Talk Nerdy to Me

You know what? College is hard. And being in a notoriously challenging major while maintaining a “pre-med” GPA is harder. BUT I’ve come up with lots of ways to deal with this. One way is staying extremely organized. I keep a calendar and a planner with all my assignments, to-do lists, and other things I need to get done. I have tons of notes organized on my iPad so I have them on the run. I leave post its everywhere. It’s a little nuts, but it makes things easier, I swear.

Another thing that has helped a lot is the Learning Den, which is free on campus tutoring. I go there every Sunday night to get help in my systems bioengineering course. All the workers there are actually students who have taken the class and gotten an A, so they know what it takes! This semester, I had Sindhoora, and she was really helpful! I’ve definitely gotten way more than my money’s worth…Because it’s free. (Hardy har har!) It’s great to have somewhere to go when you have questions on in class material and your TA office hours were earlier in the week.

Also, all classes either have professor office hours or TA office hours, too, and I have gone to a lot of them this semester. I was having a bit of trouble with figuring out how the circulatory system changes during exercise, so I went to my TA and she showed me how it changes with this simple diagram! My teacher said we can solve any cardiovascular diagnosis with this quadrant diagram, and my TAs showed me how. I know what happens when you hemorrhage, when your left heart fails, when your right heart fails, when you exercise, and more. It’s like getting an MD in 4 minutes instead of 4 years!

I kid, I kid, but it is something that I feel like will help me in medical school, and getting to know your TAs is a great way to make sure you know the material. Not to mention, it really makes college a lot more manageable.

This was my way of avoiding talking about finals in a finals blog like everyone else, but really, finals are on everyone’s mind. I literally went to all of my office hours during finals. Here’s to hoping it pays off!

Peace out, guys!

So the big questions I always get about BME are as follows: How hard is it? Does everybody fail out? Are the professors scary and mean? Well, I know in past blogs I have tried to disprove the first two (two years into the program…and I’m still here smiling!). Now here I am, answering question number three: are the professors scary and mean?

Well, you lovely prospective students, the answer is no. To prove this, I thought I’d do something super special for you and interview one of my favorite professors, Dr. Michael Miller. He taught the Signals & Systems half of my Systems & Controls class, which has been my favorite class since coming to Hopkins. It was extremely challenging, but both professors in the class cared so much about their students’ understanding that the class was extremely rewarding.

So here is a peek into the mysterious life of a real-life college professor! Ready, set , go!

The first thing I asked him was what he wanted to be in elementary school. He said he never knew and he still doesn’t know; the main thing was that he followed his passions. He never thought that he “wanted to be X or wanted to be Y,” but he was talented in math at high school, and had an uncle who was an engineer, so he was sort of pulled in that direction. When he first went to college, he started as a math major, but he was pulled towards physics, and then finally to engineering. He “love[d] equations, but hate[d] labs,” so he implemented that into his studies. How did he do that?

Well, he found a role model that helped him find his way, and this role model was actually the one who led him to Hopkins. He ended up coming here for his graduate studies, where he found even more role models, which eventually led him to engineering in the body. For instance, he never thought about doing neuroscience, but he found a role model at Hopkins doing neuroengineering, and he found his way. At that point, he describes himself as an “undifferentiated stem cell,” just following what he loved.

So then I asked him how following what he loved led to him becoming a professor. He said that he simply loves his students, who he affectionately refers to as his friends. He loves teaching undergraduates, and finds joy in explaining all the complicated processes and finding the light in his students. He loves being able to make a contribution, whether it is through research or through teaching.

Next question? I asked if he were a Hopkins student, what would he want to take to fulfill his distribution requirements. As you may have read in a previous blog, Hopkins has no core requirements; you just need to take classes outside your major in order to fulfill distribution. The first course he said he’d take is Great Books at Hopkins. Why, you ask? Well, his wife, Elizabeth Patton, actually teaches it! He even met his wife at Hopkins! So naturally, this is the first class he’d take to fulfill his distribution. He’d also like to take art history classes because of how it crosses over with his research, which is all about shape and form and how it meets engineering. “I’m very interested in art, but from the analytical point of view,” he said. “Like when Picasso went through an era and exploded the canvas and forced us to realize there was something called “deep” in the meaning… Picasso did that to force us to realize that when we understand each other visually, we are not just looking at the dots on the surface.”

