 Meet Kelly Tamura! Kelly is a 1st-year Bioengineering major as well as one of our new Mentorship Heads for the 2021-2022 school year — read on to learn more about her!
How'd you hear about BMES? I got an email about the first general meeting and I decided to check it out! How long have you been involved with BMES? This year I was a permanent member on the BMES cell team and I was apart of the Adenine family. I had so much fun meeting all the other bioengineers that I decided I wanted to be more involved for this upcoming term. What are your primary responsibilities as a Mentorship Head? Making dope social events for members to get to know each other! To what are you most looking forward about your position? I'm really excited to meet a ton of new people - I think that's the greatest. What's one thing you've learned from BMES this year? I'm starting to learn from the past mentorship heads about how to create a fun community so that has been cool. Which family are you in? Adenine! Favorite BMES memory? I loved the Holiday Party - that was so so so fun. The activities were great! Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? Bioengineering 10! I loved reading the articles and hearing researchers talk. It was very inspiring! What do you like to do in your free time? I love listening to music and doing anything active (one of my favs is looking like an absolute fool playing tennis). Describe yourself as a Care Bear. I'd be an orange Care Bear (my fav color) with a planet or something celestial as my belly badge, and I'd like the power of teleportation. Anything else you'd like to share? Cream cheese frosting ruins red velvet cake and I stand by that.
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 You've seen the BMES Board Spotlights; now get ready to be introduced to some of the Bioengineering faculty here at UCLA! Meet Dr. Aaron Meyer, a member of the Bioengineering department as well as the Bioinformatics IDP. Read on to learn more about him! Background? I was a UCLA undergraduate student (graduated 2009). Then went to MIT Biological Engineering for my graduate education. Overview of Research? We build computational models of how cells respond and communicate in our bodies. Some of this is in cancer, where we've been exploring how we can model and overcome cell-to-cell heterogeneity in tumors. We as a community usually build models of the "average" cell, which is completely inaccurate in cancer. Tumors are especially hard to treat because they are essentially complex communities of cells that can adapt and respond. Especially since coming to UCLA, though, most of our work has been looking at the immune system, which is similarly an adaptable collection of cells. We build models of, for example, how antibodies interact with our immune cells to coordinate immune responses. We've also had the opportunity to work with others at UCLA who are performing large-scale studies of people's immune responses to viral infection, bacterial infection, organ transplant, etc, and we help make sense of this incredibly complex data. It's been extremely rewarding because (1) there is just so much data available, and a real need to be able to find patterns and make sense of it; (2) we get to work with experts in so many different areas of science and medicine; and (3) what we find has such an immediate potential to help people. What courses do you teach?
What are your hobbies? First, cycling. I try to go at least once a week and get in ~20–50 miles. It's time to get out, decompress, and sometimes think about something without distractions. It's also a great way to explore, and LA is a wonderful place for it. Currently, I'm preparing for a ride across Iowa with a friend this summer. Second, science fiction in all and any forms.  If you could tell your undergraduate self anything, what would it be? Read even more! Read more science, scientific articles, fiction, non-fiction. It's a source of ideas, and so much of what I do now is written communication. If you had a theorem or special number named after you, what would be the first thing you do to celebrate this? A big slice of cake. :-)   Meet Simon Ng! Simon is a 4th-year Bioengineering major (with an Environmental Engineering minor) as well as one of our Industry Co-Chairs — read on to learn more about him!
