My co-op experience has been one of the best I have had since becoming a Tiger. Many of my friends in engineering enter the co-op program, and they encouraged me to do it as well.
Academically, I am very comfortable in a classroom setting, but I had no idea what a graduate or an industry experience would be like. I was hoping to gain knowledge of what it’s like working in the medical device industry and to make many connections through the co-op program. Co-oping with CUBEInC is not like working for a medical device company, but rather working as graduate student. I became involved on individual projects in two labs, both of which I continue to work on while I am back at school for the semester.
If you are considering graduate school or want wet lab research experience, I would highly encourage this co-op because you get a first hand feel of what graduate school would be like; also, you make personal connections with graduate students studying for their Master’s and PhD degrees. They tell you the ins and outs of graduate school that you will not get from a tour.
One unexpected opportunity at CUBEInC was observing both the Steadman Hawkins Surgical Training and Innovation Center and the Bioimaging Lab. In the Steadman Hawkins lab, I was able to watch orthopedic surgeries on cadavers and afterwards dissect one and look at human anatomy. This is an experience every bioengineer should have. In the Bioimaging Lab, I saw how cardiovascular sonographers take noninvasive diagnostic scans, providing me insight into the technology we have available in the medical field today.
I am the CUBEInC liaison, and my role is to represent the bioengineering department at Clemson University. Whenever visitors want to come to our Patewood campus, I am the primary contact for them. I give them a comprehensive tour of the labs and their research, the companies on the floor and an overview of bioengineering at Clemson. I am also the primary contact for the Principal Investigators on the floor if they need help with moving supplies into a lab or have a special delivery coming to their lab. Because of our location, I have also interacted with representatives from GHS, residents of ATI Physical Therapy, and the Steadman Hawkins fellows.
I originally came into college studying Biological Sciences on the pre-med track. I had an interest in bioengineering, but I had my mind set on a track I thought was the best track for medical school. Spring of my freshman year, I decided to attend a seminar in Rhodes Annex 111 to hear a company, CorMatrix, talk about their products concerning regenerative medicine. After the seminar, I knew that this high level thinking and research was something I had to get involved in while I was an undergrad. I switched majors after the spring of my freshman year. After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and pursue a career in the medical field, either in medical research or in medical practice.
The best thing about being a bioengineer at Clemson is the sense of community in a department made up of researchers and students from all parts of the world. Even with the many diverse backgrounds we all come from, my professors and my classmates are always willing to talk and lend advice when needed.