Next was what his favorite place on campus was, which ended up with him bringing out a piece of the marble from Gilman that he kept in his office. He described Gilman as what the Brody Learning Commons is today to our student body. When he was a graduate student, he would spend his time at the café and studying in the Hut. The faculty club also made his list of favorite spots, along with the fish pond, which is actually where he met his wife!

Now, do you prospective BME students want advice from a BME professor? He says to be a biomedical engineer, you need to have that analytical state of mind.  If you don’t like calculus and you don’t like computers, this may not be the major for you. “You need to follow your whims,” he said. They may not be the easiest choices, but they need to be great choices for you.  Now if you decide to do engineering at Hopkins, the advice he gives to succeed in his class is to understand everything he does in class and understand what you write down on the blackboard. “Half the questions of the test will be directly from what we do in class, just not so obvious.” Still, he happily admitted that he is not so sure if it is the best advice ever… he admits, “I never had to learn it from myself!”

Lastly, I wanted to prove to you all that professors are people, too! So here are a few of his favorite things:

His favorite thing ever? His 13 –year-old daughter. He eagerly pulled up a picture right on his cell-phone, and couldn’t stop smiling. I actually met his daughter at the class BBQ last year!

His favorite way to relax? Skiing! His daughter actually is a great skier and snowboarder, though Dr. Miller just prefers to ski. He also likes to hike, and when he can’t do those things on normal days, he’ll run.

His favorite restaurant in Baltimore? Roy’s in Inner Harbor. The Hopkins business school actually looks right at it, and the sushi there is apparently a great appetizer.

Favorite movies? Raiders of the Lost Ark. (“These are all going to be movies you haven’t heard of.”) and Ghostbusters. And he also likes the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Favorite Sports team? Anything from New York, of course!

So here is your inside scoop about a really cool Hopkins professor. He’s awesome, he’s accessible, and he truly cares about his students. I guess college professors aren’t as scary as they seem.

Peace out til next time! :)

These past few weeks have been really…well…challenging, to say the least.  I have spent over 20 hours on certain homework assignments. I’ve taken tests that make me sick to my stomach to think about. I quickly watched my hours of sleep at night keep decreasing.  I’ve cried a little. And, in all honesty, I wondered if I was really cut out for Hopkins BME. Maybe I just accidentally fell into the pile of admits.

I’m going to be honest: Hopkins isn’t for the faint of heart. I don’t care how smart you were in high school; here, you’re going to have to try. And I mean try hard. I’m not saying this to scare you; by all means, if you are lucky enough to be accepted to Hopkins, you are smart and committed enough to handle it. In a school with an admissions rate as low as ours, the admissions peeps don’t have the flexibility to admit kids who aren’t up to Hopkins’ expectations. But know that going to Hopkins, or really any school of this caliber, is a commitment to your education like no other.

I’m tired. I’m tired because I stayed up real late last night doing homework for a class. A class that is, by all means, the most challenging and work intensive class I could’ve imagined.  But that’s the commitment you have to be willing to make to be here sometimes. You need to be able to keep trucking through it when you think you can’t do it. Hopkins professors know what we are capable of even when we ourselves don’t, so they push us. They push us a lot. And sometimes I hate it. And sometimes it overwhelms me. But at the end of the day, I’m glad, because I know that at the end of the day, I am a better scholar and person because of it.

Now, I’m really tired. Dreaming of nodding off right now rather than getting ready for class. But I feel like I have to tell y’all the light at the end of the tunnel: everyone else is just as overwhelmed as you are. Nobody can get question #2. You can bet your firstborn son that they have 3 midterms this week, too. The line isn’t that long at Starbucks for nothing. You aren’t in this alone.

And that is why I am still sane.  Personally, I have felt sad and mad and tired and overwhelmed sometimes when I lose sight of the situation, but I have never felt alone. Last night, I was up until 1:30 AM finishing my homework, but I stayed up later to try to help my friends just as the person who finished before me gave me pointers before she left. And just like my friend came over late in the night after she was done to teach me how to code in Matlab. On my last homework, we had to write down the name of every kid we worked with, and I wrote done well over a dozen names.  If I was in my room trying to do it all myself, I would fail. I would fail the class, and more importantly, I would fail myself if I didn’t embrace the atmosphere in Hopkins BME. This place is special. We all come together to in order to achieve our academic goals, and I couldn’t be prouder to be included in a community such as this.

