This one goes out to the WF Red Team

With Mod3 presentations and 20.109 in general coming to an end, I'd like to dedicate this final blog post to my lab mates. While we definitely had our fair share of difficulties and disasters (some of which are too horrible to even recount), we did this together and I don't think I could've made it through this semester without them. 

RED TEAM:

(fyi this is the first time I've used a meme in a blog post and I'm super proud of myself)

In a class like 109, it's important to have a supportive group around you, and I knew you guys always had my back. From small questions on the homework, to panicked questions about research proposals, we all helped each other get to where we are today and I'm so proud of everything we were able to accomplish this semester. One of the comments that Professor Belcher gave to us during our presentation was that we had come a really long way from where we started, and that we showed a lot of improvement and I think she's right. Even when times were tough and we couldn't roll those cathodes for the life of us, we were able to push through and make batteries that (mostly) worked and I think we've all grown a lot throughout this semester. 

20.109 in general has been a great experience. As it is only the second course 20 class that I've taken, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I've loved the material and the faculty have been super supportive and helpful throughout the entire process. While it was definitely a lot of work, it's been worth it and I feel really accomplished about the entire past semester. My favorite part was making the proposal for the third module, because at the beginning of the semester I had no idea how we were going to come up with something, but somehow we did it and I really really liked our project and am happy with our finalized proposal.

Anyways, still can't believe it's over!!! Good luck to all future 109ers and thanks for a great semester. xoxoxo-Madison

I know it should've been easier..

I know the Mod 3 research proposal should have been easier (because we've been doing 109 for 3 months, right?!) but it definitely was not. However, I do think it was the most rewarding to watch. Thinking of  problem was easy. Thinking of research to fix that problem was.. okay. Finding that a lot of your ideas had been tried.. definitely simultaneously discouraging and encouraging.

Yet, watching everyone's presentations made me feel incredibly proud of how far not only I, but our whole class, had come. We had entered 109 on so many different levels, not entirely aware of how to write about or talk about research. And here we are exiting, presenting on the very ideas that we had come up with on our own. It was all very impressive.

That being said, if I had started working on the research proposal on the first day of class- I still think I would not have felt entirely prepared. There was endless background research I could have read. Every time my partner and I came across one small detail, we googled it, only to find at least five more articles discussing that one topic. I suppose that was the idea though- to show us that these research proposals, and research proposals in general, can be your lifetime research. And they often are (shoutout to PhDs!)

As far as Module 3 goes, it was so cool to see something I would never seen otherwise. I don't see myself as a battery type-o-gal. I could barely get my circuit going without frying my LED. But making my own battery? That's cool. It's something tangible that I could show my friends, and my parents. (I gave my battery to my mom for mother's day.. she was only slightly amused).

I also really appreciated getting to see other work spaces. Seeing the TEM in the Koch was really, really cool. And seeing single gold atoms? Amazing.

All in all, Module 3 seemed to be the perfect ending to a difficult, but rewarding semester. It was the perfect amount of flair, time management, and challenge to be the cherry on top of 20.109.

Oh, I will miss this class.

To 20.109

From the beginning of 20.109, I was looking forward to Module 3. Making batteries with viruses was definitely one of the coolest thing I have ever done. I always had an interest in biomaterials, so it was pretty awesome when I saw it being applied for energy purposes. The class and this module encouraged me to continue searching for classes on biomaterials and investigate its applications.

The assignment for this module was fun. I enjoyed making a proposal, thinking about how to construct experiments and how to collect data. It made me feel like a scientist. I look forward to what other course 20 classes have to offer. I especially liked seeing everyone's work. The presentation gave us a glimpse on what are potential problems we can be focusing on, and once again, it emphasized the amazing versatile nature of BE. Unlike other engineering fields, the products of BE tend to be undetectable and small because most work happens on the nano- or micro-scale. Yet, the powerful effect of BE on real world problems simply astonishing.

When I reflect on what I have learned, I appreciate the open diversity of BE. Under BE, there is a multitude of options, options that I was aware of, but could never connect it to a specific device or effect in the real world. BE is a rising field, but I was always confused as to what direction the field was growing and which problems were using BE as a solution. When I told my teachers I was planning to become a bioengineer, they always asked me what it was. My only response was that it was cool, and I am glad that I was right. I want to continue my path as a bioengineer and confront challenging problems. As a future researcher, I hope I can construct my own way of thinking and approach to unique problems.

