Hi and welcome to my blog!
My name is Sebastien Gilmour, and
I am currently a senior at BASIS Scottsdale Charter School. I have been
attending BASIS all the way from fifth grade and I am very excited to announce
that I will be finishing up my final year’s third trimester with an independent
senior research project. Over the course of ten weeks, I will be working at an
internship for a minimum of 15 hours per week conducting research about an
innovative prosthetic device called iLimb. After the ten week period of
interning and researching for my topic, I will be presenting my thesis in a
final presentation to the Senior Research Project Board.
I have been interested in
neuroscience since tenth grade and I wanted to intern in something related to
my intended major. I first learned of neuroprosthetic devices from the
Nicolelis Lab’s pioneering research at Duke University. From my initial reading, I was
intrigued at the research and the ability of these devices to be controlled by
electric signals. This field fascinated me because of the potential of using
this technology to make prosthetic devices controllable by the mind in a way
mimicking organic materials.
With my internship at McCleve
Orthotics and Prosthetics, I will have the opportunity to work at a company
dedicated to helping amputees and other individuals improving their mobility
and quality of life. Beginning this research, I have no real experience in
prosthetics themselves although I have worked in a hospital setting before
(Clinical Studies Department at Mayo Clinic).
Through this project, I hope to
analyze the potential for transhuman movements (the idea that technology and
drugs will alter the limits of human performance) to take to the mainstream in
addition to the potential future of similar such technology. While talking
about this subject in a social context, I will also be talking about the
technology itself, explaining how the processes work.
Every week of this research project I will recount my research finding, and all of the experiences at my internship. By analyzing available data, and the use of first-hand
experience, in regards to the accessibility, effectiveness, and design, I hope
to answer “How effective the i-Limb device is to fully restoring one’s limb
function.”
Here is a website link to my
Internship Location Site: http://www.mccleveop.com/
