Hometown: Palo Alto, CA


Major/Track: Biological Physics

 

Campus Organizations: U of M UndergraduateResearch Journal, Pre-Surgical Club, Bio 172 Teaching Staff

 

What inspired you to major in Biophysics? I worked in a research lab which studies aortic aneurysms, and found myself fascinated by the physical forces at play in the pathology. I've always been a quantitative person, and pairing that with my love for biology seemed perfect.


Have you participated in an internship or a research experience?  This past summer, I worked as a researcher and founding member of Mindset, an app which screens for neurodegenerative disease in at-risk individuals. We worked very hard on developing the medical basis for the application and meeting with investors --we're optimistic for the future. Prior to that, I interned as a teaching assistant for Stanford's Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills Summer Internship, where I taught interns knot-tying, suturing, dissection, and procedures including coronary bypass-grafting and valve replacement. Before that, I did research in the Thoracic Aortic Research Laboratory at Stanford, studying cell signaling in hereditary aortic aneurysm models.

 

What advice would you give to students considering a major in Biophysics at the University of Michigan? Take a look at the curriculum, and try out a class if you're interested. Pretty much all of the pre-major coursework is shared with other majors, so there's no pressure in deciding too soon.

 

What do you hope to do after graduating from Michigan? I hope to attend medical school after graduating, and I'm particularly interested in fields involving the cardiovascular system.


What is your favorite place on campus? My favorite place on campus has got to be Belly Deli. Catch me there at least a few times a week.

 

Exciting news! The research lab I previously worked at just published an interesting paper on the effect of statins on aortic aneurysm signaling --very exciting! Link here.