Dat Biomed Lyfe

20 | Biomedical Engineering Student | INTP | Engineering student by day, dancer and gamer by night... Not the prettiest blog, but the realest 

[studyflxwer]

looking for older studyblrs!

if you are a studyblr (especially med or stem!!) in your last years of college or grad/med school then reblog this!! i feel like there aren’t enough of us around 😔

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Technically in my fourth year of university, but currently doing co-op.

But mine’s also not really a study blog, I guess it had some elements when I was in school... So perhaps I count?

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Take a sec before going into biomed...

Just a short PSA for students thinking of majoring in biomedical engineering:

Research the biomedical engineering program AND other engineering programs thoroughly before making the decision. And figure out what area of the field you would like to work in.

If you like research and want to work in wet labs (i.e. genetic engineering, cancer research, pharmaceutical-related...), then biomedical engineering could be good for you. But if you like to work on medical devices, you might be better off with a mechanical engineering degree. They are what most medical device company look for anyways. Most of them will be willing to train you on the anatomy side, but it would be a lot harder to try to train you on how to work a circuit board or how to model fluid dynamics or the many other skills you’ll likely pick up in a traditional engineering major than biomed.

Just what I’ve observed through my personal experience... It might be different depending on the country/culture you are from...

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Trying to make a come back...

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I have no excuse except for laziness. So with the new semester starting (though I’m not back to school yet), I’m going to try my best to get back into posting. 

It would help me tremendously if y’all can send me asks tho... Anything you are curious about me, my job, the biomedical engineering industry...

But some updates on my life:

1. I’ve been working for a bit over four months now as a Quality Engineering Associate at a medical device company. And I love it! It took me almost three months to officially get into the groove of things and also my way around the buildings. But it appears that my work so far has been quite alright, cause my supervisor has increasingly been assigning me bigger projects to work on and even lead. It’s an amazing feeling to know that your work is being put into use, to save people!

2. I’ve started studying for the DAT exam a month ago, and my exam is in early November (lol). I’m still interested in dentistry so I’m giving it a shot. I really don’t know if I’ll even stand a chance with my mediocre engineering mark (pretty decent for engineering, but no where close to what arts and science students get). We’ll see...

3. I’ve recently turned my hobby of war gaming into a club at my university. It’s still very new and there’s lots to be figured out. 

Overall, my life is currently packed with lots of new possibilities but also lots of work to be done. I foresee the next few months to be quite stressful, but hopefully it’ll still be enjoyable. Cheers.

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Not much has happened in my life so far. Exams have officially started. And I’m getting more and more excited to start work in about 2 weeks. I have recently moved in with my s/o to be closer to my work place, and I’m finishing up getting my final driver’s license in case I’ll end up needing a car (my workplace is pretty damn far even after I move)... 

So adult. Much excitement.

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Just finished a quite stressful 4+ week independent study...

As part of my laboratory course, we spent the last half of the semester working on this independent research project. In groups of 3, we needed to come up with a innovative research topic, apply for a (mock) grant (that’s set up by our prof. and is only $200), conduct our research, and present our result. All independently...

It’s definitely not easy trying to do this in a bit over 4 weeks, and only be able to work in the lab one day every week...

(A little summary of my group’s study for those who might be interested.) Certain metals can induce oxidative stress and ROS production in cells, which basically leads to really bad things like cell death and mutations... Past studies have found cancer cells to respond more strongly to this. So we want to induce this reaction in both cancerous and normal cells, and measure their response by quantifying their DNA expression (RT-qPCR), ROS production, cell death...

Anyways, because we had so many tests to run and so many trials to do, we ended up being the lab every thursday from morning to night while frantically strategizing our next step. We had to adapt our experimental plan soooo many times because in a lab, nothing works in the first try (or the second, or the third...)

Now that it’s all done... admittedly, we did not have the results we expected. But that’s research. And honestly, it was a very fruitful experience. And I got to know my lab mates so much better -- they are both really great people and made the whole experience so much more enjoyable.

Though, with so much effort spent on this project, I’m falling kinda behind on most of my other courses. Time to study now, especially with exams just around the corner...

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Just found my favourite cafe to study in...

It’s slightly off campus but near the engineering department, and is apparently a popular spot for engineering-related job interviews and meetings.

Been studying here for a couple of hours and have over heard 3 interviews so far with loooots of useful information about the industry - what companies are looking for, the relationship between universities and industry, salary brackets, even “secrets” about profs at the uni... (some people are not good at whispering and it’s great)

And because I like constant stimuli when studying to keep focused, it’s been working out super great. Love it!

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Spent an amazing reading week roaming around Montreal with my s/o. We went to jazz bars and piano concert, tasted cheese and shopped for cool clothings. But now I’m back to school with two midterms this week (don’t worry, I took time each day during my trip to study), it’s a little bit hard to keep focused. But I’m trying. And I’m ready to finish this semester on a high note!

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

A little sneak peak into my study style as I prepare for my biomaterial midterm last week.

