{"437451":{"#nid":"437451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Ph.D. Research Mentor Brittney English Pays It Forward","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student Brittney English had her first experience with robotics the summer after her freshmen year at Georgia Tech. Previous high school internships at Air Force Research Labs at Tyndall Air Force Base in her hometown of Panama City, Florida, sparked her love of science, but work on the Pyrocopter project, a robotic helicopter that shot flaming paint balls in order to do controlled burns in forest areas, ignited her interest in robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an undergraduate computer engineering major, English joined the Opportunity Research Scholars (ORS) program in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Georgia Tech. The ORS program is an academic enrichment program that matches two or three undergraduate ECE students with a Ph.D. mentor. Undergraduate students broaden on their coursework and apply their skills to real research projects under the guidance of a faculty advisor and graduate mentor during the course of their studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlready fascinated by robotics and space applications from her work at Tyndall, English chose an ORS project in Professor Ayanna Howard\u2019s lab. Her team developed software that allowed a robot to create high-definition topographic maps of Mars and other locations where GPS isn\u2019t an option. When English decided to attend graduate school, the in-depth research under Howard\u2019s tutelage caused her to narrow her focus to robotics, in particular rehabilitative and assistive robotics\u2014a specialization of Professor Howard\u2019s, who now serves as English\u2019s Ph.D. advisor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow English\u2019s graduate research is an ORS project and she is mentoring a fresh new crop of ECE undergraduates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I was an undergraduate, I benefitted greatly from the ORS program. I was exposed to research in academia for the first time; received guidance with classes, research, and scholarships from my mentor; completed my first publication in an IEEE conference; and got a sneak peek into the life of a graduate student. I decided to become an ORS mentor in order to give similar opportunities to other undergraduate students,\u201d English said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer team, consisting of computer engineering major Jennifer Hunter, and electrical engineering majors Jonathan Tuck and Gueorgui Tzintzarov, recently attended the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Conference where they were finalists in the Student Design Competition for their Robotic Exoskeleton and Tablet Gaming Suite device.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis was an excellent experience for the undergraduates, because it awarded them a publication, experience presenting at a conference, and networking opportunities with other experts in the field,\u201d English said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir wearable device, which fits over the wrist and arm and pairs with an interactive game on a tablet, facilitates physical therapy for patients with limited motor function. It also makes therapy more fun for patients that need to regain strength in their wrists and hands\u2014a key factor in perceived quality of life\u2014allowing them to do exercises at home and keeping them engaged for longer than traditional physical therapy sessions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile wearable robotic prosthetics exist for use in rehabilitation, English\u2019s technology takes them to a new level. Hers is the first solution that is available in more sizes than the current one-size-fits-all wearable that is only effectively used by the average adult male. Because the device\u2019s exoskeleton is 3-D printed, it can be sized for all types of patients, including children. In the future, the hope is that a medical professional can input specific measurements and print out a customized exoskeleton for each user.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile participation in ORS has afforded the undergraduates unique opportunities in the world of research, English has also benefitted. Each student took an active, hands-on role in the research. Tuck and Tzintzarov used Solidworks software to design the exoskeletons and printed them in the Invention Studio. Hunter used Java and Android Studio to develop two interactive games, Robo Blaster and Robo Rock \u2018n Roll, that pair with the devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs an ORS Ph.D. mentor, I wanted to give back and give undergraduates some of the same opportunities I had. It turns out that having these students on my research team has been invaluable. They each brought a unique perspective and specific skills to the table. I only hope I\u2019ve taught them as much as they have taught me,\u201d English said.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs an undergraduate computer engineering major, English joined the Opportunity Research Scholars (ORS) program. Now English\u2019s graduate research is an ORS project and she is mentoring a fresh new crop of undergraduates.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As an undergraduate computer engineering major, English joined the Opportunity Research Scholars (ORS) program. Now English\u2019s graduate research is an ORS project and she is mentoring a fresh new crop of undergraduates."}],"uid":"27842","created_gmt":"2015-08-19 15:56:26","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:22","author":"Ashlee Gardner","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"437321":{"id":"437321","type":"image","title":"ECE RESNA Conference Attendees","body":null,"created":"1449256162","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:22","changed":"1475895174","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:54","alt":"ECE RESNA Conference Attendees","file":{"fid":"202991","name":"img_2197.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_2197_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_2197_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":378136,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_2197_0.jpg?itok=0DZbie5f"}},"437421":{"id":"437421","type":"image","title":"Brittney English Rehabilitative Robotics","body":null,"created":"1449256162","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:22","changed":"1475895176","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:56","alt":"Brittney English Rehabilitative Robotics","file":{"fid":"202996","name":"dscn0920.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn0920_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn0920_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2711854,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dscn0920_0.jpg?itok=xsBJEGWx"}},"437431":{"id":"437431","type":"image","title":"Screenshot of Robo Blaster game.","body":null,"created":"1449256162","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:22","changed":"1475895176","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:56","alt":"Screenshot of Robo Blaster game.","file":{"fid":"202997","name":"screenshot_1970-01-22-01-50-27.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screenshot_1970-01-22-01-50-27_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screenshot_1970-01-22-01-50-27_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":465469,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screenshot_1970-01-22-01-50-27_0.jpg?itok=iPPJk1Fb"}},"437441":{"id":"437441","type":"image","title":"Screenshot of Robo Rock \u0027n Roll game.","body":null,"created":"1449256162","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:22","changed":"1475895176","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:56","alt":"Screenshot of Robo Rock \u0027n Roll game.","file":{"fid":"202998","name":"picture1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/picture1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/picture1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":722717,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/picture1_0.jpg?itok=EW_v9W3w"}}},"media_ids":["437321","437421","437431","437441"],"groups":[{"id":"1255","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"138351","name":"Opportunity Research Scholars"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"},{"id":"453","name":"undergraduate research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlee Gardner\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnline and Social Media Communications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ashlee.gardner@ece.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}