Conducting Vision Research as a Computer Science Major
What do undergraduate researchers do? What is it like working with a professor on research over the summer?
Meet Daniel Sixon ’28, a computer science major, who spent the summer working in the UNH Vision Lab with the psychology department to write code for virtual reality experiments testing depth perception and stimuli response.
The Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research at UNH offers a variety of funding opportunities, so students can get paid to conduct research.
Daniel conducting summer research
What is your research about?
In the UNH Vision Lab, I helped to write code for virtual reality experiments that we will run on participants. These experiments allow us to test psychological concepts such as depth perception and stimuli response. The data from these experiments gives us a better understanding of how the brain works.
What problem does your research address?
My main assignment for this summer was to integrate eye tracking and mixed reality into Vision Lab projects. Eye tracking allows us to record where a user's eyes are looking during an experiment, which helps us to understand how an individual uses visual cues to make decisions. Mixed reality is a version of virtual reality that overlays 3D virtual objects into the real world. This allows us to create realistic experiments without requiring physical objects.
Daniel conducting summer research
What was the most exciting part about conducting research?
My experience was very exciting! I had the opportunity to work with new and emerging technology, and I learned how to design my own virtual reality experiment. I enjoyed learning new information and continuously finding ways to improve my experiments.
Why did you want to conduct undergraduate research?
I have always wanted to combine my technical skills with other fields, and participating in the Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) was a great opportunity to do so. REAP students receive a stipend for conducting summer research. I appreciate that I got to expand my coding abilities while also being able to help out another field at the same time.
Daniel conducting summer research
What did you learn from your research experience?
My research position taught me how to manage large coding projects and strengthened my debugging skills. I also learned a great deal about how the human brain works, and how to translate human visual processes to a computer program. This experience has prepared me for future careers by showing me what an interdisciplinary computer science role looks like.
