The Annals of an Intern: MRI at R.I.T.

Day Thirty-Five: So It Is Good-Bye Then...

2005-08-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

As this is the last entry I anticipate posting during my time here as an intern (and probably for the remainder of my life: the reader has no doubt learned enough about me from my daily discussions that I think it rather odd to post all one's doings and thinkings on the Internet as one would let a flag fly to the wind, for all to see and interpret), it seems only fitting to fill the entry, as I have nothing else to discuss, which we learned last entry, with reflections on the past seven weeks. It will be brief, I warn you, reader, but nevertheless, a trite, hackneyed, cliche reflection on my time here at the Center for Imaging Science. (Granted, I write cognizant of the fact that my words may be used in he future to inspire and amuse future interns in the program.)

Firstly, keeping my first and second entry in mind, I think it is obvious that the summer has seen a great improvement in my computer understanding and literacy, having taught myself to use MATLAB to the point were I created in the end a 400 line program (the reader, I am sure, recalls, my triumph after successfully creating a four line program in ten hours!), but also creating the filter spreadsheet on Excel, operating XWinNMR for the NMR machine, and using CDs and such to transfer data... as pathetic as it may sound to you, my reader, I would have had no earthy idea just how to use a disk to transfer data! Do not become to excited, though: I have not said that I am now in love with computers and am going to live my life in their service...NO! I am still, unfortunately or fortunately as your view my be, still repulsed by the sheer ubiquity of computers in science, but I suppose I would have found out sooner or later. My romantic bubble had to be shattered at some point, did it not?...

And moreover, I have found myself, these past seven weeks seeing and doing and learning and saying things altogether unexpected, what with my proficient knowledge of MRI technology but also of radio galaxy astronomy, ancient document restoration, and remote sensing. The reader will recall my sheer fascination and excitement with my working to aid in the decipherment of the Archimedes palimpsest that I had been so eager to hear was right down the street at RIT on Nova. I found myself working on this famous document independently! What a dazzling experience. It might sound cliche and hyperbolic to one that has not been in my shoes the past seven weeks, but owing to the great amount of knowledge I gained and experience I was placed in, and people I was obligated to work with (oh... there were many), if the reader will understand my point, as made me a much wiser person than when I began here on July 6th...just read the first few blogs of this record! Although I eagerly await the return of school, I feel I have accomplished and made the most of my summer hours.

Being as it is that there are a number of things that I have gained from this experience that still go unnoted, but my time is running short, it seems most expedient to resort to a list:
- the RIT librarians are not so bad
- working is all about sharing in the bounty of free food (at least at RIT)
- others are not concerned about hanging outdated maps to the extent that I am
- my future employers are going to want to keep my notebook that I bought and I wrote in and I carried from work to my home and from my home to work again as their own
- the map in the second floor computer lab is old
- the architects that designed the RIT campus were loony
- the people who try to pass off an old map in the computer lab are crazy
- Kodak just wants my money
- Kodak is not going to get my money
- one should not walk around for ten days with seven broken ribs
- one needs to turn a scanner on before one tries to scan
- one needs to keep an up-to-date map handy at all times
- one can not rewrite on a CD that is not rewriteable
- one can not write on a CD with a ball-point pen
- no one appreciates classical music
- everyone loves volleyball
- no one is going to change the map in the computer room, ever and then it will be more outdated that it already is now
- do not trust the workers that give you your RIT ID cards and say they will entitle you to all the privileges a regular card-holder would have
- the map in the computer lab is old

There is a vast sea more, but I think it best to arrest the list for now. I will say that I have learned that I am the largest idealist this side of Timbuktu...

All this being said, it seems only fitting that the final "Classical Song of the Day" be a tune that I heard on Classical 91.5 last night; though I did not catch the composer or the title, the lazy baritone's lyrics went something like...
Good-bye-----to sum-mer,
Good-bye-----good-bye.
Good-bye-----forever.
Good-bye-----good-bye.

I now turn my attention, if the reader is concerned, to getting into Princeton (and if not, hopefully another one of the schools to which I apply), learning and living through my senior year, and then letting that wonderful and mysterious hand of adventure push me to the ends of the Earth. (but you have heard far enough of the Tyler, the Romantic this summer)...

And that is all I wrote. Thank you for reading.

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Thirty-Four: There is Little Else to Say...

2005-08-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

It seems only logical for me to apologize for this entry's (and for the past several entry's) sheer lack of excitement and riveting drama that so characterized the blogs in the early stages of the internship in the beginning (so as to give the reader warning to the "boringness" (neologism, I believe) that lies ahead), but I feel that the reader will understand that as my days of my intern experience come to their reluctant close, so do my projects and tasks meet their untimely end. Nevertheless, there are some topics that I do believe deserve some recognition in this record, even as it reaches its culmination.

First of all, I ought to say that I am quite pleased to read in the several other blogs that my presentation is enjoyed. The reader must understand, though, as I have had occasion to mention a few times in this record, that I love to teach. To share my passion for the world is a goal where ever I go, and I will never stop short of instilling within my audience, whomever it may be, the same awe that I have for the environment in which we all live. It pleases me to hear that so may hold my presentation in high esteem, as it means that they are understanding. To teach the facts is simple, but to teach the understanding and the world to an audience , if the reader does not mind my saying, is quite a different matter, but it is for this I strive, and I am glad to see that the presentation as generated some hub-ub... I am exceedingly excited to share my passion on Wednesday...

But enough from Tyler, the Romantic and Idealist...

On a more concrete note, it ought to be said that it is a shame that the sort of discussion I partook in with Dennis, Phil, and Jason on Friday had to wait until the last moments of this internship to materialize. What a range of topics we discussed, and with what passion opinions were voiced! This chat caused me to realize how exceedingly glad I am that this internship has brought together a group of strong-minded and strong-willed interns for me to reflect on and with. It is rare that such I enjoy such a conversation as we four had on Friday, and I suppose that is a testimony to my high opinion of my fellow interns.

Part of my lack of material to comment upon may come from the fact that, with my presentation being complete and transferred to Mr. Pow's computer this morning as was requested, there is little for me to do but wait for the presentation (eagerly, as the reader is aware). Although there have been admonitions to lessen the amount of "click-activated animations" in my presentation, I feel it best, for the sake of synchronization, to maintain the slideshow in its present state.

I am sure that by now the reader has detected that I am grabbing at anything that is half-way worth discussing, and they are probably of the mind that I should have thrown in the towel much sooner, but I remind you that you were warned! In any case, I have reached the end of the line, and, as the title informed the reader omniously from the start, there is little else to say...

But one more thing...

ANYONE!... MAP! OLD! REALLY!

And one more thing that could not go without saying...the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
William Walton's Crown Imperiale
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Thirty-Three: Presentation Preparation Complete...

2005-08-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

It is regrettable that I was unable to notify the reader of my progress again yesterday, but I feel assured in saying that my activities were, while of great extent, not particularly noteworthy being as it is that the presentation preparation has occupied the majority of the time for the past week. What I do deem notable is the fact that, after two showings to Tina where numerous changes were suggested, the presentation is, I believe, with only a few changes from the original state, in its final form. I do not foresee any further suggestions altering the form of my presentation any further ( if the reader will understand my point) ...

With Tina having arranged for some members of the Ultrasound Laboratory to come this afternoon to serve as the audience for the first "dry run" of my presentation, I feel I ought to devote time that I would otherwise use to embellish this entry to run though the presentation in my head; however, I will not sacrifice the ex tempore and subsequently natural style of oratory that I am so noted for and acclaimed for in school by my peers and teachers for the sake of others ambitions, I will assure you...

