bi·o·log·i·cal en·gi·neer·ing

I’m always amused when my family members ask me what major I’m pursuing, and a proudly announce biological engineering. For one thing, the name is somewhat of a mouthful. And it’s typically followed by that look people have when they don’t quite know what you’re talking about but pretend that they do. Given that the concept of biological engineering as a field is relatively new, I don’t blame them. In fact, I think it’s something that is somewhat difficult to describe myself. I remember discussing this is in a seminar led by Prof. Linda Griffith last semester. She explained that sometimes the BE faculty has different opinions about what’s required of a biological engineer because they all have different backgrounds. I believe she studied chemical engineering as an undergrad; the PI of my previous Course 20 UROP studied electrical engineering. My academic advisor studied chemistry. With that being said, how could you possibly give a definition to biological engineering?

While I think it’s difficult to define the term, I think 20.109’s modules capture the spirit of biological engineering because of its many components. There’s biology, chemistry, material science, programming, and electricity and magnetism to name a few key concepts. Did I expect to be using R and installing packages in RStudio? Nope. Did I know I’d be able to make a battery by harnessing the biomineralizing power of bacteriophages? The thought didn’t even cross my mind. In addition to the combination of so many sciences, something else I’ve learned is that bioengineering, because of its many constituents, leaves so much room for learning new skills. I love learning new things outside of biology; I’ve always been curious as to how physics and mathematics plays a part or could be applied to the study of life. It’s something that I think sets BE apart from biology alone. While the latter describes what something is, BE allows you to answer the question why and how. And that’s the most exciting thing to me.

I’ve truly loved 20.109, from the interesting projects we were tasked with, to the amazing faculty that worked hard towards every student’s success, and the mentorship in communication. I'm not going to lie; this class was A LOT of work. But everything we did contributed to our major projects. I’ve come a long way from the beginning of the semester, particularly in my confidence in writing and speaking scientifically. I look forward to what the next 20.XXX classes have in store.


~ Nia Myrie

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