Week 1 - Veronica Aruta


Week 1 Reflection
Veronica Aruta

    Week one of the Digital Health Scholars Program proved to be as exciting, productive, and inspirational as I expected it to be. Starting with the rationale behind the program, as explained by Dr. Young on the first day, it was clear from the beginning that engineering is relevant and significant in daily living. Traversing from air travel to healthcare, technology impacts lives, whether for better or worse. Despite the challenges that come with programming machines, faults should serve as a lesson for improvement, not a roadblock. Week one’s lectures, activities, and projects proved this.

    I found every lecture very interesting. Topics varied from the advanced technology in the context of consumerism and medicine. I discovered defects in the Apple Vision Pro and Waymo, but I also saw the efficiency of using Da Vinci in surgeries. Being grounded and aware of the advancements humanity has achieved was grounding, and it allowed me to believe that possibilities are endless as long as research, experimentation, and proposals continue. While lectures were taking place, everyone was also encouraged to engage in hands-on practice using the provided supplies.

    With the SparkFun Kits, my introduction to wires and hardware components was initially confusing, but it became understandable as I interacted with the materials more. Aside from the projects being fun, such as making an LED Light turn on, they were highly educational in explaining the purpose of every component. For instance, I now know a potentiometer controls the sound volume. Resistors vary in value, measured in ohms (Ω), and can range from 330 Ω to 10,000 Ω. Circuit boards have specific letters and numbers that correspond to their function, such as A1, which stands for Analog In 1. This designation can read analog voltage signals from 0 to 5 volts. Knowing these circuits and how electric charges travel to perform tasks is highly valuable in continuing my major, which includes learning Physics II and Linear Circuits. I now have a head start on what to expect in these classes.

    Overall, attending Rice daily from 9:00 to 3:00 has motivated me to persevere and excel in Computer Engineering. With instructors who asked thought-provoking questions and discussed topics that piqued everyone’s interest, my motivation for my degree did not falter but became stronger.

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