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Brennan Shapiro (BME, M.S. 5th Year) knew he wanted to be a scientist and says he started in biomedical engineering because it “sounded like the coolest science with the widest applications.”

He knew about Illinois Tech because his grandfather also attended the university, and a scholarship Brennan received made it an ideal option.

He has found the program to be rigorous, and says he appreciates that he was able to get into an Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program that was related to his field, which provided him with an educational hands-on experience.

Brennan participated in a National Science Foundation-funded summer workshop run by Associate Professor Abhinav Bhushan called .

“I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot,” he says. “It was very unique getting to learn about a relevant BME topic outside of the pressure of school. It was nice to not focus on grades and just doing assignments for the sake of learning.”

The workshop taught the fundamentals and applications of microfluidics, an emerging area of biomedical technology, and other cutting-edge topics such as tissue engineering, biomanufacturing, and how engineering approaches are revolutionizing drug discovery. 

“We learned about technology that works with fluids, and how it can help improve and monitor people’s health,” says Brennan. “This technology is still in its early stages and has the potential to become much more advanced.”