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.
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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!! |