The reader might also find solace in the fact that what I will call the "notebook-confiscation" controversy (although this language may misrepresent the dilemma as a conflict with much greater import) has been concluded in a compromise; it seems that Tina will be placated with printed scans of the pages of the notebook that I have kept, which I created this morning. I am still of the opinion that my disjunct and momentary scribblings will not be of any value to someone who does not write by the hand that composed these pages, but I am nevertheless willing to, as I have said, satisfy these ostensible conditions of my employment if need be for the sake of science...

I will again inform the reader of the shear futility of hanging a fifteen-year-old map on the wall of a room in a scientific institution such as this...

I will apologize for my haste, but I have always intended to tell you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
Suuummmerrrtiiimmmme (is aalmostt ooooo-verrr)...

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Thirty-One: Return From My Silence...Almost Triumphantly

2005-08-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Although I deeply regret that the reader had to go a day without having any earthly idea what perils and challenges I had met since the last entry and that I have caused the reader to lose a great deal of sleep just wondering what I could possibly be detaining me, I assure you that this lapse in entries has not caused the reader to fall far behind in my endeavors and that it has been merely my work continuing work preparing for the imminent presentation date that has detained me. My diction in the this previous sentence does belie, however, the rigor and enjoyment I have derived from this final internship process; it is fascinating, I must say, to see the fruit of the past two months' labors culminate in a twenty-slide (31 MB thus far!) presentation.

It seems only proper that I discuss some of the ventures this final presentation has sent me on here, but I warn the reader, there is not much to say, for two reasons, I suppose: firstly, there has been little in the process that has not involved sitting in front of a computer laying out the presentation, and secondly, I do not wish to divulge too much about my work. Nevertheless, it seems harmless and noteworthy to mention that, Mr. Pow having benevolently lent me his digital camera yesterday, I spent a number of Tuesday's hours capturing images of various articles that I believed ought to have space in my presentation - the phantom (which I have not mentioned in some time), the Faraday cage scanning probe, a computer screen showing the acquisition and magnitude windows, and, the reader being reminded that I cannot take books from the library and cannot copy pages from them using the copiers within the library, diagrams in various imaging books that I thought would be pertinent to the subject at hand (these book photos came out blurred, but when all traditional modes of operation are closed to you, you have to be resourceful and thrifty!). Nevertheless, having but taken to pictures with a digital camera before, I was exceedingly proud to place these pictures in their appropriate positions within my presentation this morning...

I am afraid the remainder of the seven hours of yesterday and the nine hours of today have been consumed in the computer lab, but this I must admit, the reader will be interested to note,
that this activity does not hold the same negative connotation that it did on July 7th in my first entry of this summer. I would be negligent if I omitted discussion of the fact that this internship has certainly led me to a much wider understanding and appreciation - even if still grudging - for computers and their use...But I must cut this discussion short, I am afraid, to give justice to another pressing issue at hand...

That is, the old map in the second floor computer lab... Joe, computer technology transforms our environment and the manner in which we go about living our lives, and I must admit that RIT does a reputable job in recognizing this fact; but while the circuits and wiring and I- wouldn't-be-the-one-to-know what else are changing probably biannually in the computer lab, the map from 1990 hangs miserably from the wall. Would it be senscial for a technological institution such as yours to have computers from 1990 and try to see the modern world through that lens? The world, with is circuit of borders and matrix of human cultures and people is changing too, and while one must keep with the technology of the, times, one must keep closer, I say, to the changes of our world community...

In short, Joe, or whoever has the RIT money to spare at for an investment in a new world map rather than a De Bella's (sorry, I've never eaten there and am spelling it phonetically) submarine, I would like to call attention to the "undatedness" of the world map yet again.

I, in conclusion, I would like to call your attention to the fact that today's "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Johann Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (probably familiar to the reader for its selection as the main theme of 2001: A Space Odysessy)

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Nine: Presentation Preparation Sensation is Sweeping the Nation...

2005-08-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

It will be as pleasing to the reader to hear as it is for me to tell that, after a great number of productive and, in my mind, fascinating, diversions and tangents this past week - of both an astronomical and ancient document nature, the reader will recall, today nevertheless saw a prudent advisable renewal of my presentation preparation. This introduction, and an assertion that I am very pleased with my progress and work, will have to suffice for the time being - regardless of the fact that the space I give it here does not give justice to the eight hours I spent at this activity - for fear of divulging too much to my August 24th audience...

Having finished scanning the individual pages of the auction catalog that I mentioned in Friday's entry for Dr. Easton, it remained only for me to stitch the thirty-five images together into one continuous document as he requested. Dr. Easton came to the computer lab to remind me of this pending task at 11:00 today, and wishing to complete this task for him as soon as possible, I halted my presentation preparation to tend to this work. The computer have worked on for the past several days to complete this aforementioned task, the reader will recall, logs itself off Dr. Easton's account after periods of inactivity. It was with grim awe that, when I went to request Dr. Easton's help in logging in to this computer, I instead found emergency medical personnel stooping over him as his lay sprawled in front of his office door! Although I do not which to dwell on this solemn experience, I must say it was a painful realization for me of the severity of his bicycling injury. It seems only fitting that I stop here by saying that I do hope his condition quickly improves...

It seems as if I will not be finishing the said task for a spell...

While returning from the library after an unsuccessful attempt to copy Digital Image Processing by A.K. Jain for use of its pictures in my presentation (to copy a page on the library copiers requires use of a working RIT ID card on which money has been placed, and of course the reader will recall from my inability to borrow a book from the library - which was the reason for my attempt to copy a single page in the first place - that my card does not work), I happened across a shelf of old books discarded by the library and available free of charge to any one who wished to have them. I have not mentioned this before, but my bedroom and my portion of our basement at home contain collectively about 700 second-hand books on a good number of shelves; only an eighth of the books I own, maybe, were new when I came about them. Used books, especially for free, were something I could not turn up, especially when most of the books focused on chemistry, a subject that I will be taking this coming school year. A German-English dictionary for chemists and a chemistry textbook, even if from 1978, ended up being the only "loot" I carried away, owing to the small capacity of my book-bag, but I do anticipate another visit to this shelf soon...

I am off for home, where I hope to continue filling out my Early Decision application to Princeton, if that is of any interest to the reader.

Joe...as I have said, the map in the computer lab is old.

But I have not said that today's "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Eight: We're All Clogs in the Capitalist Machine...

2005-08-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Owing to the brevity of the yesterday's entry, I consider it most appropriate to begin with a hopefully more enlightening account of the events that may be of interest to the reader than that which I quickly and tersely typed out in my last blog.

Following the completion of my quick entry I met a sore Dr. Easton at his office on the second floor and took the elevator, what with his injured state, to his basement lab with the intention of preparing the scanner he purchased recently for use to scan the "film-photographs" (I use this cryptic name to describe them as I do not know and unfortunately failed to ask what the correct terminology was) of the leaf of the Archimedes palimpsest that was removed by a manuscript scholar in his travels in 1846 and has been kept at Cambridge University for some period of time; it was evident that the prospect of scanning these (I will try again) "negative-like-photos" is of great excitement to Dr. Easton, as his voice (as it always does when something fascinating is afoot) characteristically augmented in volume as we progressed closer to the point at which we would finally scan these "translucent-photos". And, as is also characteristic of Dr. Easton, we somehow found ourselves on a tangent, just as we were 85% done with the task at hand, trying to find out how we could scan the pages of the auction guide on the palimpsest issued by Christie's auctioning service when the manuscript was put on auction in 1998. (It was a slow yet steady digression let me tell you...) In any case, I found myself using the new scanner to enter the pages into the computer and save them as .pdf files, a project I intended to finish today after the Kodak visit; this intention, however, has gone unrealized as the computer, either automatically or by an inadvertent move on my part, logged off Dr. Easton's computer account after I retired yesterday and, as logging-on back on to the account requires a password that I do not know, the work, I regret to say, remains uncompleted at this time...It is still an honor and pleasure to work with Dr. Easton again, I must say, which will come as no surprise if the reader has noted my tone toward the astronomy work of this week's mornings...

