Congratulations to SBME undergraduate student Ruth Yu, for completing her BASc in Biomedical Engineering. Learn more about her experiences as an undergraduate student and her plans to pursue graduate school at SBME.
Can you please share a couple highlights from your time in SBME? Favourite projects? Notable achievements?
A highlight is from my time at UBC BIOMOD, a student engineering design team using synthetic biology to tackle healthcare problems. I met and worked with a wonderful group of students on a project to design DNA nanostructures for administering T-cell immunotherapy, which subsequently received Gold at the 2024 BIOMOD competition in Japan. The many late-night experiments together with my team, troubleshooting DNA annealing protocols and gel electrophoresis runs, were undoubtedly some of the best times during my undergrad.
Since my first year I’ve been a part of the Engineers without Borders UBC Chapter. Our goal is to approach problems by both promoting education and awareness, and developing engineering solutions. As a co-president, I enjoyed supporting our four ventures and their engineering/outreach efforts. A highlight for me was also hosting the regional xChange conference in collaboration with EWB Canada, where we convened subject matter experts from academia, industry, and policy to discuss inclusive climate solutions for BC.
One of my favourite technical projects is my capstone project, where my team created a low-cost EMG wearable device to monitor muscular spasms from patients with tetanus. From designing electronic circuitry to analyzing market sizes and commercialization potential, my teammates and I gained firsthand insight into the many moving parts that go into medical device development. We had a blast presenting at the annual Design & Innovation Day and were even more thrilled to receive the Faculty Award for our project.
What was the most fascinating project you got to be a part of or piece of knowledge that you learned in SBME?
My most memorable learning experience started as my first co-op job at Dr. Govind Kaigala’s group. I worked on developing a microfluidic-assisted method for in situ DNA barcoding to enable spatial genomic profiling of prostate tumor tissue. Through this approach, we aimed to identify potential spatial genomic markers associated with aggressive morphologies so more accurate patient stratification and treatment can be developed. It was my first formative research experience, and I learned so much about experimental planning, scientific communication, and proposal-writing…above all, through collaborating with pathologists and clinicians at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, I became interested in research at the intersection of technology development and clinical care, particularly in creating tools that can resolve the molecular identities of cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. I continued with this project throughout the rest of my undergrad and am looking forward to applying our method on clinical samples during my master’s degree.
How do you feel being a part of student groups shaped your experience on campus?
I have a strong appreciation for community and getting involved in student groups. Community isn’t just something people talk about; it grounds you while giving you the confidence to lead, connect with others, and explore new interests. Through my extracurriculars, I’ve been able to recognize and define the values that are important to me: accessible education outreach and good reciprocal mentorship. These are aspects that I intend to continue doing and exploring beyond my undergraduate degree.
What do you find so exciting about biomedical engineering?
I find biomedical engineering exciting for its inherent interdisciplinary nature and emerging role in the healthcare ecosystem. I love that we aren’t confined to one domain—we work across disciplines to solve complex problems, which rarely have purely technical or policy-based solutions. We learn core engineering and fundamental biology, and engage with healthcare and regulatory professionals, so we don’t just “bring” the technology to healthcare—whether it’s an assay, device, or treatment; we also translate and implement it with the right context and healthcare infrastructure. When grounded in both technical rigor and the realities of clinical practice, biomedical engineering has so much potential for positive, lasting impact on medicine and healthcare.
What are your plans for the future or next steps?
I’m spending this summer in Hong Kong for an internship at a Biomedical Instrumentation Centre. I’m also excited to be exploring both Hong Kong’s bustling city and its beautiful countryside. In the fall, I will be starting my master’s at SBME under the supervision of Dr. Aditya Kashyap and Dr. Govind Kaigala. I’m really looking forward to joining the graduate community, as well as continuing to learn and grow with the broader SBME community.