How'd you hear about BMES? My freshman year buddies! How long have you been involved with BMES? As a wee freshman, I felt like a BMES outsider since I hadn't joined a family (awww, saaadness). But 2nd year I swooped into a BMES family and joined Design Team, where we built an awesome automated pill dispenser! With my newfound BMES buddies and big league hacker / maker confidence, I spent my 3rd year leading my own Design Team! Now, as a wee senior, I'm wilding out as an Industry Co-Chair getting you those job opportunities and getting the club that BREAD! What are your primary responsibilities as Industry Co-Chair? Responsibilities of an Industry Co-Chair:
What do you enjoy most about your position? My Co-Chairs and committee! We've worked really well together planning BIG events like the Biotech Career Fair and Science Vendor Expo, and we just flow with ease through logistics for infosessions and other industry meetings. What's one thing you've learned from being Industry Co-Chair? Re-read emails before sending to check details (date, time zone, company name, links, etc) Which family are you in? Cytosine - some nucleotides have 2 hydrogen bonds. Cytosine has 3. Not saying we're better than Adenine or Thymine, buuut like, it's p obvious who's the best. Favorite BMES memory? BioE Ball 2020 was not only a great time, it was one of the last big in-person events I did with BMES! Tearz, but good memories Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? ChemE 126: Viruses and Biotechnology Viruses can be super devastating. But they're also the basis of so much of modern biotechnology, and they likely played a critical role in the development of life as we know it (ex. syncytin is a protein critical to human placenta development. The syncytin gene came from ancient viruses via horizontal gene transfer! So, uh, thanks ancient viruses for helping me be birthed?!) What do you like to do in your free time? Get outside! Backpacking! Trying to go climbing more too, so, uh, if you have climbing gear, hmu. Describe yourself as a Care Bear. IDK what Care Bears are. However:
Anything else you'd like to share? They ask me, "Simon, should I study abroad?" I respond, "I'm so glad you asked! YES! Study abroad is super fun, a great way to experience another culture, and, if finessed correctly, can totally count for major classes as well as GEs! Contact my guy Erkki Right NOW to get your courses mushed around to make room for study abroad. You won't regret it."  Meet Anya Bekhtel! Anya is a 4th-year Bioengineering major and one of our Cell Team Project Managers — read on to learn more about her!
How'd you hear about BMES? Before I started college, I was looking at the list of engineering clubs to figure out what orgs I wanted to join and found BMES! I then got to talk to some of the current board members when I went to the Enormous Activities Fair the Fall Quarter of my freshman year. How long have you been involved with BMES? I've been involved in BMES since my first year, largely through technical projects! I joined EKG Build Team my first year where I learned the basics of circuitry and coding, then expanded on those skills through Robotic Hand Design Team my second year. I've also been involved in mentorship and love passing on advice and talking about my experiences with first year BioE's trying to figure college out :) What are your primary responsibilities as Cell Team Project Manager (PM)? As Cell Team Project Manager, I help underclassmen gain confidence in their wet lab skills and get prepared to join a research lab. This year, we have modified the curriculum to include presentations on lab techniques, worksheets to practice lab skills, lab protocol walkthroughs, and journal clubs. What do you enjoy most about your position? I love having the opportunity to connect with all the underclassmen and help them be better prepared for their time at UCLA :) What's one thing you've learned from being in your position? To be VERY creative. The task of turning a lab-based technical project into something worthwhile in a completely remote learning environment was a little daunting at first. But it's been such a privilege to work closely with Justin Chen (the other Cell Team PM) and find ways to pass on what we know virtually and get students prepared for research. Which family are you in? Guanine! Favorite BMES memory? Technical Project Presentations at the end of my sophomore year. The structure was kind of like Capstone Symposium, and it gave me the opportunity to talk about my work to my friends and wander around to learn about the cool projects the other technical teams had been working on. Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? BE 188 (Biomedical Instruments) with Dr. Gu. Half of the class involved lab experiments and learning about different sensors, which the other hand was lecture on different instrumentation techniques. The class gave me a good basis on the different types of imaging techniques available to physicians and what the limitations are with the current technology. I also really liked the content in Dr. Kasko's Introduction to Biomaterials course (BE CM178) and Biochem 153A. What do you like to do in your free time? I'm a big coffee fan, and love trying new coffee shops in LA. In the last year, I've gotten into cooking and yoga, and rediscovered my love of reading and embroidery. Describe yourself as a Care Bear. I would want to be a purple Care Bear with a flowers belly badge that allows me to keep my plants alive! I'm really not good with house plants :/ Anything else you'd like to share? If you read this far I hope you have a lovely day and get some time to recharge <3  Meet Linnet Chang, a 4th-year Bioengineering major as well as our one and only President. Read on to learn more about her!
