Tag: CLIF

Our G&B seniors graduated yesterday and among them was biochemistry student, now alum, Ruxi Xia. An international student from China, Ruxi enjoyed the strong biochemistry program Clemson had to offer, setting her up for future successes in research.

“I wanted a strong biochemistry program to set me up for success in cancer research as it has been my career choice since one of my family members passed from cancer.”

Ruxi was an intern at the Clemson Light Imaging Facility and participated in lab research at the Nanobiotechnology lab.

“I have worked on many independent immunofluorescence staining projects, learned to operate wide-field and confocal microscopes, and coordinated an imaging contest that receives entries from all over the world for that past three years.”

She has served as co-director for the Clemson Paw Pantry, president of the Clemson Chinese Students and Scholars Association and community service coordinator for the Clemson Rotaract Club, tutored at the Academic Success Center and acted as member of CUSG Campus Advancement committee.

“I have really enjoyed getting to help the community whether that is helping at the Clemson Community Care, local farms, and other shelters in the community.”

Her favorite moment during her undergrad was receiving her college ring at the Clemson Ring Ceremony with her best friends.

Ruxi plans to attend Columbia University for a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

When senior biochemistry major Ruxi Xia was shopping for colleges, she began to get worried that she wouldn’t find the place for her because she wasn’t connecting at any of the campuses she toured at. That all changed when she visited Clemson.

“Clemson felt like home as soon as I stepped on the campus.”

Ruxi is an international student from Wuhan, China that came to the US in high school and lived with a host family. After high school Ruxi was excited to learn that Clemson had a robust biochemistry program.

“I wanted a strong biochemistry program to set me up for success in cancer research as it has been my career choice since one of my family members passed from cancer.”

Now that Ruxi is here, she is grateful to have been exposed to many foundational science courses that she says will set her up for success.

“I enjoy my upper-level professors, who are really passionate about science and have made me a much stronger student.”

Ruxi is not only involved in her routine academics on campus; she is a part of many different extracurricular activities including the Clemson Light Imaging Facility (CLIF).

“I have worked on many independent immunofluorescence staining projects, learned to operate wide-field and confocal microscopes, and coordinated an imaging contest that receives entries from all over the world for that past three years.”

Ruxi also works in a bioengineering lab characterizing peptides to deliver siRNA for RNA interference applications in ovarian cancer, as well as using a 3D spheroid model to better study the tumor and has presented her research at five national conferences.

As a co-director for Clemson Paw Pantry since Spring 2023, Ruxi has enjoyed leading the executive team and spreading awareness for the initiative, tripling both the usage of the pantry and the number of volunteers. Ruxi is also a student tutor at the Academic Success Center and mentor for the Clemson College of Science Mentoring and Inclusion Collaborative (COSMIC).

In addition, Ruxi serves as an active member in student government, as the volunteer/community service coordinator for the Clemson Rotaract Club and as the president of the Clemson Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA).

“I have really enjoyed getting to help out the community whether that is helping at the Clemson Community Care, local farms, and other shelters in the community.”

Ruxi went to high school in Virginia and enjoys baking, cooking and spending time with her friends trying new restaurants and coffee shops. After graduation, Ruxi plans to either pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering or pharmaceutical sciences.