An account of today would by no means be complete without comment and characteristic Lucero critique of the Kodak visit this morning. To begin I ought to say, before I ramble, that the trip was enlightening and enjoyable regardless of how much I carp in the next few lines...BUT...I have a few critical comments. It is understandable that we were not shown an empty building for our tour, but it seems overly-commercial to substitute the facility tour with a capitalistic bombardment of Kodak merchandise. While admittedly fascinating, to show off merchandise in an unctuous way to high school students that (maybe I am only speaking on my part, I admit) have no intention in the slightest of purchasing a camera for the next ten years seems quite presumptuous. My critique may belie my awe and interest in the technology and products we saw, and I must say that I feel a great pride as a local Rochesterian to see this seemingly great (or so it was presented to us) transformation of Kodak focus and the excellence with which they are seeming to do it. I just am saying that we were probably not the right audience for the saleswoman that treated us, in my mind, as credulous clogs in a capitalist machine, clamoring to buy, buy, buy...!

Mr. Pow...have you looked into the "outdatedness" of the map that hangs in the computer lab on the second floor yet? Joe...it still has the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Zaire, divided Yemen, divided Germany, complete Indonesia, complete Ethiopia, British Hong Kong, etc.! I do no need Dr. Easton's highfalutin equipment to tell me that this document is ancient!! (it is from about 1990 or so, considering all its errors when compared to the modern map) If RIT can "shell-out" money to feed fourteen people lunch three times, they certainly can afford a new map with the 24 countries that the 1990 one does not show! You are missing new 24 countries!

Just a thought from an innocent observer...

This same innocent observer also would like to inform all that today's "Classical Piece" is...

Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

MAMBO!

Good Day,

Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Seven: Back to the Ancient Document Lab...?

2005-08-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

It will, I am sure, suffice to say that today's morning astronomy activities followed the routine that I have detailed previously and thus have no need to mention again...

Returning from my workplace in the library, I had intended to sit down to write a fairly complete blog but met Dr. Easton on the way in to the Imaging Science Center and agreed enthusiastically to aid him with some additional work this afternoon at 2:00 when told of his need of aid, and so it appears as if I am indeed back to the Ancient Document lab...

And what with that aforementioned time imminent, I cut this entry much shorter and terser than I had previously imagined, but I could not leave without saying that today's "Classical Piece" is...
William Walton's Sonata for Violin and Piano, 2nd Movement

Good Day - I am off,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Six: And the Astronomy Continues...

2005-08-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

Having previously described the trends of my astronomical duties, I believe that my titling of this particular entry alone will suffice to inform the reader of the general goings-on of the day...even more tersely - and colloquially - put, "same old, same old!"

Being as it is that a great portion of my afternoon was spent in the library preparing for my presentation on the 24th, the title and beginning of this entry may belie the true rigor and progress that this day has seen in my internship experience.

I was exceedingly glad to be informed by Mr. Callens this morning that Dr. Easton ostensibly enjoyed having me work for him the last two days of last week...it is pleasing to know that the experience was beneficial to all parties involved.

Owing to the monotony - although an enjoyable and enlightening tedium, if you will understand - of the past several days and my disgust with the brevity of my blogs as a result of this similitude, I am in excited anticipation of the Kodak visit on Friday; what with its ongoing conversion to digital technology and its import to the Rochester economy, I am eager to see what it is that Kodak has to offer us...

Unfortunately, I believe I have exhausted my treasury of minute thoughts concerning the internship and my activities at this time...Shall we end here and wait to see what another day brings?

I will detain the reader just long enough to say that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is most certainly...
Pablo de Sarasate's Malaguena
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Five: More Geometry in Astronomy

2005-08-09T03:58:00.000-07:00

As was the case during the scanning marathon on the week of July 25th, the remainder of the week's entries, being as it is that my duties in the astronomy department seem to have entered a homogeneous trend, I assume it will be of little interest to the reader to receive a daily account of the same activity for the remainder of the week; I believe that the title of the entry will suffice to explain the nature and extent today's work enough...

It would be negligent, however, to not mention my attendance of the Master's defense presentation in the auditorium here at the Imaging Science Center today at 9:00, as this event was an impetus for much of the thought that ran through my brain later in the day as I assumed the duties of my astronomy position; it may suffice to say that although her research seemed very well-coordinated and she was undoubtedly well-prepared to discuss the extent of her work, I must say - I am afraid quite laconically - that her work showed little originality or true substance. In other words - let me clarify my seemingly rash attack - I felt that the procedure in which she engaged herself had been completed, as she herself admitted, many times before, and it seemed, although I am willing to admit to detractors that I am regrettably only minimally acquainted with remote sensing techniques, that her procedures were even commonplace. Unemendable errors seemed to abound in the work, too, as was later pointed out by one of the committee of "judges" (for lack of better term)...While my carping is not to say that her work was terrible, it is, I feel, to say it is mediocre, and mediocracy is not what I feel ought to be the objective of any branch of human knowledge anywhere...
I assume the reader will not believe me after the critical comments of the remainder of this paragraph, however, when I do say that the experience was quite enjoyable and enlightening for me in any case...

Now if you will excuse me, I am feeling a little ill and should like to turn in early today for this reason...

But before I say good day, I would like to say that today's "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Claude Debussy's Nocturnes: Fete

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty Four: My Game of "Musical Imaging Science Laboratories" Continues...

2005-08-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

As my title for this entry would suggest, my internship experience finds me today yet again at the assistance of another laboratory within the imaging science building other than my "homebase" MRI field down in the basement, what with Tina and Allie's absence... But I realize that, owing to the nature and amount of the task I completed for Dr. Easton on the Thursday and Friday of last week, the reader may find himself or herself lacking in specific details concerning the course and nature of the last two days, and I see it as only fitting to thus briefly record a further explanation of my whereabouts and the course of events that ended in finding myself preparing photographs of the Archimedes palimpsest for post to Oxford...

On Thursday morning, intending to begin building my Powerpoint presentation, I was met by Dr. Easton, who, upon finding that Allie was absent, asked me to descend to his basement lab, and after a lecture on the ins-and outs of the Archimedes palimpsest, set me to work preparing normalized photographs of the manuscript so that they may be sent to the HUB Printing Office by the afternoon of the next day for a Dr. Wilson at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. I think it not necessary, and I am sure the reader will agree, to make detailed account of the procedure by which I prepared these normalized images, but that is not to say that I was not exceedingly thrilled, as I hope I made evident in my terse entry on Friday, to be trusted to work alone on such an important project, or so it seems to me. That my efforts have contributed to what I consider to be great project is relieving, if the reader will understand...And as I understand, the printed images I prepared are off to Oxford to be deciphered - hopefully with ease proportionate to my dedication and devotion to the project. I am aware I seem to detain the reader with petty exclamations of my fascination, but, unfortunately, Thursday and Friday have been the highlight of my internship here.

But now my experience finds me aiding the astronomers, after meeting late Friday afternoon with the certain Dr. O'Dea that I mentioned to the reader some number of entries ago: our meeting quickly led to an lecture on radio galaxies, about which I am already familiar with everything that he lugubriously explained to me, but he did not seem to take seriously my assertions that, indeed, I did know about the Bohr model of the atom and, yes, I was quite well acquainted with radio galaxy processes, and it irked and vexed me to no end as he gave me a look of doubt and only continued each time I asserted the extent of my knowledge on the subject. It is irksome to be stereotyped as an ignorant and apathetic teenager...

This is not to say that the astronomy assignment has not, thus far, gone well, receiving from a graduate student - a certain George - this morning my first task. Today, I was set to work analyzing the geometry of these radio galaxies, a job that I felt most fitting to complete in the tranquility of the library, and there I have spend most of the day, drawing lines to represent various features of the given galaxies.

