Research Experiential Learning
Over the summer I began my first official research experience in the Virtual Brain Lab within the Steinmetz Lab for neuroscience at UW, led by Dr. Dan Birman. This marked the beginning of my primary avenue for applying CS coursework practically—exactly the hands-on learning environment I thrive in.
Working in this interdisciplinary setting allowed me to exercise my computer science skills with real impacts on the wider neuroscience community, perfectly embodying my learn-by-doing philosophy. Rather than completing theoretical exercises, I took ownership of meaningful projects serving researchers globally. My work continued through fall quarter as experiential learning, providing sustained engagement to solidify new concepts through practical application.
This research became the foundation for my industry research goals, giving me my first taste of how academic concepts translate into real-world tools. I’ve learned invaluable skills including teamwork, presenting developments to peers, and receiving feedback from neuroscience experts worldwide—experiences extending far beyond any coursework.
The impact became evident when my work was shared at the 2022 Society for Neuroscience conference. We gained significant interest in our Pinpoint development, including partnerships with companies like New Scale for their electrophysiology equipment. This validation reinforced how research provides the ideal environment to apply knowledge and see tangible field impact.
I look forward to continuing in the Steinmetz Lab, as this project serves as the practical foundation for applying my evolving CS knowledge.
Post Experience Reflection
My work in research over the past autumn quarter has been incredibly productive and rewarding to my experience in the research field. My goals for this period were to expand upon my work on Pinpoint from over the summer and begin implementing automation systems to drive electrophysiology. During my time over the quarter, not only was I able to make a great start at implementing automation features into Pinpoint, but I was also fortunate enough to be able to have my work shared at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) conference in San Diego! My mentor, who was also presenting a poster on Pinpoint there, demonstrated the new automation and electrophysiology manipulator control systems to an audience of excited neuroscience researchers from around the world. I was also able to have my name represented on the poster my mentor presented! Overall, this quarter has been an incredible experience pushing forward Pinpoint. In addition to the successful demos and pilot stage of the automation features, we’ve been able to receive plenty of feedback from other experts in the field who are excited to integrate Pinpoint into their labs and reaccelerate their research! I’m excited to continue working on Pinpoint with the Steinmetz Lab and hope that by the summer we will be able to share this automation system with the wider neuroscience community outside our lab as a finished product.