I Bid Thee Adieu



At last. It’s a bittersweet ending to a fruitful semester. In retrospect, I did not know what I was getting into four months ago. I thought I had an idea of what biological engineering was, and although my idea of what it is hasn’t necessarily changed, my experience of what it is has. In other words, I have now felt what it is to be a biological engineer.
It all started in Mod1, before I had ever truly read a research paper and even remotely made a figure. Bullet points were helpful. They eased my way into scientific writing. The process of making figures turned out to be surprisingly complex, consuming hours of my time. In Mod1, I learned data wasn’t always significant, but scientific research could be, especially in making you more familiar with the methods and communication tools you needed to be an effective scientist in the research community.
Then, Mod2 came. Mod2 was chunky. Not only did it have a heavy research paper, it also started off with presentations. Mod2 taught me scientific writing and presentation requires iteration, good feedback, and time. Mod2 also felt like a turning point, when more was expected from us and more was by gained by us after the submission of each assignment.
Lastly, Mod3 arrived. Mod3 was a joy. It was so different than what we had previously done and it was really fulfilling to explore the more electrical engineering side of bioengineering. Mod3 also allowed us to greatly grow as critical thinkers and independent researchers, probing us to come up with our own original and innovative research ideas.
Overall, I loved 109 and I can honestly say it was as time-consuming as it was fulfilling. Looking back to where I was and where I am now, I know I have become a much more confident scientist, presenter, and thinker. I feel empowered to seek and address biological challenges the world faces today.
See you all in 320 next semester friends.
Thank you all for making this an educational ride.

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