If I was inclined to comment on an oddity in the nature of the scientists that I have come across in this experience, I must say that they all exhibit a ignominious and quite salient streak of "inexplicitness"; I apologize for this convoluted neologism, but I feel that the reader will understand my message regardless. Maybe I ought to use the word "vague", but this has, I think, an incorrect connotation... They lack decisiveness, anyhow, but I hesitate to discuss this assertion any further for fear of...well, being "inexplicit." Let me leave you that that...

While I believe the reader is probably fatigued by my carping observations by know, let me just call your attention to the "undatedness" (yes, another neologism, but I always like to add to English lexicon) of the world map that hangs in the second floor computer lab...

And I would also like to call attention to the fact that today's "Classical Piece of the Day",
Aaron Copland's Outdoor Overture
(Are you,in the words of Dennis, "being proactive" and taking time to hear these pieces?...")

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-Three: How Thoughtful...A Birthday Present From Archimedes

2005-08-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is regrettable that I do not have a great amount of time to write - although I suppose only a small amount of time is much better than the complete lack of time I had to write yesterday, the reader will surely notice. I have been detained for the past two days by work for Dr. Easton in the Ancient Document lab, but the word "detained" is certainly not the greatest word to use in saying this, as the work he has set before me has given me the most enjoyment of the summer thus far...since I first learned that imaging of the Archimedes palimpsest was occurring right down the road from my house on the Nova television program, I must say I was probably inordinately excited, but now I am actually contributing to the effort to decipher them! The length of this entry will not do justice to the sheer level of excitement I have found in the past two days work working with this notable document, but I must be brief so that I may return to the great deal of work Dr. Easton has set down for me...

Now that Phil has let the cat out of the bag, I suppose it would only be fitting for the "Piece of the Day" to be none other than...

"Happy Birthday to Me!"

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty-One: Going the Extra Mile...with Inches

2005-08-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Although there is in my mind a great deal to say - and so little time to say it in, unfortunately - I think it best to first clarify the ambiguity of the titling of this entry, which will concurrently explain the course of the day's work to an extent and thus relieve me of one of the pressing concerns about which I have spoken...

Having meticulously and time-consumingly, as the reader will recall, reacquainted myself with the fundamental workings(and those workings a great deal beyond fundamental) of Powerpoint yesterday, I felt it quite proper and expedient to begin the layout of the course of my presentation. To say the least, this preparation is exciting for me, for as I have said previously and will assert again more plainly for effect: I quite enjoy presenting (and in a way I believe the same idiosyncratic impulses that compel me to share a "classical piece of the day" with the reader give rise to the passion I have for presenting). Scribbling notes in my postage note-size representations of the several sides of my presentation gives me quite a wonderful feeling that I will not try to describe further, emotions being as they are sometimes ineffable... But in any case, I hope to begin execution of my carefully created plans as early as tomorrow...

In my urgency to inform the reader of the morning's work, I have neglected to explain the peculiar titling of this entry as I set out to do in the first place: you see, upon presenting my comparison of the ideal projection of my phantom at the various angles to that which was constructed from the experimental data early this afternoon (after the lunch presentations, of which I will talk thoroughly later in the entry), Tina suggested that I modify the graphs by first making the x-axis designate the displacement in physical inches on the phantom - as opposed to the pixel displacement which I had previously labeled it with (only a small portion of my day, but I like to have creative titles) - and secondly, distort the outlying data such that it lied nearer to the baseline of "zero-signal." Actually, my use of the word "small" in the above parathetical remark belies the truly great amount of time this process took as it required me to completely rewrite the program I had originally use to construct the graphs, changing the magnification and shifting variables and domain which I had earlier set. Four hours of this, but I believe that others would join me in saying that the graphs have been immensely spiffified (past tense verb form of spiffy) as a result (probably only my middle school technology teacher would actually use this terminology, however, as it is from him that I acquired the neologism)...

Tina tells me that Dr. Easton will be in need of help tomorrow and that my assistance has been requested, a responsibility that I will look forward to greatly; furthermore, I am told that a Dr. O'Dea (?) - professor of astronomical imaging, in any case - has requested my services for the entirety - or so it currently has manifested itself to me - of next week, an experience that I will equally anticipate... This, too, will mean that I have experienced and aided four of the divisions within the Imaging Science Department that have opened their doors to interns this summer, although admittedly some have seen help on a more substantial level from me than others. In any case, I am exceedingly glad that the MRI lab has not detained me all summer and that I have had opportunity to, from time to time, catch a glimpse of the further divisions of imaging science beyond the one to which I was assigned...It is regrettable that not more students have had this opportunity...

This week, I will only detain the reader long enough to say that the lunch presentations were still not what one might expect from a research institute, and while I will be the first to admit the topics presented may extremely interesting in their own right, I still will question their relevance to the human progress that ought to be the objective of such a facility...

I took a quick gander at the other interns blogs this morning before the 8:45 meeting, and I will say two things: firstly, I apologize if I detain the reader much longer than any other intern does with their entries; secondly, my assertion that the Coopervision visit was a much greater success than the Melles Griot tour is vindicated by the majority...

And after I vindicated my reasoning behind the "Classical Piece of the Day", I give you...
Howard Hanson's Maypole Dances
(It may be interesting to the reader that Hanson was director of the local Eastman School of Music for some time in the early-Twentieth Century...)

If there is anything that completing these blogs daily has achieved for me personally, it is most certainly a greater facility with the keyboard...Of course I have completed numerous papers on a word processor for school work, but for some reason that escapes me, my pathetically sluggish typing speed has been ameliorated to the point were I typed this entire entry in twelve minutes...

This being said...

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twenty: The End is Near...Very Near...

2005-08-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

As the reader will no doubt gather from the fashion in which I have titled this entry, (while the internship itself is but only half complete or so) our scientific method at the MRI laboratory seems to be coming to a close, the scanning being finished and our data completely collected last week, and the organization and assessment of the data being completed in the last two days; only the presentation of our month's work has yet to be completed to call our scientific process this summer complete.

This planning for the final portion of our scientific inquiry has thus been my day's work; I first reacquainted myself with the workings of this Powerpoint program with which I have not worked in several years (a task as painful as the first several days of Matlab (see Day Two and Day Three entries if you need reminding of this degree of revulsion) : the reader should know well by now that, being a traditionalist and romantic of the worst possible extremes, I am predictably averse to technology in oration when a simple grasp of elocution will achieve a more poignant effect - Daniel Webster didn't have Powerpoint when he replied to Hayne, now did he!?), a task that proved much more time consuming than I originally planned, consuming all of the day's hours up to 3:00. But enough of my characteristic technological, neo-Luddite parathetical remarks - I suppose this is worthwhile and not harmful to my efforts, however, considering the amount of time the completion of the experimentation has left to me to plan for the final presentation on August 24th, and in any case I am quite an expert on the functionings of Powerpoint, if I might say so myself...

If the reader has not, contrary to my assumptions, picked-up on my extreme shade of traditionalism, let this incident be an indicator to you: at the 8:45 meeting this morning Mr. Callens provided for a reason behind his cheerful mood this morning the "break-up" of two individuals whose names escape me now. Amidst the conversation that this assertion aroused I thought it best to keep my complete bewilderment a secret - I had no earthly idea who these people the rest of the crowd was rabbling on about were...At first I thought this couple was in the Imaging Science Building, and I simply had not had the chance to meet this romantic couple, but I soon gathered that this was an ostensibly famous duo who have appeared on television and sing or something, as the clarification of some of my fellow interns told me...It seems that some were humored by my lack of knowledge of this famous couple, but I suppose it is just an indication of my utter lack of familiarity with American popular culture; maybe my head is just too often "in the books"...