So I guess this is what I’m trying to tell all you prospective students: this is a serious commitment you are making. You are committing yourself to four years of blood, sweat, tears, and differential equations. And if you plan on being BME and partying every single day of the week, this may not be the place for you. We have fun, but at the end of the day, we put our academic priorities first. So sometimes I miss the a-capella show I wanted to see. Or miss my favorite TV show. But it is all worth it in the end because at the end of the day, I know I am going to be able to achieve my goals because of what Hopkins BME has given me. Among the blood, sweat, tears and differential equations are also laughs that make your stomach hurt and hugs from friends who are there for you. I know I will look back on my four years and never regret “missing out” on some normal college experiences, because I was there for the important ones (if there’s a will, there’s a way) and for the ones I missed, I was in a room with a dozen other BMEs, supporting each other and making sure we all get through together. And that, I think, builds character!

JHU_Joseph pretending he has my homework! grumpy face!

JHU_Ian and his serenades can cheer me up!

This is one for the ages. A battle of epic proportions. Bigger than David vs. Goliath. Bigger than the Montagues vs. the Capulets.  Bigger than Snooki vs. the pale, pickle-hating population of the Jersey Shore.

Ok, ok, we kid, we kid (well, maybe…). But JHU_Kate and I think we have a fantastic feud for you. Ready to enter the ring? You better grab an umbrella because blood may be shed in this fight! Don’t worry; the pre-meds will fix Kate and I up after the battle.

Anywho, you are about to enter the biggest war on the planet. BME vs. ChemBe. Oh my lordie.

Let’s get ready to slam down!

First, we will provide a brief background of our majors. You know, to make it a fair fight and such.

Sydney: BME all the wayyyy! (I am clearly not biased. At all.) So BME is a very vast study of engineering. Rather than specializing in one type of engineering, we learn everything from electrical engineering to mechanical engineering, and put it all together to improve biological life. We have four different tracks at Hopkins, all of which are the best things ever. You like math? There’s a track for that (computational). You like biomaterials and tissues? There’s a track for that (tissues and biomaterials). You like sensors and gizmos and gadgets galore? There’s a track for that (sensors and micro-instrumentation). You like systems biology  (sorry, I couldn’t find a way to make that cute-sy)? There’s a track for that, too. So basically, there is probably a track for you.

My BME group = loveeeee <3

Kate: I’ve got to disagree since I’m a ChemBE. My major is all about balance (and we all need that in our life) in chemical reactions. ChemBEs study a lot of science and math- and then apply it to take raw materials and make them into something completely new. In a sense, ChemBEs are like the artists of engineering; they study the techniques of how processes work and then use it to make awesome stuff. Maybe you’ll make the next wonder drug. Maybe you’ll find the renewable energy source. Or maybe you’ll make the next ice cream flavor (like during the first day of my first ever ChemBE class). ChemBE, with its breadth, allows you to work in many different fields.

Which team will throw the next right hook? Let’s see what schedule has you hooked!

Sydney: I love LOVE love my schedule. As a BME, you have a nice balance between math and science, and those just happen to be my two favorite things ever (next to chocolate and Glee, of course).  The first year is similar to a ChemBE schedule, but then things change (oh my!) and you go into your concentrations, aka exactly what you want to take! This can be anything from robotics, to computer-integrated surgery, to building a genome! Oh snap.  One thing that separates us from ChemBe is that it is much easier to touch a robot than a chemical (and way less dangerousssss), so a lot of our classes are more hands-on. For instance, right now I am in the class that is the pride of the BME department-Design Team! As a freshman, I got to be interviewed by upperclassmen then taken under the wing of one of them on the way to patenting a biomedical device. Exciting? Oh man. I think yes.

Kate: ChemBE takes a lot of science; you’ll take chemistry, physics, biochemistry, organic chemistry, cell biology, and then another advanced chemistry elective! ChemBE has a lot of required classes, but they’re super intense to say. Imagine saying “I’m off to Transport” (no pun intended). The ChemBE curriculum is a little more hard-science based than BME, but we don’t take any programming classes. There’s a bit of specialization in ChemBE, but most of your classes will be with the same 100 kids. BFFLS for life? I think so.