Thoughts on Mod3

While I am certain that I want to work more in the medical/health side of bioengineering in my future, I liked Mod3. I'm having trouble coming up with a cohesive way to express what I have to say, so here’s a list of thoughts about Mod3:

- Having something tangible to take home made me feel like a real engineer. I haven’t used a breadboard since high school physics class, so it will be fun to play around with my battery and create circuits once finals are over. I’m excited to make a battery holder too!

- Professor Belcher is so cool. I enjoyed hearing about her experiences in grad school and with the President! It’s really humbling to talk with someone who has accomplished so much and has so many cool ideas. Her enthusiasm for BE and for learning in general is awesome!

- It felt nice when everything started winding down. The homework assignments in Mod3 felt a lot more doable than homework in Mod1 and Mod2. I think it’s mostly because these assignments were done with a partner, but also partially that I feel more comfortable with what is expected of me in this class. 

- I liked the adventures/mini field trips to the Koch. It was nice to have a change of scenery (and a huge change in the kinds of things we were doing too!)

- The research proposal has probably been my favorite assignment for 109 because I was able to see how far we all have come from just the beginning of the semester. I didn’t think that I would be able to come up with a project idea when I first saw this assignment! While it was difficult, it was doable with a lot of research. I felt really proud of our idea when we presented!

- Presenting for the research proposal also felt a lot better than presenting for journal club. Although I was still really nervous, I was able to power through it and not forget anything major. I think this was partially because I only had to speak for 6 minutes but also that Damon spoke first so I didn’t feel as nervous standing in front of the room when it came to my time to speak. Journal club was good practice for this presentation.

- It was really amazing to see the ideas that all my classmates came up with! It’s really humbling to think that all of these people are the next generation of scientists who will come up with novel ways to solve problems and create treatments for diseases. Everyone is so smart and has great ideas! Hearing my classmates’ presentations made me really excited for the future of bioengineering!

Good job everyone!

- I was also thinking about the time scale for these projects. It took us a few weeks to come up with an idea, but imagine how long it would take to carry out all of these experiments and how much money it would cost! Also, if something doesn’t go as planned or if the idea doesn’t end up working out, you’ll at least have learned something, but that’s a lot of time and money! I guess it was just a reminder that even though these projects are so cool and my classmates are so smart, there’s a reason that we don’t have a cure to every disease yet.

It doesn’t feel like 20.109 should be over—I’m finally starting to feel a little bit like I know what I’m doing now, so this should just be the beginning, right?!

The Bittersweet 20.109

So far, I think I can say that 20.109 has been one of the most fun, yet challenging class I have had at MIT. I’m not saying that it’s the hardest one, per say, but I think I’ve learnt and grown so much along the class. In all honesty, I could’ve never imagined myself finishing these big topic assignments when I first sat down on the first day of class. In fact, I was somewhat intimidated by the amount of effort and knowledge that you have to put into each and every task to even do ‘okay’ in the class. Regardless, now that it’s over, I want to dedicate the rest of this post writing down my favorite moments in the class so far:

1.       If you can easily explain what went wrong, then that’s not biology

Yup, biology, to me, is never an exact science. You can be 120% sure that everything has been done accordingly to the protocol, yet you will still get weird result in your experiments (hint: FKBP12 and Western Blot). But that’s the fun of it, no? If biology has always been easy, I might’ve never liked it in the first place, and I guess to that extent, 20.109 has done a great job in simulating the real wet lab science experience.

2.       To my surprise, battery making is an actual art form.

Okay, I take my words back; perhaps 20.109 is one of the hardest class ever at MIT IF cathode rolling is graded as assignments. That was probably the one time at MIT so far that I actually gave up on. I don’t know whether our materials are just crappy (and cursed that JiFa couldn’t roll one cathode out of it) or if I was just a terrible artist, but props to everyone from other groups who successfully managed to create their cathodes on their own. You all are the real MVP!  

3.       Research Proposal Presentation = Inspiring

Going through the research proposal presentation, I was reminded by how I am surrounded with the most brilliant and innovative thinkers in the world. I was amazed by many of the seemingly simple problem that everyone has proposed, yet no one has actually worked to solve it. Personally, back in Indonesia I have never had the opportunity to think and develop of my own research ideas; we just never had the resources. Here, however at MIT, the opportunities are endless. Being able to go out there and talk of an idea on something you value was definitely the most exciting assignment I had in this class. Although it might have not actually been a real novel idea (cause Prof. Belcher apparently has patents on everything M13 related), I am excited to develop more ideas throughout my course at MIT, and perhaps work on it during grad school

4.       Embarrassing Valentine’s day

I don’t think this need any further explanation, but this definitely will be something I remembered from 20.109.

