The first part of the experiment, according to Thelen, is really to find out if smartphones are capable of measuring the things we want them to measure. Thelen says, \u201cNathaniel Miller, (associate professor of psychology), had data from years ago on a study he did with postural stability. We wanted to compare the parameters of that to see if a smartphone was able to pick up a tremor or postural instability.\u201d Assistant Professor of Engineering Linda Zhu<\/a> directed this part of the research, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thelen has been really involved in the user centered design study for the app. He said, in designing an application like this, there are multiple users you have to design for. Thelen said he spent a lot of time interviewing persons with Parkinson\u2019s Disease, and Healthcare Providers as the two main users to consider for the design. Through these interviews, the team revealed that PwPD really would like to be able to use a tool like this as long as it is easy to use. PwPD also indicated a desire for more education and connectedness to their specialists as well. HCPs said that the application would improve the reliability of their data with tracking, possibility of early regression detection, and ability to link with medical records to help with a better understanding of the disease. Thelen is working with Tang in response to the HCPs to integrate communication between HCPs to coordinate data from the application. \u201cParkinson\u2019s is especially difficult because each patient is actually unique in the symptoms they have,\u201d Thelen said, \u201cone patient could have severe tremors, but another presents with cognition or speech problems, or gait instability, and that\u2019s what\u2019s really interesting about Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat experience was really great, because I got to learn something new outside of my area of study,\u201d said Thelen. That didn\u2019t stop him from getting involved with research closer to his own discipline the next semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Spring 2021, Thelen signed on with Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Dr. Matthew Fhaner, for a research project aimed at finding new ways to to monitor the quality of cooking oils. In America, we use an incredible amount of Omega 3\/6 fatty acids to cook our food, but the methods currently used for measuring them require off-site testing, with on-site methods lacking adaptability to different oils and lack specificity. In response to prior research indicating that common cooking oils produce unique voltammetric traces based on their lipid profiles, Dr. Fhaner guided Thelen in creating some experiments to see what they could uncover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thelen\u2019s experiment started out looking at whether we can know the concentration and type of healthy fatty acids in an oil from a simple test. \u201cRight now,\u201d Thelen continues, \u201cwe\u2019re working on an oil heating experiment, where we have cooking oils and heat them in an oven over a long period of time and pull samples every couple of hours. We ran gas chromatograph mass spectrometry, IR, and Square Wave Voltammetry tests to see if we could pick up how they were changing over time.\u201d We use these oils every day, but they break down and oxidize with heat. \u201cOnce they break down, they can become any number of harmful things like free radicals.\u201d The project aims to find a reliable, cheaper way to monitor the quality of these cooking oils, enabling more-frequent monitoring in our food systems, leading to better communal health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is literally the most valuable experience, for me, in my undergraduate career,\u201d Thelen says. He really couldn\u2019t say enough about how his mentors in both projects supported him with their patience and readiness to answer any questions he had. \u201cNot only are they awesome people to work with, I\u2019m just grateful that, while they\u2019re doing this work, they\u2019re able to get students like me involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Matt (Thelen) may not realize it, but working with students like him is not just beneficial for him, but it is also extremely beneficial for myself. Sharing my experience as a scientist and helping to develop the critical thinking skills of our students genuinely brings me joy. It forces me to become a better communicator so that I can relate scientific theory to the students in an understandable way, especially for students outside my core area such as Thelen. Additionally, the students help me develop new ideas to test and we get the shared benefit of presenting and publishing the results. Every student that works with me for more than a year is guaranteed to have a presentation or publication on their resume which helps the students stand out in their job or professional-school search and helps my research stay current in the field.”<\/p>Matthew Fhaner, associate professor of analytical chemistry<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In addition to learning how to use complex scientific instruments and quantitative data analysis, Thelen points to learning how to design experiments as crucial for his future in the sciences. \u201cI\u2019ll be in the lab,\u201d Thelen elaborates, \u201cand Dr. Fhaner will say, \u2018come up with an experiment plan for this. Talk to me about it, and we\u2019ll run it.\u2019 It\u2019s been a good experience with how to be a better scientist and has the added coolness of possibly improving the quality of the things we eat.\u201d As Thelen looks forward to his goals of future research and Med school, he feels the research experience he\u2019s gained at UM-Flint has especially well prepared him for his next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about UM-Flint\u2019s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, visit the program\u2019s webpage<\/a>. To learn more about the university\u2019s biology programs, visit the College of Arts and Sciences webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Thelen](\"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/80\/2022\/09\/Thelen-at-Work-2-edited.jpg\")