A preview of my senior research project. I’ll have more information as it progresses. For now, here is my poster I’m presenting at AOHC 2018 tonight.
Research Project
IGEPv2 – It boots Android
Well, it took rebuilding my HTPC, countless forum post readings and finally just trying something to figure out installing Android on the board was quite easy. I don’t have any pictures or anything, just search Google for a video of the IGEPv2 booting. Mine doesn’t look much different. I’ll have to say it isn’t worth much right now since the current kernel doesn’t have wifi enabled – my next project after Step 2 CS next Monday.
The process of installing it was quite simple. I just used Ubuntu 9.10 64-bit by following the instructions on the Andoid dev page for compiling on a 64-bit machine. Once that was all setup, I went to Project Rowboat, downloaded donut and compiled it. Used the same tool-chain from the Rowboat project to compile the kernel for it and prepared the card as suggested on the Ubuntu Wiki page at http://wiki.myigep.com/. Inserted the MicroSD card and waited for about 5-10 seconds before the Android logo appeared it booted. Very simple, yet very obtuse finding the instructions.
Along those lines, I also built and installed Ubuntu 9.10 on it. The performance was a bit sluggish compared to android which just flew. I’ll have to play around to figure out what OS I’ll end up with but given I want it in the car and I’m ultra familiar with Java, I’m leaning to Android. When I get a chance I’ll post pictures.
WMS Elective Day 1 & 2
Well, all finished with day 2 and it has been an interesting and fruitful experience so far. Entering this elective I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I know several of the faculty from UT who teach for it but details were sketchy. All I really know was what one of the faculty told me, “You’ll really enjoy it.” When people would ask me what to expect all I could say, “Take a look at the website to see.”
So, for the first two days of the month, we have had two days full of lectures and practical survival skills. A pleasant surprise, however, has been the camp. Camp Wesley Woods has been a wonderful hosting facility and the staff has been excellent. The introduction games and leadership games they have used are very thought provoking and great for learning names. Normally, I have a horrible time learning names but now I feel much more confident after all these exercises.
One specific leadership game they had us perform used a hula-hoop®. Everyone stood in a circle and placed both index fingers pointing toward the center of the circle with the hula-hoop® resting on the index fingers. The task was simple. Lower the hoop to the ground. Yes, a simple task but hard to execute. It is a weird feeling to be standing with six other individuals wondering why the hoop is going up and not down. We eventually got the hoop on the ground and advanced to two hoops, one on the right index fingers and one on the left above it. These hoops couldn’t touch and both had to be lowered. After the experience with the one we did a much better job with keeping these on a downward course.
Otherwise yesterday we learned about incline rescue and evacuation using ropes and how to setup a system. Today we did navigation ending with a two-mile trek around the camp to specific points and the leadership exercises. The rest of the week is going to be a full week with the days starting at 7:30am and lasting till about 7-7:30pm all the way through Saturday. We won’t really have much other then didactics this week but the real fun will be starting next week when we start the “scenarios.” What are the “scenarios?” Well, maybe an example of what happened yesterday is better then me trying to explain.
So, after all the introductions and just before dinner, one of the pre-hospital instructors asked 
if anyone brought some through away cloths. I as ever readily mentioned I had some and was instructed to go change into it. We were going to learn the proper technique of removing the cloths in a wilderness emergency. Yes, the “scenarios” I am mentioning have us (the students) as the victims and the rescuers. In this case, I was just a “dummy” and my cloths were sacrificed 
but in the real scenarios we will be given make-up and instructions as to the type of injuries. We will be placed out in the woods and our team will have to come rescue us. It is all live simulation and will require the exact same response. There is no other way to simulate it and learn.
What does that mean, well if a student is an “unconscious” victim and during the primary survey our team forgets to cover us up in the cold or rain, we get really cold and wet. It is to help teach us what it is like as a patient and learn invaluable lessons in patient care. Some of the simulations we will be running will be a night. Some will have victims in the cold water. Who knows all they have dreamed up for us? All I know, it will be an invaluable experience in my medical studies.
Well, that’s all for now. Better get some reading done and ready for tomorrow.
A break
It has been a long year that it is now coming to an end. With that in mind, I want to write a quick summary of what has taken place this last year.
End of M1 Year
January was the beginning of the end of my M1 year in medical school. I had just finished my first semester and completing gross anatomy. It was something very rewarding but I was glad to finish. The extraordinary amount of work required in lab was nice to leave. Histology was added and MBOD and Physiology picked up speed. Added in place of anatomy was the first class of my second year, Immunology (a subcomponent of Micro). It was an interesting class but was slightly overshadowed by my first year classes.
