TMU Research Internship

The introduction of our program: Our project aims to investigate the associations between air pollution exposure and road traffic injuries and prognosis using emergency room medical data and GIS. The data of trauma patients treated in the emergency department were provided through three emergency responsible hospitals, and the residential address of the traffic-injured patients and the scene information of the traffic accident, including the location of the accident, were obtained by connecting the information of the road traffic accident investigation report form provided by the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board. After using GIS to complete the coordinates of the patient’s residential address and the accident location, our study obtains the weather and air quality data of the accident site from public resources.

The coordinates of the patients’ residential addresses are considered the location of long-term air pollution exposure, and the long-term air pollution concentration of each patient will be estimated through the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data obtained through NASA satellite data. Finally, statistical methods were used to analyze the associations between air pollution exposure concentration and parameters of injury and prognosis.

Four months curriculum: Students will be supported to settle into their new environment and register at the university. A desk space will be allocated. I will arrange an initial meeting with the students to discuss the objectives of the internship and the expected mechanisms of their fulfillment. The students will be fully trained to run each study. They will be able to engage with me (supervisor) and other laboratory members to discuss any aspects of the general running of the study protocols that they require clarifications on. They will also be trained to apply the GIS and interpret their data. I will arrange a weekly or bi-weekly meeting with the student to discuss and reflect on their progress. The student will be allowed to partake in research group meetings and other academic activities within the university, including attending relevant bespoke workshops on research career development (e.g., on manuscript writing, grant writing, and networking). They will also be encouraged to present their work orally at a research group meeting at least once before they complete their visit.

Toward the end of the training, we will meet with the student to discuss plans to publish their work or disseminate their findings in a future conference. They will also be assisted to identify existing or future opportunities, globally or within their original work environment, that the training has empowered them to be eligible and competitive for and how they can be assisted to access them and also integrate the knowledge and skills gained into their further research or professional practice roles. We will provide intern students with scholarships of NT$60,000.