meet a BE senior – 2021

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.309!!! I really loved Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological System–it was just so fun and cool. I don’t want to do 309 like things in the future, but I deeply appreciate the knowledge I now have of microscopes, the data they produce, and how to best analyze said data which I just think is amazing. The 309 teaching staff are also some of the kindest and best teachers and mentors I have had at MIT (@steve and maxine and julie 🙂 ). I also want to give 20.320 Analysis of Biomolecular and Cellular Systems an honorable mention because it’s the only class I took twice (yes, you can drop a class on drop date and still graduate!!) and by the end of the second time I loosely decided to pursue a computationally focused PhD.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
THE PEOPLE. Yes, everyone says this. And there’s a reason! I have never been surrounded by so many people from so many different backgrounds with so many different interests (inside Course 20 and outside) that exist and grow and learn and love together. The people here are genuinely some of the coolest people I have ever met.

Where will you be next year?
Next year I will be in Dublin, Ireland getting my master’s in global health as a Mitchell Scholar!

Who deserves a shout-out?
There are countless people who have mentored me, offered me kindness and patience, and given me the tools to become the person I am today and continue growing. I want to specifically shout-out my parents, Jane and Kim Davis, because I (very literally) couldn’t be here without them. And also, my incredible partner, who has held my hand through all that life and MIT have hurled at me.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.230-Immunology, for opening my eyes to the theme park and enigma that is immunology. 20.109-Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering and 20.309-Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological Systems gave me an appreciation for the skills and knowledge sets beyond the technical biology that are important to being a good scientist, like being able communicate science well and understanding the instruments you use. Having long lab hours, they were also the classes where I got to learn most closely from instructors as well as bond with my Course 20 buddies.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
I’ll miss having my friends within arm’s reach and being actively involved in the communities I found a home in. It’s been so fun trying new things and tackling new endeavors alongside my favorite humans at MIT.

Where will you be next year?
Still in Cambridge! I’ll be continuing my research in the Birnbaum Lab for a gap year.

Who deserves a shout-out?
My lab partners Bri Ko, Lexi Schneider, and Lia Tian, who stuck with me through the lab struggles and late pset nights and are present in all of my fondest Course 20 memories. All the upperclassmen who inspired me and helped guide the way. And finally, a very special thanks to my ever-patient advisor/PI Michael Birnbaum who has put up with my angst for three years and is somehow willing to do it for one more.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.110-Thermodynamics of Biomolecular Systems was my first real exposure to BE, and absolutely I loved it! It was interesting to see how deceivingly simple concepts and equations can be applied to complex biological systems—I was particularly a huge fan of the statistical mechanics portions of the class. Also, Professor Birnbaum and Professor Voigt are amazing mentors and really work their hardest to make sure you have a great introduction to Course 20. I even stuck around to TA the following year, and I had a blast with the best teaching staff and students I could ask for!

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
Having to leave campus in 2020 and not getting a full senior year experience helped me realize how much I value all the people: my friends, my professors, and everyone in the MIT community. From pset-ing on Stud5 to bouncing between office hours, the people really made the hard work a fun time. I’ll miss everyone so much, but I’m very excited to see what everyone ends up accomplishing!

Where will you be next year?
I will be pursuing a MD at Stanford Medicine in the Physician-Scientist Training Program!

Who deserves a shout-out?
Way too many people, but here’s a few: My parents and sister for being my inspiration and motivation—love you! My mentors for always providing much needed advice through many tough decisions (sorry for making you write all those letters of recommendation!). My friends for getting me through my first all-nighter and countless pset nights.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.309-Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological Systems! I really liked learning about signal processing. I found Fournier transform, circuit analogies, and the discussion of noise very interesting. Even though I didn’t get to do the experiment in person, I thought that modeling the yeast response to osmotic shock was super cool.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
I will miss living in the dorms. It was always fun to bump into someone in the hallway and unexpectedly spend an hour catching up. I met my best friends in the dorms and I will miss not living down the hall from them next year.

Where will you be next year?
I’ll still be in Cambridge area doing my MEng at MIT in computer science.

Who deserves a shout-out?
There are so many people who have helped me get to my point. I want to give a shout out to my family, especially since they helped me have the best off-campus MIT experience possible. I have also been blessed to have had amazing teachers and mentors from preschool all the way through my time at MIT and many of them have been a big part in encouraging my academic pursuits and interests. Finally, I want to thank my friends for putting up with me, and helping me through many psets and long nights.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.109-Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering, I really loved how we got to learn and do a bit of everything in this class! This was the first time that I saw the true breadth of Course 20, as we covered everything from RNAseq data analysis to building virus-powered batteries. I enjoyed how the class was a balance of both conceptual and hands-on projects and assignments. I continue to use the scientific writing skills I learned in this class to this day for lab presentations, research summaries, and more!

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
Hands-down the community. It is amazing being surrounded by peers whose intellectual curiosity and desire to make the world a better place push me to aim higher with my own goals. I am always amazed at how willing everyone is to help each other learn and provide support through tough times.

Where will you be next year?
Working as a clinical research coordinator in the Division of Gastroenterology at MGH.