Beginning of M2 Year
After finishing my first year in March, we started four of our five M2 classes in April making up the first of three blocks. Half of my summer, starting in June, was spent in RI fulfilling my summer commitment to the Navy and the second half with family in PA and TN. My second year restarted in Aug with the second block and essentially went through the end of November when we had our second block exam. December marked the beginning of the third block in our second year with one assessment filling December ending on the 21st.
A look forward
Honestly, the farthest forward I look is the next assessment. Each one is composed of so much material that I dare not look to far forward. The only thing I do have scheduled in 2008 is Assessments 11-14, block 3 exam and step 1 of the USMLE. Lord willing they will all go ok allowing me to start my M3 year.
Assessments, Quizzes and Exams
In keeping with my new tradition of posting to my blog every once in a while, I’m posting about medical school, er should I say my life. Well, really I’m posting about what is in store for the next 2 months. First, official time off in medical school is a rarity but fortunately with our testing schedule we get every other weekend “off.” As I posted last time, since August every two weeks we have 60 question assessments and then every fifth week we have a “PCC/DRS” class week (more about PCC/DRS in another post). The major part of our second year examination come from block exams. We have 14 assessments split up into 3 blocks (each with an exam at the end of it).
The block exams are comprehensive and composed of 200 questions covering all the material covered since the beginning of that block. So, in the next 3 weeks, I’m gonna have the last assessment of this block and the block exam. So this Thanksgiving, I’ll be giving thanks by studying for my block exam on Nov. 30th. That is followed by an unusual three week long assessment (on Dec. 21st). If this seems confusing, as it was to me when I first started my second year, then looking at UT’s exams schedule might help.
I would like to post about something other then school and hopefully will in my next post. But other then singing in choir at church and running, I don’t seem to be doing anything other then school affiliated activities. I’ll have to see what I can come up with to post.
Endocrine Presentation
So, I finally got around to posting the powerpoint my group used to make our final presentation for Physiology. I had a lot of fun making it. Just click on the slide to advance it. Please note, if you are a current M1 at the University of Tennessee it is an honor code violation to view this before you have made your presentation. We only had five minutes for this presentation and the slide supported the presenter (not a replacement).
Studying
Just so you know I’m still around, I’m just a bit disconnected right now through the end May. Have a 60 question “Assessment” (i.e. combined quiz in all four of the classes) tomorrow and another one a week from Monday or the 21st. Then two weeks (29th) from next Tuesday we have our first block exam of the second year (200 question, four hours to complete it). After that, then I can start thinking about the summer. Until then must learn – Amoxicillin, Pipercillin, Imipenem and many more.
An interesting perspective on Pride
Proverbs 26:7 & 9
Like the legs which are useless to the lame
and like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard,
so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Ok, so I took a little liberty with the verses by combining them, but it sure did help me understand it better. It is interesting how those to illustrations build on each other. First, what are legs to a lame person. The legs are just added weight, baggage, something that constantly gets in the lame persons way. The lame have no use for their legs. How about a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard? It lodges there, but does not bring about the appropriate response of pain and a corrective action. It is even possible the the drunkard would look at it and laugh about how they have something stuck in their hand and leave it.
What do these have in common, neither the legs or the thorn are bringing about their intended purpose – walking and pain. The same goes with a proverb in the mouth of a fool. He says the words, but there is no action taken from the pain brought about through the conviction of the proverb.
Most of us would concede to some extent we are prideful, but that there is nothing wrong with it. It is something we make excuses for by comparing ourselves to others and saying that we are justified in it. Prov. 26:12 really brings home how dangerous that attitude is about pride.
Prov. 26:12
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Wow, worse than a fool. We really should humble ourselves and respond to the conviction (pain) brought about by Gods Word in our life and repent (turn and walk away from it).
Now just so that you don’t think . . .
that med school is all bad. Here are some names I had to memorize for exams next week.
Hedgehog, sonic hedgehog, indian hedgehog, and bone morphogenetic protein families are inducer molecules that cause cell differentiation through spatial signaling.
I wrote that statement and might have gotten it all wrong but it was sure fun memorizing those names. Especially thinking of the little cartoon character that in the video game (Sonic Hedgehog). I wonder how that inducer molecule got it’s name. 
Apples of Gold – Prov. 25:11
What is an Apple of Gold? Well last week I found out. Last week I was really getting discouraged wondering what in the world I was thinking going to medical school; I really needed some encouragement. Well, the same day I received these two “Apples of Gold” in the e-mail.
Psalm 121
1: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2: My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3: He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4: Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5: The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6: The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7: The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8: The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
“Everyone who wants to excel must embrace the disciplines that are required to reach the goal.” — Bill Gothard.
Embrace your calling with all your heart. Do everything you can do. Then trust in God for success knowing that without his blessing all our efforts will fail.