This being said, I spent the last two hours of my day in the library browsing the shelves; found a very interesting book that contains the musical themes from every notable piece of classical music (in musical notation) and relished an hour and a half perusing the pages of both familiar and obscure musical lines...

As always, I look forward to tomorrows "lunch talks" in the college of science, admittedly for the food but also the material it provides for critique in my blog...I suppose the reader has that to look forward to as well...

And throughout this whole entry, I have been looking forward to telling you that today's "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Claude Debussy's Golliwog's Cakewalk from Children's Conrer
(Note: There are a multitude of reasons for my inclusion of the "Classical Piece of the Day" in this blog, with only some being to compete with Jason's similar blog feature - although I get the idea that I am failing miserably - and for my own personal reflection. I can say that I do not feature a piece everyday so that the reader may be merely humored (as I am told people are); I have the hopes that it will be an enlighting experience for the reader and that it will compel them to persue the pieces I feature further...They all are wonderful songs that I hope I can expose for those who have seldom heard the joys of orchestral music their true wonders...All the pieces are included in the musical archives of www.classicalarchives.com... and now I believe my quixotic rant is done...)

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Nineteen: So We Meet Again, Matlab...

2005-08-01T03:18:00.000-07:00

It will be to the reader's disappointment as it is to my own that my earlier predictions of increased rigor and variety in this week's workload, as opposed to last weeks uneventful scanning procedure, seem to be already repudiated as the week starts; while I have seen the end of true physical scanning, experimentation has the tendency to yield data, and subsequently today has been consumed by the post-processing that I have mentioned in former entries. Consumed by the tedium of scanning last week, I suppose my predictions concerning this week's excitement of work were overly optimistic...but we always imagine the grass greener on the opposite side of the fence, don't we?

Let it be known to the reader: the cynicism of my opening paragraph may belie the actual enjoyment I am finding in finally piecing together the efforts of the past several weeks. To see the experimental projections slowly configure themselves as I enter data into each cell on my spreadsheet is truly rewarding. Still, the work of today has been very reminiscent of the long hours of "computer-gazing" that characterized the first several days of the internship, if you see where I am going...While admittedly more enjoyable now that I am proficient in using computers to serve me in other ways besides word processing - this was not the case, the reader will recall, when I first stepped into this internship, - nine hours in front of a computer is still not my cup of tea. But the reader has heard this gripe before, and is likely to be more interested in my actual tasks: entering data into a spreadsheet I designed last week to impose a convolution filter on the experimental results, I have obtained refined data that is in turn graphed as a projection versus the ideal projection data I constructed on Matlab several weeks ago. This terse explanation, however, belies the difficulties I had in attempting to graph these two projections together on the same axis with similar dimensional parameters in my long lost buddy, Matlab. Quite fortunately, the work of the past two weeks has culminated in, at least in my mind, remarkable results: six hours fiddling with the "dimensional discrepancies" - and persistence, - twenty-five hours of physical scanning, and one spreadsheet have combined to create what I would call five tremendously similar experimental projections. I will admit that I had great reservations about this entire process yielding even adequate results, but when my six hours of fiddling finally produced the comparison of the experimental projections to those that are considered ideal (without noise and human inaccuracy), it was greatly rewarding (I am refraining from being too overly romantic, here). But it is not without staying that it took a pretty tedious and degrading nine hours in front of my favorite invention to put it all together today, but I suppose it is upon these triumphant and exhausting highs that science lives on...

I should also mention that some of my moodiness may be the result of my disappointment with my pitiful show of presentation skills today. Mr. Pow and Mr. Callens brought a man who seemed to be of an inspectorly sort into the lab and requested that I explain some of my work to this gentleman. Usually confident in explaining my work and thinking to others, or at least in my assessment, my explanation was absolutely pitiful...I do hope that not too much was riding on my delivering an explanation of NMR scanning on the spot, and I do hope that my former confidence will be restored in the future...

Although I realize that the reader may think otherwise, I am glad to see that my entries are back to their characteristic length: it shows that the monotony of the job has come to a close...

I am told that my preponderant use of ellipsis is not popular and indeed perplexing among my fellow interns that read this blog...I suppose it is peculiar...but I find that it adequately conveys my idiosyncratic circuitous...and wandering... mode of thought...

That being settled...and these things being said...I have only left to say that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in f minor (but only the first two movements, as I cannot possibly understand Ravel's thinking in writing the last two...)

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Eighteen: Ding Dong...Scanning is Done

2005-07-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

I am afraid that the reader will not find a great deal that would serve to differentiate this day's entry from the last, and indeed this is much how the day has been...Beginning with post-processing of the 60 Degree projection data collected yesterday in the morning and culminating in the 90 Degree scanning in the afternoon, today's events deviate little from the mold that has characterized this past week; fortunately, for the reader's enjoyment as well as my own, today's scanning marathon marked the culmination of the scanning process for me, and next week's entries are sure to reflect the probable renewed rigor of my work here...

It seems that the post-processing of the scanning data is yielding particularly marvelous results...

And it seems that today's "Classical Piece" is...
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Seventeen: And More Scanning...

2005-07-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Because the scanning marathon continues here at the MRI laboratory, the afternoon is consumed with processing and reading my book, as the reader is I am sure bored of hearing and I am equally bored of writing. Both the reader and I have next week to look forward to as my entries will probably have more substance as our scanning comes to a close...

It may be of interest and noteworthy to acknowledge that I did start creating a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel with algorithms that both "filter" noise from the data I have been collecting from the scanning procedures and compile the modified data into an experimental projection that, from what I gather, we will be comparing to the ideal projections that I constructed earlier in the internship on Matlab...

I do regret writing so little, but I will not have to regret not informing you of the identity of the "Classical Piece of the Day" because it is...
Maurice Ravel's Piece en form de habanera
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Sixteen: You Guessed It...More Scanning

2005-07-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

While the whole of my afternoon here was spent scanning as is typical this week - as I have probably overemphasized for the reader, - today's entry would not be complete without my commentary on the Coopervision visit this morning...

The brevity of this entry does not, I am afraid, give the plant, with its hospitable and professional staff and thoughtful accommodations, the degree of justice it deserves, but maybe I make my adulation clear with this phrase; beyond the amiable personnel, the view we were given of American industrial production in action was, in my mind, awe-inspiring. To see these workers attentively laboring at their machines to produce these seemingly trivial, 7 millimeter-in-diameter, plastic discs was a particularly fascinating experience for me, more so than our encounter with the manufacturing operations at Melles Griot. I suppose my interest - which I am aware verges on quixotic rambling - my be explained by my lack of experience, actual or otherwise, with true factory discipline apart from reading about the factories of the late-Nineteenth Century and early-Twentieth Century in a history textbook...As I alluded to in the beginning, I was also very impressed with the casualness of the tour guides and Bernie, who welcomed us and introduced us to his plant's operations. And a free hat and wheat bagel from Wegmas (I would know one anywhere!) to round off what I would say was a successful trip...

While scanning continues, I continue to read further into A History of the World in the Twentieth Century.

And as long as I continue to blog, I will continue to inform you that the "Classical Song of the Day" is...
Rachmaninoff Vocalise
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Fifteen: Shuttle, Scanning, and Certificate

2005-07-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

I fear that his entry will be the epitome of the "Terse Blog" that I have expressed apprehensions about in the previous two entries...

Thinking that I would have to forgo watching the space shuttle launch - an event that I have been in anticipation of for some time - I was delighted to find that I could view the happenings on the computers in the lab independent of the clamoring crowds in the reading room; afterwards, Allie and I worked to transcript the Crimean war discharge certificate that we have been imaging with Dr. Easton for the past several days.

And the afternoon was consumed with scanning, and because I had left my A History of the World in the Twentieth Century on my desk at home, my "down-time" was spent devising a formula to determine if and when the three hands of a analog clock will ever be in exactly the same degree of displacement on the dial from the 12; the answer, as I had originally surmised, is certainly negative...

