Why Engineering? I was a biology major, but then I saw the kinds of hands-on work engineers get to do. You learn to think analytically, and you learn to problem-solve. With an engineering education, I could get a job in lots of different fields. I used to work for a company that made devices for open-heart surgery. The job was very hands-on. I helped test tools that surgeons use to position the heart. Amazing stuff to think about!
My Day At Work As a mechanical engineering student, Chi-An had an extraordinary opportunity: she collaborated with the athletic product company, New Balance, to design a new shoe for triathlon runners. Chi-An, who is herself a runner, realized that triathletes lose valuable time in the transition from cycling to running. Her ingenious design allows the runners to switch shoes quickly and with much less effort.
Want to be an Engineer? Creativity is no doubt one of the major building blocks of a good engineer. An engineer’s goal is to solve a problem or design a system that has never been built. The more creative you are, the more possible solutions you'll come up with. Communication is also key. It doesn’t matter how good your work is—if you can’t communicate it, it’s not going to be very useful.
Additional Thoughts Chi-An’s work may lead to better treatments and care for people with life-threatening illnesses. She’s a mechanical engineer who helps to ensure the quality of state-of-the-art medical devices called GeneChip DNA probes. These highly sensitive probes can be used to detect certain diseases and may radically change how they are diagnosed and treated.
Hobbies I run triathlons and other races, and coach. I love traveling, mountain-biking, swimming, and kayaking.