5.       And I’m getting there with the definition

So yeah, one last thing I want to address is the suggested prompt of this post: What BE means to me? Honestly, before taking this class, I was actually thinking of switching to biology major. As much as l like the idea of creating the next cancer therapy, I am more interested in studying how cancer actually works. After taking this class, however, I now have a greater appreciation for Biological Engineers, on how diverse the field really is. I began to think differently of the field; without BE, there is no way we can understand cancer better, not without the proper tools and devices that is. While I still don’t have a legit definition of what BE really is, I think I am getting there, and hopefully by graduation, I’ll hopefully be able to come up with an explanation for my career.  

Despite being relieved and pleased that 20.109 is finally over (except for that one mini assignment), I also feel kinda sad that it did. The class has indeed been a roller coaster ride, with many ups and downs, but I’m glad that I took it, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did J

Ps. Alex if you are reading this, thank you for being an overall awesome partner. You have done an exceptional job, despite not liking the class initially.

What is bioengineering, really?

I feel like every semester I’ve been here, my understanding of ‘Biological Engineering’ as a discipline has evolved. I keep learning more about all the different applications course 20 can touch on and what does and doesn’t capture my attention. This is great news for a person who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, and I hope I continue learning more about the field and about my interests throughout my years here and beyond. Each semester, the fog clears a little bit more.

I have been vacillating on majors for quite a while. Until last semester, I wasn’t sure if I should stay loyal to course 20 or switch to course 2 or 3 (or even course 6!). Unlike the people who discover their passion in high school and can’t wait to go to college to study it further, all I knew throughout high school was that I vaguely enjoyed biology… and chemistry… and the little bit of html/JavaScript that Codecademy taught me. Engineering sounded cool, but back then I thought of “engineering” as a single field, unsure as to what it actually entailed. It was only as I was working on my MIT application, specifically the question on what major I was interested in, that I began exploring the different fields of engineering. I remember choosing material science, because I was interested in alternative energy sources and material science seemed like a good way to delve into that.

But then I did the course 20 FPOP, and that opened up my eyes a little more. I had associated biological engineering with working with cells, mice, organs, genes/DNA, and drug development - all of which sounded vaguely interesting, but I wasn’t sure they were for me. In the FPOP, we did a tour of biotech companies in the vicinity, which confirmed the large application of BE in the pharmaceutical industry, but were also introduced to Ginkgo Bioworks, which designs custom microbes to develop different scents. Even though I’m not particularly interested in this particular application, it introduced me to the fact that biology is such a vast field and it can be used for things outside of medicine.

This concept intrigued me a lot and I started searching for bioengineering labs that weren’t particularly therapeutic-related. In this way, I stumbled on the Belcher lab – I mean, who wouldn’t be fascinated by the idea of viruses being used as templates for batteries? It was such a new idea that I had never heard of, so I spent a semester helping my grad student work on and test cathodes made of nanofoams from cross-linked batteries. Working on this project, it was interested to see how the specific angle that my grad student was taking was more on the materials science-y side, as I think other lab members would make/engineer the phage solutions and we would make them into cathodes, change different variables, and test.

It was great to relive that experience through mod 3. I really appreciated this class and the three modules we did. The first two modules were related to topics that I subconsciously associate bioengineering with – DNA engineering, screening, protein expression, genetic engineering, tissue culture, cell survival assays, PCR, and all that fun stuff. Most of the techniques we learned were stuff I hadn’t done before, so it was a great introduction. And module 3 was exciting, especially as it made me wonder – if m13 can be engineered to make a cathode, what else can it be manipulated to make? It seems like it could be used for many other applications as well, and it was cool to see that one of the groups thought similarly and proposed to engineer it into a water filter.

tl;dr: bioengineering is cool!

What I learned in 20.109 is...

Literally every family gathering I go to I get the same question: “What’s biological engineering?”

After these modules, I finally know how to answer this question.

Module 3 was hella different from Modules 1 and 2. We got to make biological batteries (very hype) and figure out what other people are interested in.

Making the batteries was out of my comfort zone, considering all I’ve done was cancer research via tissue culture. It made me genuinely curious in genetic engineering to make products out of biological materials.

The research proposals were possibly my favorite part because we got to see what people were interested within Biological Engineering. I saw presentations on water filters (S.O. to Valentino and Alex for impressing me with that calculation) and cancer research, which both encompass what BE offers.

Overall, I’m really happy that I learned different assays from 20.109! BE has so many different ideas and proposals. It’s simply not just cancer research; BE is way more than that.

We made it! We’re BE scientists! :D