I know it's shocking, but I GUESS ChemBE's can have friends... who woulda thunk?

Who is making up your army’s front line? And are they strong? “Army strong”?

Sydney: BMES-Biomedical Engineering Society. The best front line out there.  The BMES group at Hopkins is really chill; it definitely allows for you to include many more clubs and activities in your schedule (because, you know, us BMEs are pretty diverse. Haha). However, BMES is on a national level. Because of this, you need to apply to be on BMES, so only the strongest survive! And the strongest of the strong get recognition for their accomplishments. We’re definitely strong. “Army Strong.”

Kate: ChemBEs have the AIChE (aka the American Institute for Chemical Engineering). We’re really active on campus (last week, they had a panel with ChemBEs from all different sectors to talk to us about opportunities). These events normally have catered food (yum!). We even had a game night with the faculty- putting on your poker face with the professors is required. There are a bunch of networking opportunities; we even hosted the national conference last year!

BME all the wayyyyyyyy ! ! !

So here’s our battle. Who won? Who knows. It’s you who decides when you apply.

Wanna hear more about Hopkins Engineering? Stay tuned for a surprise for all you lovely, ridiculously attractive prospective students.

Hey everybody! Ready to hear about another really, really, ridiculously cool experience I’ve had at Hopkins? (I’m going to tell you anyways, so you might as well answer “yes” to that rhetorical question.)

One word: Intersession.

For all of you who don’t know, intersession is a three-week term in January that is completely optional. You can take up to three credits, and the classes are super fun. And better yet, there is no extra charge! Woohoo!

Intersession was probably the best three weeks I’ve had at Hopkins thus far. There is no pressure because all the classes are pass/fail, you have tons of free time to hang out with friends, and the classes are super-duper amazing. Want to hear about the classes I took? (Again, I’m going to answer anyways even if you don’t want to hear. Just smile and read on, you lovely prospective student.)

1.     Intro to Dramatic Writing: Film

Now I know what you’re thinking: a BME in a film writing class? Yes, this BME was in a film writing class, and it was awesome. My professor had a clear passion for film, and we watched clips galore! Every five minutes, he would tell us about a film was just HAD to watch; needless to say, I now have a list a couple hundred movies deep. Another cool thing about the class was that it was very collaborative, so we got to write together and have less pressure on our backs to turn out a masterpiece of a script.

2.     Intro to CAD

CAD stands for computer-aided design, and this was definitely my hardest intersession class. On the computer, we would make models of three-dimensional figures, and they were really cool to look at when it was all done. Though it was sort of tricky to do, I feel like this was my most rewarding class because utilizing CAD is a great skill to have, especially for an engineer. And since a lot of my friends were in the class, I can say the class was pretty enjoyable.

Steven was very proud of his wheel. :)

3.     B’more: The Water Taxi Diaries

This was my all-time favorite class. B’more is a one week program for freshman that allows you to explore your new home: Baltimore! Nearly every single day, there was a field trip to a close neighborhood, so I got to see sooooo much of Baltimore. From visionary art to frozen yogurt, I saw all the best sides of the city. Then at the end, everyone in the class collaborated to make a guidebook for Hopkins students. How cool is that??? On a side note, I also made some pretty cool friends in this class; it’s a great way to meet new people.

The cover of our travel guide.

So that basically sums up my month of January. Possibly the coolest January ever. I know that I plan on taking advantage of intersession my next three years, and I’m already excited for intersession 2012. :)

Peace Outttttt!

Today, I was a prospective student again. Nervously awaiting my fate. Trying to be extra polite just in case an admissions officer happened to walk near my tour. Getting ready to embark upon an engineering tour to see just how cool Johns Hopkins is.

Mason Hall: Home of the Prospective Students

Oh, except I’m already in, I spend so much time in admissions it no longer makes me nervous to be by Admissions_Daniel, and I already know how cool Hopkins is. So really, all I did was go on an engineering tour.

Why? Well, you lovely prospective students, I am in a new club. I, Sydney R., am an Engineering Ambassador! (Yes, it is as ridiculously amazing as it sounds.)

