Sophia

I am a senior honors student studying biomedical engineering. When I first entered college, I had a difficult time figuring out how to incorporate all my interests into a field of study that was satisfying and challenging. I started out as an anthropology major, and after switching an additional 2 times, I ended up in the College of Engineering. Learning about new things has always been appealing to me, and when I was trying to figure out what opportunities were available to me at UMass, OURS was instrumental in helping me realize how involvement in on-campus research had the potential to connect my academic interests with my extracurricular ones.

I am currently working in the Rao Lab developing neurobiological interfaces, drug delivery systems, and neural regeneration models. Doing so has made it possible for me to combine my interests in art and design with my passion for human biology, and to learn new techniques in terms of computational design/AI and electrical engineering (two subjects that I never would have thought would interest me so much).

Working as an undergraduate research assistant has not only opened so many professional doors and enhanced my technical skills and development, but also allowed me to connect seemingly disparate interests (i.e. design and STEM) to ultimately create innovative, impactful technologies. UMass is overflowing with cutting-edge projects in almost every college and department (both in STEM and the social sciences), and I’m so excited to help other students find research opportunities that both match and expand upon their interests.