"Scientific research is a human endeavor. The choices of topics that we research are based on our biases, our beliefs, and what we bring: our cultures and our families. The kinds of problems that people put their talents to solving depends on their values." - Dr. Clifton Poodry
How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve?
The summer before senior year is a glorious time in Southern California; where soaking up the sun and relishing the fact that it's your last summer before college are your only priorities. However, your concerns quickly change when someone close becomes sick. During the summer, my grandfather was diagnosed with a genetic form of leukemia. His genetic disease is extremely rare a mutation that is incurable. Although his cancer had not yet progressed very far, my family's remaining options were either costly or risky. We could choose to scavenge enough money to afford a life-saving medicine or, as a last resort, we could attempt to pursue a bone marrow transplant. The weeks leading up to and following his diagnosis took an enormous financial and emotional toll on my entire family. There was nothing we could fix with a band-aid or hug; we were neither doctors nor knowledgeable in the field of cancer. All I knew at that time was that I wanted to make his life easier; I longed to take the heavy burden off of his shoulders and put them on my own. Nothing I could say was going to make it all go away, but now as a college bound student there is a chance that I could find a cure so that no one else would experience the sense of helplessness and hopelessness that we experience with my grandfather.
The idea of pursuing engineering was a seed that had already been planted several years earlier. However until my grandfather got sick, it had remained just that-a seed. After his diagnosis, I began to reconsider my career options and engineering began to sprout. Engineering, at its core, is the use of science and mathematics to create and develop concepts and materials that improves life for society as a whole. It wasn't long after I set my sights on engineering that I found biomedical engineering, a way to combine my interest in biology and engineering. Biomedical engineering seems to be a perfect way for me because it allows me to help others in my (insert adjective ) grandfather's position. Seeing my typically optimistic grandfather lose his will to pursue his passions broke my heart, I knew that the pain he was feeling affected his morale. Then, all I could do was hug him and tell him how much I loved him, but in the future I seek the knowledge to rewrite history. That is, for the families affected by potentially fatal mutations, there would be preventive methods and earlier detection. Cancer is deadly; but in genetic forms, there are ways to identify potentially fatal markers. At this point, the methods are invasive and painful, but I'd like to be able to fix that.
Struggling to figure out how to close
Will edit back if you want help!
How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve?
The summer before senior year is a glorious time in Southern California; where soaking up the sun and relishing the fact that it's your last summer before college are your only priorities. However, your concerns quickly change when someone close becomes sick. During the summer, my grandfather was diagnosed with a genetic form of leukemia. His genetic disease is extremely rare a mutation that is incurable. Although his cancer had not yet progressed very far, my family's remaining options were either costly or risky. We could choose to scavenge enough money to afford a life-saving medicine or, as a last resort, we could attempt to pursue a bone marrow transplant. The weeks leading up to and following his diagnosis took an enormous financial and emotional toll on my entire family. There was nothing we could fix with a band-aid or hug; we were neither doctors nor knowledgeable in the field of cancer. All I knew at that time was that I wanted to make his life easier; I longed to take the heavy burden off of his shoulders and put them on my own. Nothing I could say was going to make it all go away, but now as a college bound student there is a chance that I could find a cure so that no one else would experience the sense of helplessness and hopelessness that we experience with my grandfather.
The idea of pursuing engineering was a seed that had already been planted several years earlier. However until my grandfather got sick, it had remained just that-a seed. After his diagnosis, I began to reconsider my career options and engineering began to sprout. Engineering, at its core, is the use of science and mathematics to create and develop concepts and materials that improves life for society as a whole. It wasn't long after I set my sights on engineering that I found biomedical engineering, a way to combine my interest in biology and engineering. Biomedical engineering seems to be a perfect way for me because it allows me to help others in my (insert adjective ) grandfather's position. Seeing my typically optimistic grandfather lose his will to pursue his passions broke my heart, I knew that the pain he was feeling affected his morale. Then, all I could do was hug him and tell him how much I loved him, but in the future I seek the knowledge to rewrite history. That is, for the families affected by potentially fatal mutations, there would be preventive methods and earlier detection. Cancer is deadly; but in genetic forms, there are ways to identify potentially fatal markers. At this point, the methods are invasive and painful, but I'd like to be able to fix that.
Struggling to figure out how to close
Will edit back if you want help!