Because I’m a complete kinesthetic learner, studying for subjects that require memorizing has always been difficult -- I can not read for more than 5 lines without completely loosing focus (and playing with things like fidget spinner does not help either). The same goes with watching videos, listening to recordings...

So the only method I’ve found to work is making notes. Lots and lots of notes. Many many drafts. Most of time, especially towards the end, I’m writing down things not because I still don’t know them, but being able to move my hand and write is the only way to keep me focused when reading.

It is slow. But it works.

(Side note, this is a really cool course. We learned so much about different implant and fracture repair methods. Because it’s an engineering course, while there’s a big focus on the material properties, we also had a lot of focus on the mechanical and structural integrity of the different designs...)

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Snacking hard while studying for midterms.

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Labs, labs, and more labs...

This semester is mainly focused on research in biomedical engineering. So we’ve been doing labs after labs... So much pipetting... 

After spending a couple of past summers in various wet labs, I’ve long learned that it is not a career for me. I’m not bad at it. I can be quite good if I try. But I dislike the repetition and the waiting... 

(For young kids aka highschoolers currently considering a career in research, labs do not look anywhere like on TV. It is VERY repetitive. In real research, you often end up doing the exact same 10 steps for months on end. So tread carefully.)

Anyways, in general, I need more stimuli and much prefer designing and mathematical analysis... You know, engineering. So this semester has been tough.

Though I have been trying to enrich my life by taking on more creative tasks in group projects. For example, for a recent project, I (learned and) used autocad to design a 3D micropattern (which will be 3D printed later) for cell culture. These tasks often take up more time, but they keep me interested in school. So it’s worth it... hopefully...

Well, almost half of the semester is done at this point. Soon I’ll be working as a real engineer. I’m counting down already.

[just-shower-thoughts]

When you clap, you are high-fiving yourself for something someone else has done

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Work is much more enjoyable with good looking (and tasting) food ❤️

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A full weekend of wargaming...

I took a weekend off this week and participated in an amazing Napoleonic wargaming event. (I wrote an introductory post on wargaming here)

I made a couple of new friends and had to chance to meet up with a group of old friends I haven’t seen in a year. It was exhausting, both mentally and physically, but I’ve gained a lot of experience.

It is honestly such a good activity that teaches risk analysis and making sound decisions under time constraint. 

10/10 would recommend :P

Here’s a pic of the table someone took early in one of my games. On the right side of the river are my poor Prussians clearly outnumbered by the advancing French on the other side of the river, AND on the higher ground. BUT, I end up holding off that massive troop quite successfully and held my ground till the end of the game.

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Fake it till you make it... (story time)

tl;dr: I bluffed my way into a project last year that was beyond my capability, worked my butt off and gained valuable experiences that ultimately led into an amazing internship position.

During my second year of uni, I was working a very relaxing part time job doing mostly paper work at a psychology lab. But I was getting 💤. At the end of the year, I was eager to get out of there and do something I actually enjoy. But I had no other experience.

I have always had an interest in data analysis and risk management, but at that point, I’ve only learned basic C and even more basic python and some very theoretical statistics. 

So when I got an interview for a data analyst position, I crammed hard the night before, learned some basic R, memorized lots of buzz words, and just hoped for the best. Luckily, my interviewer (who is also my supervisor now) is not the most knowledgeable in data analysis or programming (she does have a M.D. and a PhD though, mad respect). So with a bit of luck and a bit of charm, I bluffed my way through the interview and got the project.

But now the hard part begins. The group I’m working for is filled with scientists but no data analyst. So I didn’t have anyone to guide me. But also because of that, I was able to google beginner-level questions without getting caught. 

So, I plowed through. From figuring out how to install the programs I need, learning the syntax, figuring out functions, writing my own code, realizing my code doesn’t work, and reiterating many many many times… I finally have results to show. And mind you, I’m doing all of these while maintaining a full-time course load.

Fast forward to now, more than half a year later, I can confidently put down on my resume that I am experienced with R, Python, GeoCoding… Because of this, (if you follow my blog and read my previous posts), I landed an amazing internship position at a biomedical company as a quality engineering associate, starting in April. 

So moral of the story, I took a risk and took on a project completely outside of my comfort zone. It was very scary. But I stuck through. Yes, I might have lied a little, but I also worked my butt off and put in extra efforts on my own time. Through that, I’ve gained so much skills that I would have never learned in school, which propelled myself closer to my ultimate career goal. 

So step out of your comfort zone. Do something daring. Take on projects that may seem impossible. But follow through. Put in the work. So you can also “fake it till you make it”.

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Just had an ‘adulting’ realization...

... that my research data during the summer will actually be published one day and be trusted by legit scientists and I couldn’t even get results during my lab last week for class....

[just-shower-thoughts]

People old enough to know “#” as “pound” as opposed to “hashtag” might read #metoo very differently.

[jingle-the-engineer-blog]

Doing data analysis for work, listening to buzzfeed podcast, munching on wasabi flavoured puff balls from a new Korean store nearby, and waiting for my tea to brew... Life is pretty great right now.