report/adjusted my segment
  • Individual block diagram

#communication #teamwork #collaboration #constructivelycriticizing