What do I do? As an Engineering Ambassador, I will give engineering tours and volunteer for the “Eat Lunch With An Engineer” program. Fun. Stuff.  So today, I had to learn the basics of touring by joining in on an engineering tour with the prospective students. I personally had never been on the engineering tour before, and I really REALLY wish I had. It made Hopkins that much more amazing. I learned some things today that I didn’t even know! For that reason, I feel I should tell y’all what I learned so you know just how awesome it is to go on an Engineering Tour. And maybe you’ll even sign up for one.

Hey look! It's JHU_Brian and Sarah Godwin, an Admissions Representative!

It started off with a little talk from a member of the Civil Engineering Department in one of my favorite rooms on campus (The chairs have fun Hopkins facts on the back. Did you know Einstein turned down a position to work at Hopkins because he didn’t believe he deserved the pay???). The speaker was Lian Shen, and he was absolutely fabulous. He was spunky and quirky (he even wore a blue jay blue construction-like helmet!), showing how personable our engineering faculty is, as well as being very informative about what our Civil Engineering facility has and how special it is, even though it is less well-known. For instance, there are only 60 undergrad Civil Engineering Majors, so by the third week of class, he knows them all! Also, did you know Robert A. Dalrymple, a faculty member of the department, was named one of the 15 people the president should listen to during the McCain-Obama election? Yea, the department is that cool.

After the talk, we went on a tour to see some of the labs. First was a mechanical engineering lab, and it was really eye-opening to see how well known the department is! I didn’t know that we have some of the highest numbers in undergrad patents in Mechanical Engineering! The materials science lab was interesting, too. The equipment they have is so high-tech!

My favorite had to be going to Hackerman Hall to see work on the da Vinci model (go BME!). If you don’t know, the da Vinci machine is a way to do surgery without the surgeon even touching the patient; it is all machine operated. In lots of cases, it is less invasive, making it a really epic advance in technology.  It is already sooo complicated and sooo incredible, but engineers are down there working hard to make it even more intricate! It really makes you wonder how much we will be able to do with technology in the future…

The da Vinci Surgical System (a.k.a. really REALLY cool!)

So that was my engineering tour. Exciting. Insightful. And so much more. Let me guess; now you want to go on one! Great idea! Next time, maybe I’ll even be your tour guide.

Peace out til next time!

You remember how in my first blog I talked about the stereotype that biomedical engineering majors, or BME’s, have no fun? Remember the rumors that say it is the most intense major (also implying no fun)?

Well, I for one would say roller-coasters are fun. Wouldn’t you? It just so happens that those are what we got to study all day on a Saturday for BME class.

Oh…did I mention we got to do this while at Six Flags?

Six Flags!

Let me rewind back for a second. As many of you guys know, biomedical engineering at Hopkins is ranked #1 in the country. First I thought this was because the classes were going to be ridiculously hard and the kids were going to never leave their rooms. Even with this terrifying picture in mind, I still accepted my spot as one of the few to be accepted to the Hopkins BME program. And I am so glad I did.

Hopkins BME is more than just books and such (I know… shocker!). One of the things I really love is how hands on we get to be. Engineering is something that cannot really be taught from a book. Sure, we can study physics (which we do), brush up on our differential equations (yea, we do that, too), and study a ridiculous amount (I may do that, too…), but you aren’t an engineer at the end of the day if you can’t apply it. Because of this, Hopkins BME lets its students get their hands dirty and get to work, which is exactly what we got to do this weekend at Six Flags.

What we were studying this week in my class BME Modeling and Design was how different scenarios affect heart rate, blood pressure, and things of the related sort. So with our SHARD Monitors in hand, we approached Six Flags in order to truly gather data. Yup, it was completely scientific. It’s not like we all DESPERATELY wanted to go to Six Flags…. (Note the sarcasm).

For all of those who don’t know, SHARD Monitors are the coolest things ever. You strap them to your chest and they can tell you everything, from your heart rate to the x- and y- acceleration being applied. They are amazing.

Not only was this trip fun, but we got to learn firsthand how to think like engineers. We had a ridiculously fun time, so it almost didn’t seem like we were working, which is what I hope to get out of my job when I “grow  up”: to be able to feel like what I’m doing isn’t really work. This is basically how BME at Hopkins makes me feel; what  we do in class has a purpose, but at the end of the day I can actually say I might have had a little fun while I was at it.

As always, feel free to ask me any questions regarding this amazingly amazing program. I’d love to answer them.