How' d you hear about BMES? I heard about BMES as a wee child (a senior in high school) during the BE Open House. I loved how approachable and helpful everyone was and getting to participate in the hilarious, informational, and infamous BEngo (and of course, the free Subway lunches). How long have you been involved with BMES? I've been involved with BMES since my first year through Build Team, community outreach events, and mentorship family events (s/o to Greg, Ryan, Cole, Nicole, Meagan, and Veronica for making my first year experience amazing). These experiences really shaped my trajectory in BMES, since I went on to serve as both as Community Outreach and Mentorship Chair and received an opportunity to co-teach a summer E96 class on EKGs! What are your primary responsibilities as president? My main responsibilities are to guide the direction the club grows in and to help support all of the chairs with their event-planning. What do you enjoy most about your position? I really enjoy the unique perspective I get to have on the organization. It's a very different experience taking a birds-eye view of event logistics than being immersed in the work myself, which is kind of a liberating process to just observe how moving parts of the club fit together. It's also very heartwarming to see everyone succeed and push the boundaries of their positions to put on better and larger events than we've had before! What's one thing you've learned from being president? Learning how to lead a team effectively was really challenging, and something I'm constantly trying to get better at. Really thankful to have had such a great board to work with this year, since I've gotten such a meaningful opportunity to develop strong virtual collaboration skills and a deep-rooted trust in others' work and my own beliefs. What's your favorite BMES event? One of my favorite events is BE Ball! It's a great excuse to get dolled up and to snack on delectable finger food while dancing with all of your BEst buds. Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? I am a big fan of BE C175 and a creative writing class called Essays in Journalism. 175 changed my perspective on what being a bioengineer is, since I think that in the first few years of college, it's easy to interpret bioengineering as synonymous to device work or tissue engineering only. 175 instead focuses on computational modeling and applying that to other fields like pharmaceuticals or physiology! I've also loved the creative writing class since a part of me has always dreamed of being an English major, and it has exposed me to a new style of writing and viewing my own life. What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy playing my guitar, baking desserts, writing/reading, and playing Stardew Valley! Describe yourself as a Care Bear. I'd like to be a baby blue colored Care Bear, with a sunflower belly badge! I hope that my belly badge gives me the power to instinctively know when a good candid photo op is about to happen so I can snap it for the memories.  Meet Thamira Skandakumar! Thamira is a 4th-year Bioengineering major and our very own External Vice President (EVP). Read on to learn more about her!
