狈补尘别:听Sarah Schoonraad
贬辞尘别迟辞飞苍:听Johannesburg, South Africa & Los Angeles, CA
惭补箩辞谤:听Materials Science & Engineering, PhD Student
Advisor:听Stephanie Bryant, Bryant Research Group
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to California when I was three-years-old. Honestly, I didn鈥檛 know that I wanted to work as a biomaterials scientist until much more recently in life.听My earliest recollections of professional interests relate to pediatrics - I wanted to be able to provide medical care to the youngest members of society.听Ultimately, through the completion of my bachelor鈥檚 degree,听I realized that I truly loved understanding and teaching the science behind the medicine, particularly the chemistry, which led me to moving away from pre-med aspirations and towards those related to biomedical research.
My Path to Materials Science & Engineering
While completing my bachelor鈥檚 degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I was given the opportunity to teach general and organic chemistry classes to supplement the main lectures.听It was here that I developed a great passion for teaching and continued to do so听for 9 years! Ultimately, I grew a greater and greater desire to engage in the research related to the content I had been teaching and sharing with my students, which meant going to graduate school.听
This realization that graduate school was the next step was a little daunting, as I had not been a student for a while and was definitely older than the average science graduate student. Additionally, I was married and had two kids - the idea of re-entering into this arena seemed unlikely. In spite of听 my uncertainty, I began to explore the world of research and found the highly interdisciplinary field of materials science; particularly, biomaterials.
I am now working in the Bryant Research Lab, a biological and chemical engineering laboratory, studying tissue engineering.听Specifically, I am researching the growth plate and possible treatment approaches for pediatric injuries to this tissue.听Additionally, I have received a traineeship in molecular biophysics to further enhance my ability to examine the various factors that impact my research area.
I love my lab! I have a very supportive and knowledgeable advisor in Stephanie Bryant, and the people that I get to work with on a daily basis are absolutely wonderful.听We have a great community of people who readily learn from and collaborate with one another.听
Why CU Boulder?
I chose to come to CU because there were a number of incredible research areas and opportunities.听The University has established itself as an epicenter for biomaterials innovation, particularly with respect to tissue engineering. Additionally, I have the opportunity to work in collaboration with听 research and clinical groups at the .听In this, I have the unique opportunity to use resources, learn experimental procedures and understand the medical context for the materials I am developing.听I have also been able to work complete my Master鈥檚 degree in education at the CU School of Education.听CU has provided the opportunity to pursue my diverse interests in a meaningful way.听
There are so many resources on campus that I love, like CU鈥檚 (SASC). The SASC is a fantastic program on campus, and I teach chemistry for them.听This program has fostered an incredible community with a dedicated staff and amazing group of students.听Also in the realm of teaching: I love the (ITLL)!听This is a fun space that offers access to a lot of really cool equipment and the training to effectively use it all.听My students also really love getting to explore this space; there are a lot of hands-on opportunities throughout the building.
There are also incredible members of the faculty and staff that I have had the pleasure of getting to work with and know. I have found a great support system on this campus - people who have truly supported my endeavors towards completing my PhD.听Before starting here, I was often told to hide the fact that I had kids - I was told it would be difficult to find an advisor willing to take me or it would create issues within my lab.听I can honestly say that I have not encountered this in my time at CU - that is something I definitely treasure!