As laconic as this entry may be, I could not end without informing the reader that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Claude Debussy's Pavanne
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Fourteen: The Scanning Begins...

2005-07-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

As I have informed the reader in my last entry, I regrettingly surmise that my "blogging" will become uncharacteristically terse for the next week or so as we settle into the routine of scanning here at the MRI lab, a process that need not be explained in as great a detail as is evident in my normal entries; I suppose this entry is a manifestation of these circumstances...

Allie and I had a difficult time locating Dr. Easton this morning, and after some persistence, I elected to begin auxiliary research for the MRI presentation at the termination of the internship at the library, being as it is that I am not truly a part of the Ancient Document crew...

The afternoon saw the commencement of the scanning of my phantom in the Gosnell building, a process that consumed five hours today and promised to do similarly in the coming days, but because there is a great deal of "down-time" while one waits for the acquisition process to culminate, this week will give me the opportunity to resume my personal study of history with the fabulous book A History of the World in the Twentieth Century...

My week, I surmise, is going to boil down to reading and scanning, but I am looking forward to the Coopervision visit after my enjoyment of the Melles Griot trip.

My entry may be trite, but I would never end without informing you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Beethoven's Violin Concerto in (f minor?)
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Thirteen: Forget Free Food: How About A Free Semester of Fourier Transform in Two Hours...

2005-07-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Although the events of the past few days have become increasingly interesting and rigorous, there has again developed a general trend in the layout and events of my days, and because of this, I regret that my I entries have the tendency to lack the true depth of my enthusiasm for the various days' events as this excitement becomes normal. Let the reader be advised that while the length of my entries and extent of detail may diminish, my valuation of the internship and the knowledge that I gain each day is not lessening...

The majority of the morning was spent with Dr. Easton in the Ancient Document Restoration lab attempting to improve the clarity of one particular palm leaf image we compiled two weeks ago for A.J. ; in the process of doing so, Dr. Easton was diverted into giving Allie and me a what turned into a two-hour "crash-course" (for lack of better term) in the mathematics and logic behind the Fourier transform. I am careful about my diction because I do not want the reader to have the wrong impression of my feeling towards the lesson: the explanation, even if a little lengthy, was exceedingly fascinating and made relatively simple with Dr. Easton's thought-out analysis and visualization, which amounted to twelve sheets of paper scribbled full with mathematical relations, formulas, and graphs in red pen. An immensely enjoyable time for me...It seems that I will now be welcome to work with Dr. Easton and Allie every morning, and I will look forward to every session.

After spending the noon hour in the library, which seems to be becoming the typical, the afternoon hours saw our preparation of my phantom for scanning when we return on Monday, a three-hour process that, in brief, involved aligning a desired radical axis to the r-axis of the Faraday cage scanning device and running two preparatory scans to acquaint myself with the sequence of steps in the scanning procedure. I look forward to a week of scanning...

I am elated to tell the reader that my CD writing problem, which did continue on for much of the day today, is finally been thwarted.

And I am also elated to inform you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Antonin Dvorak's Slavonic Dance No.8 in e minor
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Twelve: A Slower Day...

2005-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today's events did not compare to those of the past several days in rigor, I must say, but the day was nevertheless had its notable events of which I should note here.

Curious about the complete scope of modern MRI technology in the modern age, and thinking this information would elucidated some of the tactics we are using in the lab, I spent the first portion of the morning in the library perusing their collection of the journal entitled Magnetic Resonance Imaging - the periodical from which I copied some information on gelatin applications in NMR scanning. Allie and I then met Dr. Easton at the prearranged time of 10:00 and aided him in his imaging of, from what I could gather, a British military document from the Crimean War period (1856). We arranged to meet tomorrow at 9:00 to continue this work-not Archimedes, but no doubt and nevertheless fascinating... I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to work in both labs without great conflict.

The afternoon saw only a brief meeting with Tina discussing our direction for the next week, and it seems that we shall prepare my now-petroleum-filled phantom for scanning tomorrow...

I am now off to the Gosnell building, I suppose, to store the images I have taken with the microscope about which the reader has heard on a CD, but I am somewhat apprehensive as one of the documents I just tried to save a moment ago would not write...I do hope that all goes well.

But I must inform you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Claude Debussy's Reverie (Dream)
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Eleven: More Presentations, Catch-up, and Remote Sensing

2005-07-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Indeed, today's events again have seen me experience a wide range of the scientific spectrum, as seems to be becoming the routine, although it is a much better "routine" than that which I used this word to describe before...the routine of computer work. I am happy to say that, regardless of my original conceptions of this internship, it is slowly manifesting itself as a worthwhile experience...

As I assured the reader yesterday, my morning hours were spent in the library interpreting the text of the article which I found yesterday during our "gelatin T2" search and thought might be of some use to Tina, and I employ the word "interpret" to allude that I found it much more expedient to summarize the contents of the article without copying it word for word. This summarization fortunately left me time to spare before the noon "lunch presentations," so I opted to explore the contents of the library: I have read about college libraries with several million volumes, but I suppose one does not fully comprehend the wealth of knowledge that represents until one sees it before them! Even though this library (at least what in my estimation) does not have much over a million volumes (probably less, in fact...), it was awe-inspiring to walk though the bound periodicals on the second floor and see the tremendous spectrum of knowledge covered by the titles of the journals: everything from education psychology to astrophysics to second language linguistics... It truly unfortunate that this store of knowledge is not accessible to a wider portion of the population.

I am glad to say that the noon presentations this time around did not leave me as perplexed as to their relevance to mass society as my first encounter with the discussions did, and I do see benefit in both the work concerning avalanche physics and the study of the inheritance of a hearing deficiency disease. I still maintain, however, that science ought to be totally aimed at the general public good, and it thus follows that science cannot be esoteric...It is for humans as a community to enjoy and understand the fruits of the scientists' labors, and although I left the presentation today with strong assurance that these researchers are on the right track, so to speak, I am still unsure as to the devotion of RIT students and staff to this duty to their community. I will also point out that the presentation skills exhibited by today's presenters were of much higher caliber than those of the previous presentations, and this my sway my interpretation, but I firmly assert my satisfaction with today's presentations.

After my scrutiny of the discussion (yes, I am aware that I my ramblings about the presentations may be justifiably construed as carping), we began melting petroleum jelly to pour into the phantom voids; while the melting process was transpiring, I ventured out to have a gander at the remote sensing group's work in the parking lot with car reflectivity. With a lack of interns for the time being, they quickly took my stopping by as an opportunity to use me as their camera man, a job which I was more than happy to help with. It was an enjoyable time, and I am glad that there is a degree of mobility, at least for me, within the imaging department as I work for the MRI lab mainly but donate some time with pleasure to the ancient document lab with Dr. Easton and now the remote sensing lab...Tomorrow, I am told, I might be able to aid Dr. Easton with his imaging of the pages of the famous Archimedes palamsest. I am exceedingly excited!

After my brief role as camera man I ventured back to fill the phantoms, and then, along with Tina, who seemed pleased to have the information on the article I spent the morning studying, I filled Allie in as to the course of our experimentation for the past four days while she has been out. Discussed the materials we have scanned and taught both Tina and Allie to use the microscope discussed in yesterday's entry.

I think I am going back to explore some more of the library for some time, but not before I inform you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...

Claude Debussy's La mer

Good Day,

Tyler C. Lucero

Day Ten: A Smorgasbord of Science: Flavorless, Viscous Jello Anyone...?