How'd you hear about BMES? Mandy Hung was my MentorSEAS mentor, and as president, she convinced me to join the club. During GM, I learned that freshmen could be committee members and decided to apply to be more involved. And that’s how it all began folks(: How long have you been involved with BMES? I have been a part of BMES since my freshman year of college. I first joined as a regular member and that same year, I became a member of the Industry Committee. Freshman year, I stayed heavily involved in BMES through the EKG build team as well as Euracil, the greatest BMES family to ever exist. Sophomore year, I became industry chair and was a part of the BMES Design team. I then transitioned to be Mentorship Coordinator my junior year and I am now the External Vice President. What are your primary responsibilities as EVP? The primary responsibility of the External Vice President is to manage all external affairs of the organization and support all chairs with funding for large-scale events. I oversee industry, academic and community outreach chairs in event planning and communications. I also collaborate with the Treasurer to manage the Finance Committee to create budgets for all chairs, track BMES expenditures and acquire funding for all major events. Lastly, I coordinate collaborations between BMES and other engineering organizations as well as communicate with company representatives for the acquisition of financial and participatory sponsorships. What do you enjoy most about your position? My favorite part of this position is that I get to be a part of the planning process for most industry related events. I love getting to be involved in discussing logistics and communicating with company representatives. I also love learning about the ins and outs of the bioengineering engineering world and what the industry has to offer. What's one thing you've learned from being EVP? How to think on my feet~ I'm definitely grateful that this position has helped me get better at decision making. I have dealt with a lot of last minute situations where decisions have had to be made on the spot, either in relation to finances or industry related events. In the beginning I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me and didn't want to affect the club negatively in any way. But after getting more exposure to these time-sensitive related situations, not only has it been easier, but it has shown me that I'm not necessarily alone and that I have other members of BMES I can discuss things with to do what's best for the club. Favorite BMES memory? Definitely BMES Ball 2020. As someone who loves dancing, any event where I can get dolled up and be up on my feet for hours on end puts me in a good mood. And it was definitely better because I was surrounded by some of my favorite people on this planet (insert simp emoji here). And how could I forget the yummy samiches and live DJ?!?! My friends and I ended that night at Parsa’s apartment and just chilled with some good ol’ Westwood Hangry Moon’s. Truly one one the best nights I had before the pandemic took our lives away /: Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? Music History 68: The Beatles. This class is easily the best class I’ve taken at UCLA. We spent the majority of class listening to The Beatles' albums and watching some of their films. Our take home midterms/finals required us to analyze one of their albums for its relation to history and musicality. As a past music nerd, this class brought me utmost happiness so I definitely recommend this class to anyone who enjoys listening to music and wants an easy A. What do you like to do in your free time? I love to dance, rave to EDM, work out and hang out with friends (socially distanced of course)! Since the pandemic, I have found a new love for enjoying some personal time, binge watching New Girl, and going on walks ~ the normal things you can do during a pandemic. Describe yourself as a Care Bear. I'd be a light blue/turquoise Care Bear. My belly badge would probably be a lightning bolt so that I could recharge whenever. I mean like who doesn’t love a good nap but is sleep really that essential? Anything else you'd like to share? hi(: if u made it to the end, I hope you have a wonderful day <3  Meet Griffith Hughes! Griff is a 3rd-year Bioengineering major as well as one of our Academic Co-Chairs. Read on to learn more about him!
How'd you hear about BMES? I first learned about BMES after playing BEngo at the discover engineering day, and again at the Fall General Meeting my freshman year. How long have you been involved with BMES? I've been involved in BMES since freshman year (I have awkward photos from that point in my life to prove it). I started out as a general member on the pulse ox build team and applied to join the finance committee in the Fall. Even though it didn't work out, I joined BMES board as a family head my second year. I applied because of the amazing experience I had in my BMES mentorship family freshman year (Shout-out to Natalie and the rest of Alanine). Now, I am one of the two Academic Chairs in BMES. What are your primary responsibilities as Academic Co-Chair? The BMES Academic Chairs help students figure out their four-year and postgraduate plans. We connect undergraduates with alumni and host panels to learn from professors and graduate students. What do you enjoy most about your position? I enjoy meeting people and learning more about bioengineering from our undergraduates, alumni, and professors. It's also great to talk with the freshman and sophomores and help them plan their schedules; I remember how overwhelming it was. What's one thing you've learned from being Academic Co-Chair? Everyone's path through college is different. It's easy to get caught up in what — and how much — everyone else seems to be doing. Take the time to think about what makes you feel fulfilled; you need a why to make a how. Favorite BMES memory? A tough question; I feel like there are a bunch that immediately come to mind. I think the most memorable was eating KBBQ at the beginning of Fall quarter, freshman year. I got to meat –hehe– a bunch of new people and it helped me transition to college. Good food and good people. Favorite class you've taken at UCLA? This is another tough question. I'd like to exercise my fifth amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. What do you like to do in your free time? I like to cook food and then eat it :) — especially desserts. I also enjoy running, surfing, reading, hiking, and generally just being outside. I started to juggle this summer and I've been practicing so that I can do it while looking someone in the eye; the ultimate power move. Describe yourself as a Care Bear. You know the color of the sky when it's tinted with grey clouds? That's my Care Bear Color™. My belly badge would be a cloud and it would give me the power to make it rain. I would use it to clear the air and get that amazing rainy smell. Anything else you'd like to share? My favorite poem is called "The Man in the Glass" and I highly encourage everyone to read it.  Meet Shikha Mody! Shikha is a 4th-year computer science major as well as our Technical Projects Vice President. Read on to learn more about her!
