Clemson Research Experiences for Undergraduates

About Me

Dedication. Don't forget to live.

Hi Everyone!

My name is Janet Mendoza and I am a Senior at the University of Puerto Rico. In my free time I enjoy watching movies and reading short novels. Also, I like to search for opportunities to visit new places and revisit the best ones. At first I was not sure that Computer Engineering was the field for me but I'm glad I stayed, I love it. I specialize in Hardware Design and have had the opportunity to participate in various projects that have helped me expand my knowledge. Additionally, I have had the chance to participate in two other REUs that focus in different research areas such as, mechanical engineering and computer science. In these projects the implementation of software was required to achieve data collection and image processing.

As a woman in the area of computing I participate in two different organizations, FemProf and AIPFE, to motivate students to either pursue a BS degree and/or continue graduate studies in computing. I was also a member of the IEEE organization for one year where I assisted different meetings and computing workshops. Furthermore, I am co-author of the research paper entitled "On-Chip Development of Hydrogel Microfibers from Squared to Ribbon-Shaped" published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Lastly, I look forward to working this Summer for the REU site: Visualization Applications and take advantage of this great opportunity.

Project Description

3D visualization of soil data for seismic hazards analysis in Charleston, SC

A seismic hazard is the probability of an earthquake occurring in a given area. Ground shaking phenomena such as earthquakes can induce liquefaction of soils which often cause a seismic risk in that area. A seismic risk refers to the risk of damage from intensive ground shaking or earthquake to infrastructures, systems, or other entities. These risks pose social and economic impacts which means it is necessary to analyze soil data and identify the seismic sources on which future earthquakes are likely to occur. In this project, we will focus on developing a software interface between a three-dimension visualization tool and the soil data collected to generate a sample 2D and 3D visualization of soil data. The visualization of those soil data will help with the analysis and estimation of variables that constitute the prediction of an earthquake and other relative characteristics.

Week 1

This week we focused on understanding the problem and topic backgrounds related to the project described above. We attended various workshops that has helped us familiarize with tools that are going to be used througout this project such as Linux, HTML and Palmetto Cluster. Also, we attented a workshop to guide you through the concept of research. Lastly, read tutorials and guides of the visualization tool to be used in this project, ParaView.

Week 2

In week 2, we focused on rendering 2D models in ParaView by implementing a python program that converts data into a single VTK legacy file. VTK legacy is a file format that is readable by ParaView. When data is converted, then we use it as input to ParaView and render the 2D models of the Marina District in San Francisco (See below). Also, we attended lectures on visualization, research methods and research projects. In addition, a webinar provided us with details on graduate school applications.

2D Visualization Model of Tip Resistance

Week 3

This week, we focused on rendering 3D models in ParaView by converting data into a single VTK legacy file, similar to the process done for the 2D models. The 3D model consists of multiple layers below the surface, we were able to render one layer. The next step is to complete this model with all of its layers. In addition, we attended lectures on ParaView, Visualization, and How To Write an Abstract.

Week 4

For this week we prepared the abstract for our project and worked on our elevator pitches. In terms of my project, I was able to render a complete 3D visualization model of the Marina District in San Francisco (See below). Also, we began preparing for our midterm presentation that will be held next week. Lastly, we attended lectures on elevator pitches and visualization.

Click Here to View Abstract!

Map of the Marina District in San Francisco

3D Visualization Model of Tip Resistance

Week 5

This week was one of the most challenging, we presented our elevator pitches and continued working on our midterm presentations. Later, we had the opportunity to present these presentations to the public. For my project, this week I aimed on learning more about Python scripting for ParaView. Below you can also see a timeline of the plans for the remainder of the program.

Project Timeline

Click Here to View the Midterm Presentation!

Week 6

In week 6, we attended visualization and enrichment lectures that were very useful for future work. Also, thanks to CIO Jim Bottum the rest of the cohort can participate in the XSEDE conference that will be held at St.Louis, MO. This is a great opportunity for all of us and I am very grateful. This weekend we took advantage of another opportunity, which was participating in the CSS REU Mini-Conference at Charleston, SC. REU programs from NCSU, Puerto Rico and UNC Charlotte, also participated in the 2-min lighting talks about projects related to interactive and intelligent media or socially relevant computing. We prepared 2 slides that summarized our research, presented it to others and discussed questions individually. I learned about machine learning such as, eye tracking, ant behavior detection, tracking objects, etc. In addition, I learned about different applications that can be done using Unity3D such as games, virtual reality and animations. Thanks to Dr. Byrd for taking the time to help us with this great experience. In terms of my research project, I started working on documenting my program and editing my code so that it can also account for elevations in soil dataset.

Week 7

This week we attended lectures on Human Vision and Perception and on Research Ethics. These lectures were very interesting and useful. Also we had the opportunity to attend an Interview Skills/Cover Letter workshop which provided us with useful advice for future interviews and cover letters. Also, Dr. Rogowitz was kind enough to give us her feedback on our web pages and on our research project visualizations.In terms of my research project, I was able to render a visualization model of a region in Charleston, South Carolina with elevations. Lastly, I bgan working on my reasearch poster and my final presentation.

3D Visualization Model of Tip Resistance

Week 8

In our last week, we submitted our poster and our final presentation. We all gave great final presentations and then prepared for the XSEDE'15 conference. I would also like to thank the faculty and the NSF for making this experience the best.

Research Poster

Click Here!

Final Presentation

Click Here!

In My Own Words

Charleston Mini-Conference

In the middle of the program the VisREU students, including me, where invited to attend a mini-conference held at Charleston, South Carolina to present our research project to other undergraduate students. The mini-conference required each of us to present our research in 2 minutes, 2 slides. This was challenging, I never had the experience of lighting talks but I prepared myself and it was a great experience. It is ensurring to explain your research under 2 minutes, this means you acquired a certain skill to communicate well in a short period of time which is great for elevator pitches or short presentations. Also, we had the opportunity to learn about each other project individually and aks questions. This was a good exercise because you had the oppotunity to learn details about other visualization projects and share your milestones with others. Lastly, not everything should be work, Dr. Byrd took time of her busy schedule to take us to the beach near Charleston. It was great to go to the beach with the cohort members, I had fun and got a tan!

XSEDE'15 Conference

Luckily, this year I had the opportunity to attend the XSEDE'15 conference held at St. Louis, Missouri to present my research project that I have worked on througout the Visualization REU Site program. In the XSEDE'15 conference I was able to attend the Cuda Programming and Python Programming tutorials where I had a brief introduction to the topics and was provided with examples to understand better the terms. These topics can help me in the future, for example, if a better solution to my problem is parallelizing my program. Also, I participated in modeling day with 5 other cohort members where we modified the Zombie Apocalypse code to implement and/or add different functions to it. At the end we all prepared a presentation to the other attendees. This was a great experience, you learn how to work quickly and learn how to work in a team. In addition, I attended several lectures on video game behaviors and high performance computing. I attended these lectures to know more about the topics because it seemed interesting to me. Lastly, we were all able to attend the poster session and present our reasearch poster to others. It was a great experience, and I plan to apply for next year's XSEDE conference. Thank you for this opportunity.

Last updated: 08/03/2015