DLS Student Ambassador
- Michelle Brown
- Major: Biological Sciences
- Minor(s): Computer Science
- Graduation Year: 2025
- What are you doing currently doing, and what do you enjoy most about it?:
I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Data Science at UPenn, and I graduate in Spring of 2027. What I enjoy the most is being surrounded by people at the frontiers of their specialties and being exposed to so many different applications of data science. It is very exciting to see such passion and research and creativity every day.
- Why did you choose your major and what did you like most about it?:
I chose biology because of its broad relevance to a variety of research topics and careers. I wanted to be able to take as many different types of electives as possible, from immunology to genetics to organic chemistry and beyond. Because of this flexibility, I was able to experience a lot of different fields and choose the one I wanted to pursue, which was machine learning for drug discovery.
- What was your favorite class and why?:
My favorite class was General Physics 1 & 2 with Dr. Brahmia. He is brilliant and made me love something so far from my major. Turns out, everything I learned in that class has been very useful as I’ve moved into studying molecular dynamics, and I am very grateful for the strong foundation.
- Looking back, what classes or experiences at Rutgers would you point to as contributing to your successes?:
The one experience that stands out the most to me was doing biological research for credit from sophomore year through senior year. In particular, my first lab was a very eye opening experience, as I got to be involved in every single step of the research process: from design experimentation to mouse dissection to sectioning to staining to imaging to data analysis to automating that data analysis process. I had so much fun every step of the way, and of course it was in this lab that I found my true calling in those later stages: data analytics and automation.
- What advice do you have for our current students?:
You are not tied down to your major. Maybe everyone around you is pre-med, but you can choose any path you want after undergrad. Don’t choose classes just because they are easy A’s, choose classes that are actually interesting and useful to you. Your education is in your own hands.