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Where Biology Meets Technology

鈥淕rowing up, I never knew bioengineering was a field that existed. I never even thought about engineering,鈥� says聽College of Engineering and Computing Sciences听蝉迟耻诲别苍迟听Alana Singh.

Singh thought she was set on becoming a physician, but she had two different passions burning within her鈥攕cience and technology. A particular interest in biology drew her to the medical field, but a separate interest in technological devices simultaneously pulled at her. 

When she began researching the path she would follow for her higher education, she struck gold鈥攁 major in bioengineering, enabling Singh to combine her two loves and ultimately graduate with career options offering the best of both worlds.

鈥淎s I study for my bachelor鈥檚 degree in bioengineering, I am learning a mix of biological sciences and have the opportunity to work hands-on with computers for the engineering side of things,鈥� Singh says. 鈥淚 am so grateful to have found this field of study.鈥�

Looking to gain professional experience in technical engineering, Singh has become an active participant on the Long Island campus鈥�Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center聽(ETIC), making her mark as the first bioengineering major to work as an ETIC student employee. Right now, she is working on Project Emesis, a prime example of bioengineering in practice.

This project uses a medical dummy engineered and coded to expel its stomach contents on command through a phone application. Designed for use in clinical intubation exercises, users will learn how to treat patients effectively who heave during intubation. Upon its completion, medical students at the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) will be among the first to use the dummy in a clinical setting, where they could gain valuable insight into effectively treating patients experiencing traumatic conditions like cardiac arrest or a drug overdose.    

鈥淭he ETIC is a place to solve real problems. In class, we discuss using devices in theory and the 鈥榳hat ifs.鈥� In the ETIC, we experiment and see if 鈥榳hat if鈥� can turn into 鈥榶es it can,鈥欌�� Singh says. 鈥淢y experience in the lab has been helping me prepare for reality and what my future career might hold.鈥�

A self-proclaimed 鈥渂ig fan of robots,鈥� Singh participated in her high school鈥檚 drone club, where she learned to fly and maneuver drones, and three-year robotics/STEM program, where she built and coded LEGO EV3 robots. She has not let that passion fall by the wayside. She is involved with the  (IEEE) Long Island Section, where she is able to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies and tinker with robots.

After she graduates, Singh hopes to secure a position as an engineer or biostatistician with either a medical or robotics technology company, where she can assist the public in gaining better access to medical technology that helps them in their everyday lives鈥攍ike EpiPens and oxygen tanks. Her ideal future is one where she is an entrepreneur with her own medical technology business, maybe with an additional degree in computer science.

鈥淒on鈥檛 let it get to you that pursuing a bioengineering degree can be challenging,鈥� advises Singh. 鈥淏ioengineering is not a profession you hear about frequently, but that鈥檚 what makes it so special. Make sure your heart is in the right place, and take care to make yourself happy first.鈥