8/13/2019 NSF Personal Statement Emily Smith
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My desire to better understand the fascinating complexity of the
human body led me to study biological engineering. Since arriving
at Mississippi State University, I have had the opportunityto apply
engineering principles to the biological sciences in order to solve
real world problems.In particular, my Biophysical Properties of
Materials class sparked my interest in the
biomechanics and materials research area of biomedical
engineering. Both of my parents are
engineers, and I believe being exposed to science at an early
age through learning about their jobs with NASA contractors has
greatly influenced my interest in engineering. My parents
haveserved as great mentors and have also instilled in me the
importance of a great education andgiving back to the community. As
I near the end of my undergraduate career, I have begun
tounderstand the value of an engineering education, and I feel it
is important not to stop my studies
but to continue to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering in an
effort to contribute to theintellectual development of future
engineers.
As an undergraduate student in biological engineering, I have
been afforded the opportunity tospend multiple years serving as a
teaching assistant in engineering courses and
mentoringundergraduates. Teaching assistant positions are most
often provided only to students at the
graduate level. Over the years of serving as a teaching
assistant in the Biological EngineeringDepartment for the
Introduction to Biological Engineering courses, I developed
presentationsand lectured on MATLAB and materials science to
freshman students. This fall semester Ideveloped a lecture for the
students in which I presented my summer research on dentalimplants.
Based on the fundamental concepts obtained from my REU experience,
Iindependently developed a group project in which the students used
CES Edupack materialselection software to apply what they had
learned about dental implants and pick a material andsurface
treatment they think should be used in a dental implant. This
project helped the studentslearn how to work in groups as well as
to apply classroom learning to real world applications. Asthe
current president of the MSU Chapter of the Institute of Biological
Engineering, I am alsoresponsible for overseeing the
newly-instituted biological engineering learning communitytutoring
program and social activities. Currently, I am developing a
one-on-one mentorship
program within the learning community in which upperclassmen
serve as mentors: they willhave one or two freshmen to mentor
during their time in the ABE program. Through myopportunity to
assist teaching freshmen and to coordinate the departments learning
community,I have gained valuable teaching and mentoring experience.
These experiences have laid a strongfoundation for the future
teaching I intend to pursue, and I plan to continue working with
highschool and undergraduate students while a PhD student and as a
future faculty member because Iwant to stimulate an interest in
engineering in younger students.
I foresee the breadth of leadership that I have shown throughout
my entire undergraduate careerat MSU as being a valuable asset in a
graduate program. As an incoming freshman, I served as
president of the Freshman Engineering Student Council and as a
delegate on the UniversityHonors Council. During my freshman year,
older students served as mentors and models ofleadership. My focus
became being the same for other students, so I continued my
involvementat MSU because I wanted to give back to the university
that had given so much to me. My
primary leadership roles have been Chair of the University
Honors Council, representing over1300 Honors College students,
Vice-President of Engineering Student Council, which serves
theinterests of over 2200 engineering students in the Bagley
College of Engineering, and theSoutheast Region Vice-President of
Communication for the National Association of Engineering
8/13/2019 NSF Personal Statement Emily Smith
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Student Councils (NAESC), where I facilitate communication among
Southeast Region memberschools as well as between the Southeast
Region and other regions across the United States. Inthese
leadership roles I have not only participated in the organization,
but also served as theofficial student representative on several
committees across the university and worked with otherleaders
across campus to improve the university. My experience leading
these organizations has
allowed me to interact with a number of stakeholders at the
university, and I am currently takinga leadership class taught by
the president of MSU. This, in turn, helped me to drastically
enhancemy communication skills and my proficiency as a teaching
assistant as well. One of my most
proud and notable achievements was spearheading the University
Honors Councils involvementin the school supplies and backpack
drive for the Lamia Afghan Foundation, which provideshumanitarian
aid to children and families in Afghanistan. I have participated in
multipleorganizations service programs because I feel that those
privileged enough to be able to pursuehigher education have a civic
obligation to use their talents to better the lives of others.
Mydedication to my department, the college of engineering, and the
honors college resulted in myreceiving the 2010 Most Outstanding
Biological Engineering Senior Award.
Moreover, involvement in different campus organizations has
helped me develop timemanagement and organizational skills, both of
which I anticipate being highly beneficial in adoctorate program.
Through my leadership in different organizations, I have worked
with adiverse group of individuals from different backgrounds and
cultures than my own. Theseexperiences have allowed me to
understand the importance of diversity in organizationalleadership
because of the different perspective others provide. As a graduate
student, I plan tocontinue my involvement in NAESC on a national
level: it will be beneficial to continuedeveloping relationships
and enhancing my leadership skills because expanding these
skillsshould be a constant process that will aid success in the
future.
My long-term aspiration is to obtain an academic position in a
university setting where I canteach and conduct research in the
field of biomechanics. I feel that obtaining a doctorate degreein
biomedical engineering is a fundamental step to achieving this goal
and will also provide mewith the opportunity to make a difference
through the application of technology in solving
biomedical problems. After my experiences as a teaching
assistant, I want to continuedeveloping my teaching skills in
graduate school by working as a laboratory TA or serving as aguest
lecturer in a course so that I will be better prepared to teach as
a professor. I amspecifically interested in pursuing a doctorate at
Purdue University because of the closecollaboration among the
biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering, and the
IndianaUniversity School of Medicine which will serve as the
perfect setting for a deeply enriching andrewarding graduate
education.
The National Science Foundation Fellowship will allow
flexibility to pursue meaningful researchat Purdue University where
I will be able to improve my teaching skills and conduct research
inthe field of orthopaedic biomechanics. As our society ages, the
need for better understanding ofmusculoskeletal biomechanics as
well as increasing the number of students interested in
math,science, and engineering exists. The NSF Fellowship will allow
me to conduct research relevantto improving our society and provide
the opportunity to develop educational outreach programsto increase
interest in STEM fields and increase retention rates in STEM
undergraduate
programs.
