Lauren Gomes

Class of 2024
Major: Bioengineering
Minor: Global Engineering Leadership (GEL); Science, Technology, Ethics & Policy (STEP) double-minor
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
High School: Elizabeth Seton High School

What Made You Decide to Attend UMD?Not only did the incredible global and national rankings of the A. James Clark School of Engineering persuade me to attend UMD, but also the plethora of research experience and activities that propel us for real-world innovation beyond our degrees.

Best Experience with a Class or Project

The best experience I've had thus far with a class is my BIOE461: Synthetic Biology & Biological Engineering course this semester. Each day is a brand new topic in synthetic biology, whether it's a lecture with embedded instructional videos, a journal article discussion amongst the class about various figures in literature, or even the regular in-class presentation to our peers on various synthetic biology topics. It's an independent yet guided learning type of course, coupled with a choose-your-own topic in synthetic biology to design a potential iGEM project, giving us bioengineers a valuable insight as to what the world truly needs us to innovate within healthcare.

Favorite Class In Major

BIOE461: Synthetic Biology & Biological Engineering

Favorite Class Out of Major

ANTH265: Anthropology of Global Health

Student Organizations/Extracurricular Activities

Bioengineering Undergraduate Research Fellow
Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine Lab 
Triple Honors student (FIRE, QUEST, EHP)
Double minor (GEL, STEP)
BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society)
SWE + WIE (Society of Women Engineers, Women in Engineering)
QUEST Community Outreach Co-Leader
SASA (South Asian Student Association)
BSA (Bangladesh Student Association) 

Favorite On-Campus Event

My favorite on-campus event has to be Maryland Day -- a day where all UMD schools come together to bestow upon fellow Maryland students, their families, as well as prospective students and future Terps what it means to be a part of their discipline. In my opinion, the A. James Clark School of Engineering steals the show when it comes to giving the best live performances of robotics, engineering design, and design thinking to prospective students of all ages and backgrounds.

Favorite Research or Study Abroad Experiences

My favorite research experience is my current experience working under Dr. Catherine Kuo in her tissue engineering & regenerative medicine lab, where I am investigating the intersectionalities between tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, by honing in on embryonic musculoskeletal mechanobiological processes and applying principles of immunology, wound healing, developmental/stem cell biology, and biomaterials as a means of engineering biotherapeutic approaches to combatting diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries past.

Cool Engineering Experience

Honestly, all of my engineering experiences have been cool, but one that stands out from the rest has got to be ENES100. ENES100 is a class typically taken by first-year engineering students, where we receive a basic introduction to engineering design and design applications. In this class, I was able to work with an interdisciplinary team of mechanical and civil engineers as a means of prototyping and finalizing the creation of any innovative technology of our choice. My team decided on creating a waterproof phone case that was lightweight and cost-efficient (our target audience being fellow college students), and we were able to design this idea completely from scratch (pencil and paper), visualize it into a 3D CAD software, and finally 3D print it into reality! UMD Engineering teaches their students right in their first year that it is possible to bring your engineering, innovative ideas to life.

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