The Semester in Reveiw

It's strange to think that the semester has finally come to a close. It feels like it went by so fast! And yet, I reflect on the amount of work that went in to our final project and realize that we actually spent a long time developing this system. I kind of can't believe that we finally managed to understand enough to put together our project, and yet, here we are with a "finished" presentation (I'll get to why "finished" is in quotes in a second).

I looked back over my very first blog post a few days ago, and the general gist of it was along the lines of "haha what's a cell?" I knew absolutely nothing coming into this course. Biology itself was a foreign concept to me, not to mention the idea of applying biological concepts to engineering. I had no idea what I was doing. I am so happy to say that that has changed. I feel confident now that I understand the foundational ideas behind bioengineering, and I am excited to continue learning as my career at MIT proceeds.

I'm really amazed at how far our project came over the past few months. The night before our presentation, we all virtually met up and went over our documentation and systems until we felt solid about the design. Even though it was late and we were all tired, the enthusiasm about our system never deflated, and it was so exciting to see the minds behind the project continue to chug along until we were confident in it. It was then that everything we had learned over the semester was applied as we checked through the details of our work. Seeing it all culminate was an incredible experience and it really brought everything in the course together quite nicely.

Now, you will notice that I put "finished" in quotations in the first paragraph. If I can sum up my learning during this course into one lesson, it is to never assume that I know everything. It seemed like every time I got attached to an idea or concept, someone else had a novel approach that was even better. With the viral vectors, for instance, my attachment to EBV was shattered when Dr. Coen suggested seeking an alternative, leading me to find oHSV, an even better match for our project. This inability to know everything is definitely not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. It means that there is always more to discover. The field is ever-changing, and there is so much more we could do with this project. Sadly, the class has come to a close, but that knowledge and thirst for new ideas will continue on with everything I do at MIT. Thanks for an amazing course. It's been a blast. Team Turtle for life <3