Researcher of the Month

Original Article
Sean Burke has been conducting information science research since his second year at UC Irvine. His experience has helped him develop skills that far beyond those taught in the classroom—communication and negotiation skills in addition to the technical skills he uses in the lab. One of the things Sean most enjoys about his research is the ability to take an idea and develop it into something that can have real use to people every day. He is looking forward to sharing his passion with beginning researchers, serving for the coming year as the resident advisor for the UROP Hall in the Middle Earth Housing Community. Sean was recognized for his commitment to research with the 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for the Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

1. What is your specific area of research (include the name of your faculty and/or laboratory)?

I perform research in the eHealth Collaboratory in Calit2 under Professor Mark Bachman. The project I am working on is a collaboration between Dr. Bachman at the Midas Laboratory and Dr. Michelle Fortier at the CHOC Children’s Hospital. The project is called Pain Buddy and is a mobile application that is distributed to pediatric oncology patients for use as a patient diary. The diary collects and sends information to the doctor to improve the doctor’s interpretation of a patient’s pain. My specific area of research is information science because I manage the data that is stored and sent between the application and server.

In my past projects, I worked on a Smart RFID Tag that dynamically tracked the temperature of blood bags in hospitals and helped build cochlear implants, which helped deaf patients regain the ability to hear.

2. When and how did you first get involved in research?

I first got involved in research during my second year of my undergraduate study in Spring 2010. I met Professor Bachman at a student vs. faculty softball game hosted by the Engineering Student Council and we spoke about the projects that he was working on at the time. He interviewed me the following week, and I have been conducting research with him ever since. During my third year I was lucky enough to be accepted into the UC LEADS research fellowship, which helps prepare me for graduate school and supports my research at UCI and at UCLA.

3. How has research enhanced your education?

Research provides me with the skills that cannot be taught in a classroom setting. Many of Professor Bachman’s projects are funded by a sponsor and, as a student, I would meet with him and the sponsor, and we would negotiate the requirements for a specific project. By meeting with the sponsor, I have learned that it is difficult for them to articulate the requirements for a project because they may not have the necessary technical background; however, it is important to work with them and elicit the necessary information in order to agree on the final product. This experience has taught me negotiation and elicitation skills that cannot be taught in a classroom setting.

4. What has been your favorite experience with research (include any interesting stories or specific events)?

My favorite experience about research is being able to create a product from just an idea. I never thought that I would actually be able to build a working product as an undergraduate that would be used by other people. I have been able to work on three projects—which I created from just an idea—that are used by people every day.

5. What are your future plans and how has being involved in research helped to prepare you to meet your goals?

Next year I will finish my undergraduate studies to complete my two majors in electrical engineering and business information management. I will also be the resident advisor for the UROP Hall in the Middle Earth Housing Community where I plan to help freshmen get involved in research. After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school to pursue an advanced degree in information science. With my experience in research and my involvement in the UC LEADS research fellowship I believe I am well prepared to succeed in graduate school.

6. What advice would you give to a student interested in pursuing a faculty-mentored undergraduate research project or creative activity?

My advice is to find a topic that is interesting to you and start a side project that shows the professor that you are serious about conducting research. When I was first getting involved in research, I had an interview with a Ph.D. candidate who was reluctant to have me join his research team. In the interview, I showed him a YouTube video of a circuit I designed and a website that I had developed and, by the end of the interview, he was eager to have me join his team. Professors like to see that students are enthusiastic and serious about conducting research, and side projects are the perfect way to portray these characteristics.