“Joining a lab this past summer through BioESP reinforced my love for bioengineering and allowed me to become immersed in projects that align with my interest in neural engineering. From running experiments to making a research poster, I was able to get a feel about what impact I want to make with my interest in helping those who have suffered from motor-impairing disease or injury.
I learned from everyone in the lab, including my fellow RAs. They told me about their personal projects, gave me advice, and let me know of great opportunities including scholarships and conferences. One major highlight of my research was that I was able to dive right into projects that directly align with the reason why I decided to major in bioengineering — to help people gain a sense of dignity and independence through assistive medical devices.
Connecting with the students and faculty involved in BioESP has been eye-opening, I’ve learned about industry and graduate school from company visits and seminars. Also, participating in research-prep workshops with my peers made joining a lab for the first time exciting rather than intimidating.
Learning about my peer’s BioESP research projects and their labs broadened my perspective. Some of us were able to get first-hand experience with different labs by participating in BioESP research as test subjects. This gave me insight into different types of research and sparked new interest in the topics they were studying. This strengthened my sense of belonging in BioE because I learned that BioE research is a contribution to a better understanding of the problems that affect people’s daily lives and what we need to know to find a solution.”
The BioEngineering Scholars Program (BioESP) is an invitation-only professional development program for undergraduate bioengineering majors from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Our goal is to produce a future cohort of world-class bioengineers who have backgrounds and life experiences that represent the rich diversity of the State of California.
BioESP provides the mentorship, advising, resources, research experience and community support these outstanding students have earned, so that together we can define the future of Bioengineering.