Alfred Weaver, professor of computer science and U.Va. Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduates program director
The University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science is hosting a National Science Foundation program this summer for talented college students interested in developing computer software to solve modern medical problems.
Seven undergraduate students accepted into this year’s highly competitive program are developing computer software that will advance several cutting-edge projects, including: applications for the testing of medical hypotheses, the writing of secure e-prescriptions, the use of personal digital assistants to check compliance with drug regimens, the use of PDAs for the analysis of medical diagnostic images and the dissemination of medical data via RSS feeds. At the conclusion of the program, participating students will present their research projects on Thursday, July 27, at 10 a.m. in U.Va.’s Olsson Hall, room 236. The presentations are open to the public.
“Through their research, the students should improve the quality of healthcare delivery by devising, developing, adapting or inventing computer-based solutions to modern medical problems,” said Alfred Weaver, professor of computer science at U.Va. and program director. “These are students who are taking computer science courses, but who are also looking to apply their knowledge, to get their hands dirty and produce software that people in the field can actually use.”
Weaver believes the projects are a powerful learning experience for undergraduates.
“Unlike schoolwork — where students are directed pretty much every step of the way — research is about the unknown,” he said. “In research, you have broad goals, but no exact roadmap that shows you how to get there. Often, students thrive with that new freedom and flexibility. We want them to have that experience.”
This is the second year that U.Va. has offered the program, which has been funded for three years by the NSF. The U.Va. program, “Computer Applications to Medicine,” is believed to be the only one of its kind under the NSF’s “Research Experience for Undergraduates” rubric. The Charlottesville program runs for eight weeks and ends July 28.
For more information about the University’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program, visit the Web site.
|
