Humphries Awardee, Nada Kamona shared her experience

I am extremely delighted and grateful to have been a recipient of the generous 2018 Kimberly & Rob Humphries Award. The award has made it possible for me to attend the Annual SPIE Medical Imaging Conference at San Diego, California from February 17^th to 20^th. At the conference, I had the great opportunity to present my research project in a 20 minute oral presentation session at the Computer-Aided Diagnosis conference track. This is a project I did in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the Division of Imaging, Diagnostics, and Software Reliability (DIDSR), and one that I’m greatly passionate about.

The conference covered a wide range of research fields in image processing, computer-aided diagnosis, perception, biomedical applications, ultrasound, radiology and digital pathology, along with fast emerging areas like deep learning, AI, and machine learning. Attended by over 1,200 people and covering over 1,000 presentations, I enjoyed being part of a leading community of researchers and scientists in my field of interest. It made me feel humbled for seeing all the great research projects conducted around the world, all for the benefit and advancement of human health. I got the chance to attend plenty of presentations, panel discussions, poster presentations, and an exciting Women's Networking Lunch designated for women professionals and students!

As an intern at the FDA, I simulated mathematical CT imaging systems and developed digital models for synthesizing realistic 3D bone tissue from scratch of various types of bone tissues to be used for osteoporosis and fracture risk assessment. Not only has my position allowed me to learn about image and signal processing on a more in-depth and practical level but it has also taught me valuable critical thinking and problem solving skills in real world applications. Working together with my supervisors at the FDA has helped me become a well-rounded scientist who is capable of both working by another’s direction and being an independent thinker.

By awarding me the Humphries Internship Award, you have lightened the financial burden of my conference-related expenditures, and allowed me to fully experience the conference and present a project I’m very passionate about. Your generosity has inspired me to do the best I can to further develop myself and to achieve my goals. Thank you for trusting me and encouraging me to pursue my passions of becoming a researcher.