Research Updates: Getting There with the Data Processing

So, in all my excitement in sharing my trip to Mumbai, I completely overlooked providing updates to my research! Work in the lab is going well.. monotonous work, slow but steady. I'm currently using MatLab to characterize the spectrograms of songs sung by deafened and normal Zebra Finches (a type of song bird) early in their song development. After I am through with the data analysis (literally, number crunching/monotonous work), we will examine any structural and pattern differences in both groups- deafened and normal birds- in number of introductory notes (INs) and use previous background research to be able to make a judgement about the meaning and significance of the data. The concept of being able to see tangible results, though this means using MatLab for hours on end, is a powerful motivation, and I'm excited to be able to link the understanding I have of song development and the role of IN's in them, to the data through analysis.
Check out this cool image of a spectrograph- the varying color intensities represent the frequencies of the sound!



Between data processing and working on my final report (which will be due next week), I have also been enjoying my last couple weeks on the IISER campus. The college seems significantly emptier/ less crowded. By now, many of the project students I had grown accustomed to meeting and seeing around the mess hall and hostel after work, have finished their projects and left. Some of the interns have also wrapped up their projects. I really can't believe it, but I'll be done in a week or so, as well- time is really flying by! I guess all I can do is make the most of these last few weeks, before I head home.
Another update is that next week, I will have the opportunity to attend another conference- the Annual Biology Talks, in which all of the biology professors at IISER will present their research work. In many ways, I find it amusing that conferences have been the introduction and (will be) the conclusion of my stay here. Perhaps you can view it as a circle-of-life/ cycle type thing. I'm really looking forward to the experience, though- the talks will begin Monday morning.
In the mean time, tomorrow BS-MS students will also begin pouring in, so hopefully this will liven the campus up a bit in the next few days!
Other than that, not much is new. I will certainly share more updates on my research work as results become clearer, and I gain a more complete understanding of the final conclusions.