Name: Lindsey Fujita

Brown Affiliation: Class of 2004

Company/School: Brown University

Position: Masters Student

Degree(s) Earned:

BS Biomedical Engineering, Brown University

Contact: Lindsey_Fujita@brown.edu

What experiences were you able to gain in biotechnology during your undergraduate years at Brown?

No experience directly with biotechnology, however, I have had “relevant” research experiences.  I spent a summer at Boston University analyzing the gait of elderly people using a “plate” that measured the center of pressure of the individual.  I am also currently doing research to determine the stiffness and damping properties of a vertebral disk.  Projections of my project could possibly include fatigue testing with spinal implants.

What advice do you have for undergraduates seeking summer positions?

Get some experience that will allow you to actually learn something, like writing code (instead of mindless data analysis using programs previously written).  It’s hard to find summer positions so email as many people as possible.  Most importantly, I think you should have your advisor or someone in the field to which you are applying look over your resume.  Career services has been disappointingly unhelpful.

What are your plans for next year?

I will be attending Brown University to obtain a MS degree in biomedical engineering in one year

What advice would you give to students applying to graduate schools?

Getting a MS in one year is impossible unless you come to Brown and have already started research your senior year (YEAH BROWN).  Otherwise, if you are really unsure, you don’t have to go to school right away.  Take time to figure stuff out, figure out what’s worth going to grad school for.  Grad school is not a liberal arts degree…you have to pick a focus.  The fact that the research I did over the course of the year really became interesting.  I wanted to pursue this research to see how far I could go….a publication perhaps? :o).  Plus you can get the degree in year.   I also think that with the  number of introductory courses in the undergrad curriculum outnumbering the upper level more in-depth courses, I feel better getting a masters feeling like I will get the in-depth knowledge that I think I need in the real world.  Plus, in terms of getting a job, a MS is better than a BS.