2005-07-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

As the title I have chosen for this particular entry would suggest, today's events found me taking part in a wide variety of scientific responsibilities and experiences whose fascinating nature so contrasts with the experiences of the first week of my internship experience as I gazed lugubriously at a computer screen (see Entries #1 and #2). Although detractors will take note that today's experiences also involved a degree of reliance on my electronic friend, the computer, the tasks now set before us demand an augmented degree of pure human thought in a struggle against nature and knowledge (as opposed to using an inanimate object as an interface), and though it is a romantic concept of science, this is nevertheless my unadorned personal concept of true scientific thought... In any case, my point is that today's experiences fit the mold of quixotic science with much greater ease than those of the earlier portions of this work experience.

Spending the morning solidifying my confidence that the material Tina utilizes in her scanning methods is some sort of petroleum jelly, which was indeed a correct surmise, the arrival of the phantoms meant that the first order of business this afternoon was the calibration and cleaning of the phantoms; the cleaning required that we place the teflon cylinders in a bath of rubbing alcohol for about four hours, so we then ventured to the Gosnell building to test the gelatin in the NMR scanning machine. After nearly two hours of tweaking the parameters of our scan, Tina reports that the jello scanning yielded a huge signal; I say that this peculiar but nonetheless welcome news was reported to me because, in an attempt to correctly set the parameters for the scanning of this obscure substance, Tina thought it expedient to try to find these measurements in published scientific writing and thus set me to the library to find a specific article. After being informed of its presence in the library by their "Einstein" catalog but unsuccessfully locating the particular text, I proceeded to request assistance from several librarians (which I might say were something less than professional in their demeanor and actions and something less than helpful in their assistance). All in all, after an hour of searching, I concluded that they simply did not have the article as their files had led me to believe. Although the experience left me with a general disdain for the RIT Wallace Library as a whole, this is not to say that the search was not an enjoyable one; quite contrary, the experience was certainly an amusing introduction to scientific research, even if it was a less than perfect experience with RIT staff members...Not wishing to report back to Tina empty-handed, however, an Internet search yielded another article (Prospective Tissue-Mimicking Material for Use in NMR Imaging Phantoms) that seemed by its abstract to relate to our experimentation, and indeed I was able to find this text relatively quickly and I hope to work tomorrow to copy a good majority of the work by hand for use by Tina, although it seems that despite our realization that gelatin is a useful "phantom filler," its refrigeration requirements and the potential for bacterial growth on it pose a problem, so we may "stick with" petroleum jelly rather than sticky jello...

But it would be negligent to omit the excitement that learning to use a large scientific microscope with Dr. Langer brought to the course of today's events. To be entrusted with such an important and useful piece of hardware is an honor, and after using the microscope briefly after the lesson with Dr. Langer to view sand granules, I look forward to both instructing both Tina and Allie in its use and using for further study...

So jello, sand granules, pesky librarians, and rubbing alcohol sums up my day...

I have signed up for the "lunch presentations" tomorrow, and I am anxious to see if they repudiate or validate the assessment I made of RIT's standards and objectives last week...
Speaking of presentations, and always being one who enjoys teaching others, I am looking forward to, as Tina has requested, filling in Allie as to the course of the experimentation for the past four days.

And the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Vaughn Williams' "Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis"

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Nine: Scanning Silica Sand; Next Up...Jello

2005-07-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

After a morning consumed by the elusive search for a hydrogen-rich-nontoxic-noncorrosive-solid-at-room-temperature-but-fluid-enough- low-self-diffusion-coefficient-cleanable material to fill the voids in my phantom, which Tina has informed me is done and will need to be cleaned tomorrow afternoon, that only turned up polyethylene as a potentail candidate, the afternoon saw my use of the NMR scanner to examine the signal produced by fused silica; while amusing in its preparation and execution (it was required that we chose a sand with small granules and that we hydrate the sediments before placing them in the NMR machine), the experimentation did not yield a clearly defined signal. While waiting for the acquisition to finish, Tina suggested that we investigate the NMR potential of gelatin, so I find myself carrying home a bottle of pure water with which to make favorless, hard gelatin tonight. I anxiously await the results of this most peculiar test...

After the scanning, I proceeded to my usual residence in the computer lab, where I calculated the dimensions of my virtual phantom on Matlab so that we may check the similarity of the physical phantom during calibration (tomorrow?); in addition, I printed out projections of the modified phantom at 10 degree intervals, and of course resumed my search for NMR compatible materials after setting my polyethylene proposal before Tina. The prospective list has now grown only to include petroleum in some form... hope the search will bear fruit soon.

Tina - Yes, I do have a copy of Holst's The Planets, and yes, it may be borrowed...I will bring it in tomorrow along with the jello.

And today's "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Jules Massenet's "Meditation" from Thais
Off to make jello,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Eight: Introduction to Scanning, and to Optical Manufacturing

2005-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Deviating from the routine that seemed to be taking root in my workday, today's events were considerably more enjoyable than those of days past. While the beginning of the day saw me at my typical position in the computer lab transferring the modified phantom code that I had run into problems with yesterday (I was relieved by this operation's success), the remainder of the day found me out of the rut of "Matlab" work and exploring, in my perspective fascinating new topics...
Despite the fact that optical science is not a field that I plan to investigate further in the future, this morning's excursion to the Melles Griot company's local building was certainly, in my perspective, a worthwhile experience. As I progress through my time here at the Imaging Science Center, I am certainly gaining a deeper appreciation for the application of scientific thought in what I will refer to as the hackneyed "real world." Any high schooler who finds themselves questioning the pertinence of the thin-film interference theory they learn in physics class would have an answer after Melles Griot tour. It is not that I ever questioned the validity or importance of the topics learned in high school, but merely that I am fascinated by how these principles do appear in the technological industries of modern America, even if my quixotic perception of science has been utterly repudiated. I only bring up this realization because I believe the excursion to the optical facility was an excellent illustration, and for me a confirming experience, of the technology that spurs from the pure science taught in classrooms. And very hospitable people and free handbags...what more could you want? On a more serious note, I would certainly join in the crowd to show my appreciation and interest in the tour today. To use another cliched phrase, I would "certainly recommend the Melles Griot tour to a friend."
After returning around 1:00 from this excursion, I had an amusing introduction to the scanning machine that I will be using in the not to distant future to test the phantom I have created. I am exceedingly glad that Tina has recently been delving further into the physics and science hidden behind the Matlab assignments and computer work that I have seen for the past week. Seeing the science finally at work as the acquisition appeared on the computer screen took the internship a little closer in my mind to the way I had conceived of it when I applied. I do look forward to more days of scanning rather than coding...
My first experience at Pizza Hut (a statistic that seemed to shock everyone) for lunch today was not as exciting, but only a minor glitch in a day that saw new height for this internship for me...
I could not close without informing you that the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Aaron Copland's "Billy the Kid Suite"
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Seven: Problems with Matlab

2005-07-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I would like to clarify for Tina some of my wording in my last entry. When I wrote "being more of a scientist than an engineer", I was refering to my own personality and describing that the dicussions we have had on the physics of MRI technology have, because I am more of a scientist in sentiment, been very interesting. I do realize after rereading the passage you commented about that it seems that I am refering to you in the sentence, especially after I mentioned you in the sentence before. In fact, in mentioning my preference toward science rather than engineering in the entry I was drawing a parallel to the comment you had made yesterday about the difference in the thought-processes of scientists as compared to engineers as evidenced by your contrasts, as an engineer, with the disposition of Dr. Hornak, a scientist. Sorry for the confusion...
While I must say that most of the day was typical and followed the trend of augmented fascination with the work that has been seen in the last few days, I have been struggling with a computer-originated error in Matlab for the past three hours after I modified the phantom I have been creating to have more rectangular slots. (the same trouble Allie was having with her computer the other day on another computer! - "SCRIPT phantom error") The root of the problem seems to be that someone that used the computer previously saved a file named "phantom" and, this being the code for a particular command in my program, my program now believes I wish to access that other file by coding "phantom". I suppose the only solution is to transfer the program to another computer, which will require a CD. Hope to see the problem solved tomorrow.
And in regard to the scotopic/photopic question...
As far as I can tell from my internet research, it is possible for one human eye to function scotopically while the other operates photopically due to the fact that dark adaptation is an independent process in each eye. This effect was experienced today when we remained in a dark environment (at which time the rods in one's eye contribute to scotopic vision), then exposed one eye to bright light, causing the cones to start photopic function in the exposed eye. When we returned to the dark room, the eye exposed was still functioning photopically and seemed not to function (as it was trying to take in bright light) while the other eye not exposed, which had been trained to function scotopically, allowed us to see in the dark. There is my brief, but I think sufficient answer.
I am running short on time, but we could not end without the "Classical Piece of the Day"...
Gustav Holst's "The Planets"
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Six: Presentations and Projections

2005-07-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Of course, I am still using Matlab, and am now taking specific projections from the phantom I have created. However, to my elation, we discussed a great deal of the physics behind the MRI scanning machine today, and I have also received two papers concerning geophysical application of MRI technology from my advisor; being more of a scientist than an engineer in spirit, these discussions on the science of MRI and its use allows me to see a side of this MRI technology more interesting - in my mind - than the Matlab and technical side I have thus far come in contact with.

