2.6 Other Considerations 37
Get to Know an Upper-Division Engineering Student Becoming acquainted with junior and se-
nior engineering students can provide you with valuable information about their engineering
education experience and campus social issues. Ask your instructor to introduce you to a jun-
ior or a senior engineering student, and record the following information on your introduction
to engineering class syllabus: the name of an upper-division engineering student, his or her
telephone number, and his or her e-mail address.Susan Thomas
As a young girl from Utah with medical
school aspirations, my high-school edu-
cation was a whir of biology, math, and
chemistry. My first years of college were
spent at the University of Utah as a biol-
ogy student, where my interest in the
complex world of medicine took a turn that I was not
expecting. I realized that I was not in love with the prac-
tice of medicine, as a physician should be, but with the
technologyof medicine; I was fascinated by CAT scans,
surgical lasers, and the artificial heart. Add to this a
long-standing love of math and the physical sciences
and the influence of a successful “engineer” grandfather,
and the decision was made. I switched my major to
mechanical engineering.
One of the most challenging things about my
engineering studies also turned out to be one of mygreatest assets. As there were very few women in the
program, I initially felt like somewhat of a misfit. How-
ever, I discovered that being one of a few gave me the
chance to stand out and to enjoy a very personable,
close relationship with my peers and professors. Engi-
neering appealed to me the most because it was, as Her-
bert Hoover once said, “the job of clothing the bare
bones of science with life, comfort and hope.” I even
found my medical niche in the field of micro-technol-
ogy, which has led to the development of painless
micro-needles, and the future possibility of tiny,
injectable, cancer-zapping robots. When a professor
approached me with the opportunity to complete my
doctorate in this area, I jumped at the chance. My great-
est aspiration is to participate in the research and devel-
opment of innovative, medical ( micro?) devices that
will make a difference.Student Profile
Source:Courtesy of Susan Thomas
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