Congratulations to SBME Undergraduate Student, Sogand Golshahian, for completing her BASc in Biomedical Engineering. Learn more about her experiences as an undergraduate student in SBME her plans to pursue grad school at SBME.
Can you please share a couple highlights from your time in SBME? Favourite projects? Notable achievements?
I would say some of the biggest highlights for me were getting to work on curriculum development and teaching at the undergraduate level. I had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible teaching faculty and students on SBME’s undergraduate design courses, helping to incorporate sustainability principles and tools into the design curriculum. I was also involved in the redesign of BMEG 371: Transport Phenomena in Cells and Tissues, and I had the chance to serve as a TA for the course while those changes were being implemented, which was an incredibly meaningful experience.
Being able to have a direct impact on student learning and to connect with younger students was one of the most rewarding parts of my time at SBME. It is something I truly valued, and I hope to continue contributing to the curriculum in the future.
Another major highlight was the opening of the new SBME building! It was incredibly special to see our community finally gathered in one space, teaching, researching, and innovating together. I am very excited to see all the amazing work that will continue to emerge from that building in the years ahead.
What was the most fascinating project you got to be a part of or piece of knowledge that you learned in SBME?
Definitely my Capstone project! My team worked on developing a spasm monitoring device for tetanus patients in low-resource settings. The goal was to support ICU nurses in better tracking the severity and frequency of muscle spasms, which are a major concern in generalized tetanus. The project was definitely outside of my usual area of expertise, but that is exactly what made it so fascinating. I learned a lot about working with stakeholders and clients, especially when the problem is complex and there is limited background literature or precedent to guide the design process.
One of the most valuable lessons I took away was how to break down a problem that feels overwhelming into smaller, manageable components, and to adapt quickly as the project evolves. Additionally, our client was based in Tanzania, and being able to work on a project that had real-world impact in a global health context was very fulfilling, and it made me even more passionate about designing biomedical solutions that are accessible and practical in under-resourced healthcare environments.
How do you feel being a part of student groups/Capstone shaped your experience on campus?
They surely shaped my undergraduate experience in a very positive way. These opportunities exposed me to real-world applications of what we were learning and helped me develop practical skills that go beyond theory; things like leadership, networking, teamwork, communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.
In many ways, these experiences were the heart of my undergraduate experience. They truly helped me grow and feel more connected to the broader community on campus. They also made my journey feel more personal and dynamic, and gave me chances to explore interests I never would have discovered through coursework alone.
There are so many opportunities available during undergrad, and if you take the time to explore them, stay curious, and follow what excites you, you will get so much more out of the experience than just academics!
What do you find so exciting about biomedical engineering?
The incredible interdisciplinary nature of the field! I know the word “interdisciplinary” is used often in SBME, but it truly captures the essence of what makes this field so unique. You are constantly bridging biology with technology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and those are just the broad areas. Within each of those, there are countless subfields and specializations. What I find so powerful is that all of this comes together with the shared goal of improving human health and quality of life. It is also such a rapidly growing field, with endless room for innovation and discovery. That is what makes it so exciting to be a part of.
Health is such a fundamental part of every person’s life, and being able to contribute to improving it feels both humbling and empowering. There is a quote that says: “You have many problems in life, until you have a health problem. Then you only have one problem.” And I could not agree more. As biomedical engineers, having the opportunity to improve people’s health, directly or indirectly, is both a tremendous privilege and a serious responsibility. It is this combination of science, humanity, and impact that makes the field so beautiful to me.
What are your plans for the future or next steps?
I will be continuing my studies at SBME by starting a Master’s degree in the Kelly McNagny lab. I am so excited to continue being a part of this community and to dive deeper into research related to immunology! I am especially looking forward to exploring how the immune system changes in different disease states and how we can use that knowledge to better understand human health. I feel incredibly grateful to keep learning, growing, and contributing to something that I am passionate about, and I cannot wait to see where this next chapter leads!