A Day in the Life of a Researcher
Today’s researchers work very differently than they did in the past. The demand for and emphasis on producing results forces scientists and engineers to juggle increasing workloads, hundreds of sources and extensive amounts of data. With today’s virtual excess of information, it’s no wonder that a researcher’s time is often considered their most valuable resource.
Continuing Projects
Scientists are usually working on multiple projects at once, each at a separate stage. Before starting any experiment or study, any existing material on the subject has to be reviewed. Most projects aren’t done in a single sitting. Gathering data can take days or even weeks. After the data-gathering step is complete, all the information must be analyzed and reviewed. No research study is complete without an extensive paper recording and discussing the results. With multiple projects going on at the same time, it’s possible that one researcher might have to perform all of these duties in the same day.
Educational Responsibilities
Many research scientists also happen to be educators, especially if they work at a university or in some other department of academia. In addition to monitoring their own projects, which might be for their graduate thesis, some researchers have to check in with students of their own. Leading a lab or lecture requires a thorough understanding of the materials being taught. Lecturers are most likely familiar with the experiments they’re teaching about but may have to do extra reading or research ahead of time if new information has been recently published.
Accessing Information
An important part of any researcher’s position involves accessing information, whether it be someone else’s work, the results of their own experiment or even simple e-mail correspondence. Being able to create, access and reference this information quickly directly effects productivity. The less time it takes to search for reference material, or wait for data to be processed by a particular tool, the more time there is for researchers to produce results.
Fast, Unobtrusive Data Acquisition
APDM Wearable Technologies understands the importance of efficient and accurate data gathering. Our company was founded in 2007 to create an unobtrusive and highly accurate wearable movement sensor and share the technology with researchers worldwide. Today, our Opal sensors and software allow scientists to easily record and analyze full-body gait, balance and kinematic data. Used by hundreds of universities and hospitals worldwide, APDM’s technology provides sensitive, valid and reliable outcome measures. Contact us today to request product information.
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