How'd you hear about BMES? Freshman year! Enormous Activities Fair! (I was a bioengineering major) How long have you been involved with BMES? Since my freshman year! I joined Build Team at the very beginning of my college career, and that was actually how I realized I loved computer science and ended up switching my major from bioengineering to computer science a few quarters later. I loved my experience on Build Team as well as the content, so I applied to be a project manager (PM) and got that position for the next year! That was the year that our electrocardiogram curriculum became an ENGR 96 class. Along with two other past PMs, we led the inaugural and groundbreaking ENGR 96: Electrocardiogram class, which is completely hands-on and student-led, allowing undergraduate students to gain technical experience in a 2-unit class and collaborative environment. That same year, I was on Design Team where we built a pill bottle timer device. After that, I applied to be a Design Team project manager where the project was a fully-integrated electrocardiogram device, with optimized electrocardiogram measurements and Bluetooth connection with a mobile app. That was a great experience, because both of those made me realize that I love teaching. For my senior year in BMES, I am technical vice president, where I oversee all technical projects and workshops for the club. What are your primary responsibilities as Technical VP? My main responsibilities are to oversee and manage all three of our technical project "tracks": Build Team, Design Team, and Cell Team. Along with that, I also manage the technical workshops that we host (ex. CAD, technical interview, Eagle, etc.). As a whole, my job is to make sure the PMs have everything they need to succeed and create really cool projects where everyone in the technical program of BMES learns a lot! What do you enjoy most about your position? I really enjoy all of the creativity that comes with technical projects. I think the general impression of "technical" things with circuitry, code, sensors, and things like that is that they aren't very creative, but I think it's the opposite. Hearing about new device ideas from the PMs, brainstorming solutions to problems that we face in the projects, figuring out how to accomplish tasks, all of these things are cornerstones of the technical project process, and all of them rely on creativity. I also love seeing the team members of all of our groups really learn a lot and find aspects that they are passionate about; that is the ultimate goal with tech projects. Engineering is so cool, and I love when people figure that out for themselves and find aspects that they think are really cool. As a whole, I really enjoy the creativity that technical projects brings and the learning process throughout it. What's one thing you've learned from being Technical VP? One thing I have learned is the logistical aspect of technical projects. Making one project come together, and then running the entire program, requires a lot of moving parts to align and come together for everyone's success. So I've learned more about the "behind the scenes" aspects of overseeing the programs and making sure we, as BMES, have the resources we need to succeed. What's your favorite BMES memory? One of my favorite BMES memories was a mentorship event during my freshman year. We hiked the Mount Hollywood trail! It was really memorable for me because that was an iconic hike, and I made friends with people who I am still friends with today. The experience and the hike itself were incredible. What do you like to do in your free time? Music and sports are my main two hobbies. I play piano and volleyball. Along with that, I enjoy working out, spending time outside, and watching TV/movies. Spending time with friends is also a core component of my free time. Describe yourself as a Care Bear. What color would you be, what's your belly badge, and what power would your badge give you? I'd be a turquoise Care Bear with a lightbulb belly badge, and maybe I'd come up with really cool ideas of things to build/make! Anything else you'd like to share? Fun fact: All executive board members this year (President, Internal VP, External VP, and myself) were on Build Team together during our freshman year!! |
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