Author: Simon Choppin

Audrey Chan worked with us over Summer 2022 as a research assistant to help us collect data for a study looking into the personal perception of 3D body scanning. We have asked her some questions about her experience.

What did you do? What did you work on? What equipment did you use? Please give us a summary of your time working with us.

I helped with some of the initial admin (for the project) – writing suppplementary information for the Ethics Panel, developing some of questions for the interview guide, and creating a poster. Then, it was a case of promoting the research and recruiting participants by sending numerous emails, using social media, and running pop up stands in public places.  Next, I helped to conduct 1-1 interviews with participants at the AWRC, where I carried out traditional anthropometric measures plus 3D body scanning, and obtaining feedback on both types of methods. Finally, I helped to check the transcripts and analyse the data.      

Were you interested in 3D body scanning and human measurement before working with us? If not, has your experience changed that?

I had carried out anthropometric measurements as part of my MSc Nutrition with Obesity & Weight Management at SHU, but had not been involved in anything as high tech as 3D body scanning, so it was a really good experience and very exciting to be part of.

Has your experience helped you in your career? Or, how do you hope it will help you in the future?

It’s been a privilege to be involved in this piece of research. How many students can claim they’ve done a piece of cutting edge research for the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre? I’ve learnt so much about participant recruitment, staying resilient, showcasing new technology to members of the public, and carrying out qualitative research. I was really proud to show what the AWRC is doing. I have so enjoyed the experience and hope it will help me with future research. Who knows, I might go on to do further study after this!

We were pleased to welcome Jude as our intern for July. He secured the position after a competitive process and we were keen to work with him due to his background in human biology and desire to work with data! Jude managed to cram lots of different activity into his internship and having someone with a different background really helped us to progress our work looking at the metabolic syndrome and data regarding an oral glucose tolerance test. Jude has kindly answered some questions below.

What did you do? What did you work on? What equipment did you use? Please give us a summary of your time working with us.

I read and gave feedback on a research paper before it went out. I translated and annotated some data. Then I worked out a measure of glucose tolerance using that data and did some research explaining the measure and the implications of some of the data. I also did some MATLAB training and created a script visualising some of the data. I also created a document trying to evaluate how a body scanning service would look like and the things that might need to be put in place to make that happen, attempting to cover all eventualities. Then I was trained in how to use a BOP-POD and 3D scanner. I also timed how long a portion of the scanning service would take with the assistance of a few participants

Were you interested in 3D body scanning and human measurement before working with us? If not, has your experience changed that?

I wasn’t interested in 3D scanning and human measurement before but after doing research and becoming acquainted with it I see the need for a new way of human measurement and im interested to see the results of the bodyshape models and the health outcomes they may be able to predict

Has your experience helped you in your career? Or, how do you hope it will help you in the future?

The experience I’ve had here was broad and varied and allowed me to get a small idea of where I would like to go in the future career wise and what I would need to do to get there. Also just being around the building and listening to conversations about what things need to be done and emphasised in research proposals to increase the likelihood of success has been really useful and I hope I’ll be able to apply that in the future. I think using this experience as examples of things I am capable of would be really instrumental in interview situations

In July 2022 we hosted an intensive morning with students from local secondary schools during a period of work experience. The group of students worked together to take 3D scans of an arm and hand in many different positions. Their final objective was to design a 3D model of a trophy and they adapted the scans to account for the final design. Using separate 3D models found online, they used 3D ‘mesh mixing’ software to clean and combine their own scans with that found online. The result was a model of a trophy which they printed off as a souvenir!

Mario worked with us from May to June 2022. He helped us to create some small 3D models of torso shapes. Torso shape and the way our bodies can vary is an important aspect of our research. We hope that the models we create will help us to communicate the work we’re doing. Mario has answered some questions for us below.

What did you do? What did you work on? What equipment did you use? Please give us a summary of your time working with us.

Whilst working with the morphology research group, I have helped produce 3D printed torso models which has been a great experience. I downloaded a software called Chitubox to edit the models of the torsos, giving the drain holes, hollowing them out and adding support structures. This was then sent off to the 3D printing machine. To prepare the machine, I had to pour a chosen resin into the machine and set it off to print. After the machine had printed the torso model, it was taken out and was manually cleaned to give it as good a look as we could give it. I tweaked my cleaning technique throughout the numerous models in order to give the model a better look. After the model had been cleaned, It was then put into a machine to be cured and produced a finished product!

Overall, my time spent 3D printing has been an exciting and challenging period! My experience here has definitely helped me in getting closer to making a decision of which career pathway I would like to head down in the future.

Were you interested in 3D body scanning and human measurement before working with us? If not, has your experience changed that?

Before my experience with the morphology research group, I was not educated or very aware of 3D body scanning. However, after experiencing it first-hand and been educated by staff here, this would definitely be something that I would love to be involved in further into my career!

Has your experience helped you in your career? Or, how do you hope it will help you in the future?

My experience here has most certainly helped me with my career development. Working with numerous software and machinery are extremely useful skills and experiences that may help me in the future when applying for a role. Additionally, outside of technical and practical skills, experiencing being in a working environment around lots of experienced professionals is a different and challenging environment but is another skill I have taken away which may help me get a future role or/and adapt to that role quicker.