Nick S
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Northwestern University
Expertise
Analyzing and modeling health-related data from wearables or smart devices; machine learning for healthcare
Bio
Hi, I'm Nick! I'm currently an MD-PhD student at Northwestern University, focusing on how data from wearable technologies and smart devices can improve healthcare outcomes. My previous projects include implementing a fall detection app on a mobile phone, tracking tremor and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease with a smartwatch, and using wearable accelerometers to track how people use novel orthotic and exoskeletal devices. I also have some experience with analyzing other data sources, such as video recordings. I live in Chicago with my wife and daughter. Outside of research, my interests include playing music (classical and modern), video games, and the New York Times crossword puzzle. I'm excited to help mentor the future engineers and scientists who will use digital technologies to take healthcare to the next level.Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
DIY Activity Tracking with a Smartphone
Collect movement data with your own smartphone (or get some friends to help!) and keep an activity diary. Then, make a program that can track those activities on it's own and test how well it works.
Magic Chalkboard
Create a program to track a fingertip or pen in a video and then draw its path over the original video.
Voice Analysis
Collect audio recordings from yourself, friends or the internet and make a program that can tell different voices apart. You could even try to predict the age of the speaker or guess whether they have a cold.
Coding skills
python, MatlabLanguages I know
Spanish - Moderately FluentTeaching experience
I taught test-prep courses and tutored students individually with Kaplan for 18 months from 2016 to 2017. I've also individually mentored a summer research intern in my current research lab each year for the last three years.Credentials
Education
Northwestern University
BA Bachelor of Arts (2015)
Mathematics and Integrated ScienceNorthwestern University
MS Master of Science (2015)
Biomedical EngineeringNorthwestern University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Biomedical Engineering