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Andie Gilkey |
Established in 2001, the BRIN program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research, build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions and to strengthen each undergraduate institution’s infrastructure and increase its capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.
Today, we meet Andie Gilkey, one of the new BRIN scholars on campus.
What should we know about you?
I am a biomedical engineer. I wanted to be a doctor when I was young
so that I could help people, but when I got older I recognized my
passion for math as well as for science, so I decided to combine the
two with biomedical engineering and the title of the lab I’m working
in this summer is Engineering Cells for Gene Delivery.
What or who influenced your interest in science?
I’m self motivated when it comes to science. My dad is an engineer so he encouraged me along the path of engineering, but nobody in my family does anything related to the biological sciences. I find science interesting since it’s always changing and new.
What is it about science that excites you?
I’ve been working with my lab mentor this past semester and her passion for gene delivery and biomedical engineering in the lab is really expanding my interest in science and confirming my decision to pursue a science/engineering career in the future.
Will you pursue a career in science? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I most definitely will pursue a career in science and I am certain that biomedical engineering is the right major for me. I plan on getting my master’s and/or Ph.D., but I have not decided if I will go to graduate school immediately after college or if I will go straight into the work force and go to graduate school later. I also am debating between doing research as a career or going into the biomedical engineering industry. After working eight years I plan on becoming a licensed professional engineer.
Why is it important to have programs like BRIN?
BRIN is very important for me because it will help me make the decision on
whether I will do research as a career. It’s giving me the opportunity to network with other students in a science-related field, learn more about gene delivery and figure out what it’s like to conduct research.