While admittedly enjoyable and thought-provoking, after listening to and absorbing the information discussed today at the College of Science's "noon presentations", I must say that I am quite perplexed as to the reasoning that compelled the various groups of presenting students to research the subjects they discussed. In my mind, although interesting and - I am sure - challenging in its execution, the experimentation and research presented did not seem original nor progressive in its objective. It is possible that the poor manner in which the material was presented was to blame for my judgement, in which case it may be a misjudgement, but I was not convinced that society has a need or would improve with the addition of a 3-D visualization of the human body added to the medicial education repertoire, and I would be rich if I had a penny for all the instances that I have heard about research concerning the immunity of bacteria to human antiboitics. In other words, the research presented today, in my opinion, seemed trivial. Call me an idealist, but a technological institution should be more progressive and innovative - "on the cutting edge" of science - than these presentations showed the college's standards to be.

I do hope that, even if it is not original, my presentation at the end of this internship will be better prepared and more insightful than the "noon presentations" the group saw today.

I only ramble about the presentations because there is little else to discuss about this day that has not now become typical for my work here.

...and the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Igor Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps"

Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Five: "Getting into the Swing of Things"

2005-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I will admit that the grumblings that saturate my previous entries were a little premature, for as use of Matlab becomes a routine business and thus I become more proficient in its use, I am finding the internship more enjoyable. Feeling increasingly confident with the program, I took the initiative to move on beyond the assignment to be discussed today and code the phantom we were given on the first day. After the mental chaos trying to learn the totally new science of computer coding of the first few days on the job, I am very surprised that I can now utilize the program to complete the assignments my advisor sets before me; given the task of pulling projections from the phantom scan I had completed ahead of schedule this morning, I finished in fifteen minutes. I suppose that now the software and field is no longer completely new and I am not focusing the great majority of my energy on learning, I have the ablity to focus that energy on utilization. The reader will sense, I am sure, the magnitude of my joviality that this apprehensoin of Matlab has faded...

In addition, my advisor discussed her work seeking to apply the NMR technology to sub-surface geological analysis, and, although not as fascinating as actually participating, the talk was interesting nonetheless. Moreover, having reached a stage at which I am actually coding phantoms and applying Matlab to facilitate needs for my MRI presentation, I am enjoying the daily work at a relatively greater degree.

There might be further opportunities for me to help out in the Ancient Document laboratory, according to my advisor, which I nevertheless do look forward to.

All in all, I think I am "getting into the Swing of Things"...

And the "Classical Piece of the Day" is...
Antonin Dvorak's 'American' String Quartet in A Major, Op. 96
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Four: More Matlab, but Admittedly Better

2005-07-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Admittedly - as the title of this entry suggests - the experience has been relatively more exciting than the previous two entries make this internship seem. While I am still not going to work with geological science this summer as hoped, the computer work today came much easier than the previous three; as I become more aquianted with the methodology of the Matlab program, tasks are becoming less frustrating - as the two previous entires illustrate - and more fascinating (although still not as interesting as geology!). Where the assignment I worked on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning took seven lines of code and ten hours to complete, the task my advisor set down for me today required staring at the computer only roughly an hour and a quarter and required eight lines of code. Of course, that rate is still pathetic (as the graduate student next to me laughs), but I am proud to see the improvement: it means I will not be required to stare at a computer screen so long in the future. Still no geology, though...

To compete with Jason's blog, I find that I must post my own "Classical Piece of the Day" to counter his entries:
...and today's Classical Song of the Day (posted to compete with Jason) is...
Claude Debussy's String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10
Good Day,
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Three: Ancient Palms and More Matlab

2005-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

When I applied for this internship - specifically, when I expressed interest joining the MRI laboratory - it was advertised, if you will, as the chance to join in a project working to apply MRI technology to geophysical science, and geosciences being of particular career interest to me, I snatched the oppurtunity to take part in what seemed to me to be a worthwhile experience. To my utter revulsion, however, I find myself placed in front of a computer all day teaching myself, as the case was today, to create a contour graph and to furthermore interpolate data to smooth the contours. I found after ten hours of experimentation and combination (my advisor apparently finds it more expedient to have me decipher the perplexities of Matlab myself rather than give a simple lesson on the program or give me a manual, even after a simple request) on the computer, I had produced a contour graph with six lines of code; but again I find myself in this afternoon in the second floor computer lab working on a computer assignment. I have gathered that a) my advisor is done with her geophysics project that had lured me in the first place, and b) she is not going to invovle me in her true MRI research. This has become, and seems to have the trend of continuing to be, a lecture on MRI technology (I see my advisor once a day during the designated fifteen-minute "lecture" period at 1:00) rather than a geophysics experiment, for it seems that my advisor would like to spend the summer preparing me for the end-of internship presentation; admittedly, I appreciate that she is providing experience that will culminate in a presentation, but I would like to be a part of some sort of true research. Also, I admit MRI technology is fascinating in itself, yet I wish that I had not been misled to the extent that I now find myself sitting for ten hours daily in front of a computer tinkering with Matlab with an aid (the reader will detect my slight frustration with computer work).
Solace did come today, I should add, when I was allowed to take a look at the work of the Ancient Document Restoration Laboratory. Watching the digitalization photographs of characters written on palm leaves held much greater fascination for me than my typical computer meddling.
I will repeat my hope that this summer is not wasted away in front of a computer screen.
Tyler C. Lucero

Day Two: "Matlab" and Projections

2005-07-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Although apprehensive that the program "Matlab" described to me yesterday would be difficult to utilize - I arrived at 7:20 so as to allow enough time to decipher the program and use it to graph the various functions assigned - the tremendous difficulties that I had envisioned did not materialize; it seems that "Matlab," at least for simple tasks like graphing functions, is simple, while I will admit it took me some time to learn of the perplexities and, in my opinion, unnecessary burdens of computer language, this being my first experience with such realms of knowledge! For several hours, I neglected to imput vital syntax into my commands, and, unaware of the source of my dilemma, I was puzzled for some time. All in all, by 12:00, I had produced three function graphs. The reader may detect my continuing ambivalence about the program, however. Indeed, my apprehensions have again arisen after sitting since 1:00 trying, with not a great deal of progress, to complete the task Ms. Bray has assigned for tomorrow. I do hope this fog of uncertainty will break tomorrow morning.
I also hold an ambivalence toward the general tendencies that I already detect forming in my duties this summer. While I enjoy expanding my understanding of the pertainance of the computer to modern science, all that I feel I have accomplished thus far is lugubrious dittling on a keyboard and not analyzing geology as I was led to believe. I can only say that I hope the majority of the summer is not spent gazing mindlessly at a computer moniter.

Tyler C. Lucero