How did you first learn about Rice University, and what motivated you to apply? (250 word limit)
I first heard about Rice University from my mom’s friend, a Rice alumni, and as I heard more, I became drawn to the Biomedical Engineering program at Rice as it fits my personality and aspirations perfectly. I am drawn to biomedical engineering as it is an interdisciplinary study that incorporates many different fields in pursuit of cutting-edge healthcare. BME program at Rice specifically takes this interdisciplinary approach, building in Mechanics and Bioinstrumentation coursework and providing ample research and collaboration opportunities for students.
I saw this emphasis on research when I read about the work being done by Dr. Richards- Kortum in developing low-cost point of care devices for early detection of various conditions, especially in less-affluent, developing countries. This particularly resonated with me since in this past year, I participated at the California State Science Fair, submitting a project in the field of bioengineering. My project, which received a second place award in Electronics and Electromagnetics, involved creating an economical point of care device from scratch to diagnose AGE correlated degenerative diseases using autofluorescent biomarkers and post-processing the data using smartphone technology.
One final appeal of Rice is the extensive study abroad program, as it resonated with my desire to share the knowledge I acquired in academia and gain experience abroad through the Peace Corps. I, specifically, was intrigued by the program at Cambridge University, as it accommodates an engineer’s rigorous coursework. These aspirations reflect my personality and the Owl holistic view, one I would be honored to share.