Who deserves a shout-out?
Definitely my friends and family! I would not be here if it weren’t for my parents encouraging me to apply and instilling the belief in me that I can do anything I set my mind to. My friends also deserve a special shoutout, as they made this crazy, difficult journey an incredibly fun one as well.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.110-Thermodynamics of Biomolecular Systems because it was first real taste of Course 20 and on the flip side, 20.380-Biological Engineering Design because it was so fun implementing the knowledge we amassed over the years with my Course 20 friends and peers to solve problems.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
Definitely the people because everyone is so passionate about something. Not only will I miss my ambitious high-achieving classmates and friends but also the incredibly supportive faculty and staff that make MIT such a special place of growth and development through self-exploration and overcoming challenges.

Where will you be next year?
I will be pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience at Hopkins! Will try to apply as much BE as possible to study the brain!

Who deserves a shout-out?
Without my family, UROP mentors, and friends, I definitely would not be where I am today. Thank you mom and dad for always supporting my decisions, Colin and Ming for teaching me real research, and to all my friends who stayed up real late with me to pset or party!

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.320 Analysis of Biomolecular and Cellular Systems for teaching me to think about biological systems like an engineer, forcing me to bond with pals over the #Stud5Struggle, and somehow letting me return the next year as a TA! Also 20.309 Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological Systems for such a unique MIT experience, an incredibly supportive teaching staff, and for late nights bonding with lab partners over failed microscope experiments and fried chicken 🙂 I also loved 7.28, 20.230, 20.110, and 20.390 ahh too many good classes to count.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
cliche yes, but the people :’D Through course 20, my dorm, clubs, and sports teams, I’ve found a home at MIT and I’ll forever be grateful for those I got to meet, make memories with, and learn from during these years <3

Where will you be next year?
I’ll be pursuing my PhD in Immunology/Biomedical Sciences at UCSF 😀

Who deserves a shout-out?
All of my mentors both in lab and out, the BE faculty and staff, and of course, my family, friends, and course 20 buddies, thanks for believing in me, supporting me, and pushing me to grow through the ups and downs <33 (also, free food events for literally fueling me through undergrad and MIT puppy lab for providing a steady stream of dogs to pet)

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.309 Instrumentation and Measurement for Biological Systems. This was my last hands on class before the COVID-19 pandemic began. I have such fond memories of spending late evenings in the 309 lab with my partners. Between building our own microscope and navigating through pages and pages of MATLAB code, I learned so much about circuitry and imaging. The 309 staff were phenomenal and were so passionate about the material!! 20.380 Biological Engineering Design, I took this course last Fall, just as the world was getting read for the very first vaccine candidates. It was incredibly rewarding to think about how everything we had learned in Course 20 and at MIT so far could be applied to the current pandemic.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
Hands down the people. Every single nook of MIT, whether that’s a classroom or a zoom room, just has this energy to it. My classmates in Course 20, friends, dorm-mates, mentors were all not just really inspiring to be around, but they constantly showed me what it meant to be supportive of one another. People > PSETs

Where will you be next year?
I will be starting my first year of medical school at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX!

Who deserves a shout-out?
It really does take a village! First and foremost, my family. My parents and my brother have been my biggest support system, and have always reminded me that being happy and healthy is the most important thing in life. To my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, thank you for the countless Facetime calls and study breaks. To my friends at MIT and beyond, thank you for the most amazing of memories and for going on this crazy adventure with me. To my mentors and professors, thank you for seeing the potential I sometimes didn’t see in myself and for supporting me through my endeavors. We did it y’all!!!

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering – I absolutely loved all the fun experiments we got to do in this class! From building batteries with viruses to using SMM to determine potential drug targets, this was the first class where I truly felt like a biological engineer. 20.380 Biological Engineering Design – after learning that the prompt for the semester was pandemic, I was so excited to work on a project that would help solve some of the many challenges faced by communities due to the pandemic. I felt especially proud of all the teams during our final capstone presentation. We were able to utilize all the skills we had acquired from Course 20 to come up with such amazing projects that would make a positive impact in the current state of the world.

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
The people!!! The communities I’ve made through BE and beyond have been invaluable for me. I will be forever grateful for the incredible friends I’ve made at MIT and the supportive faculty I’ve had who have made me feel like anything is possible.

Where will you be next year?
I will be working at Beam Therapeutics in Cambridge! 🙂

Who deserves a shout-out?
I would like to give a special thank you to my parents and sister, the BE faculty, my UROP mentors, and all of my friends who have been there for me in all aspects of my crazy and wonderful journey here at MIT.

Favorite Course 20 subject and why?
20.320 – Analysis of Biomolecular and Cellular Systems. This class truly made me feel like a bioengineer! It challenged me to think in ways I never knew I could. Despite the endless hours dedicated to problem sets and attending office hours, it also brought me closer to other Course 20s as we bonded over our misery. Jokes aside, the material was extremely interesting and I had a lot of fun being able to implement my own twist using everything we had learned through our final project. So many hours were dedicated to this class and I truly think it made me a better bioengineer!

What will you miss most about being an undergraduate at MIT?
The wacky, loving community that convinced me to call MIT home! It was amazing being surrounded by such inspirational peers and knowing I always had someone to turn to for both my highs and my lows. I’ll also miss the little things, such as spontaneous cafe 472 orders or roaming the Infinite and always knowing someone would be selling boba in Lobby 10.

Where will you be next year?
MIT can’t get rid of me just yet! I’ll be spending the next year as a Research Technician in the Manalis Lab at MIT’s Koch Institute.

Who deserves a shout-out?
Of course, my family, who would put up with my multiple calls a week just to complain about my problem sets and life in general. Additionally, the amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my 4 years at MIT with. I never could have seen the light at the end of the tunnel without the many smiles, laughs, and memories we’ve made throughout the years.