The Secret to Her Success

Kristin Bernick '06 

The secret to doing well in a huge university, according to biomedical engineering graduate Kristin Bernick '06, is to begin by focusing on something that interests you and get involved in a club or activity. “It's a place to start. Then you have the space to realize and explore all the opportunities that are there for you at UC Davis. Otherwise, it can be overwhelming,” explained the 2006 winner of the Ghausi Medal, the highest academic honor the College of Engineering can bestow on a graduating senior.

Bernick, whose research has focused on DNA repair during her undergraduate career, left for graduate school at MIT in August. It was sad to leave, she said, especially the lab she had been working in since sophomore year. “They gave me my own projects to work on and encouraged me to take them as far as I could. It was a great experience.” She credits this and other experiences - working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, located in the Bay Area near San Francisco, exposure to talks, other students and research opportunities at the NSF Center for Biophotonics Science & Technology Center in Sacramento - for broadening her horizons.

“Also, the ability to participate in undergraduate research conferences is a way to safely try your wings as a researcher,” Bernick explained. Biomedical engineering assistant professor Angie Louie had encouraged Bernick and other students to present, even if their research projects were in early stages. “That stimulates a lot of productive problem solving,” Bernick explained.

Bernick, who grew up near Santa Cruz, plans a career as a research scientist. She said she really had not planned to go to graduate school when she arrived at UC Davis. “My experiences here shaped that dream. Everyone at UC Davis encouraged me, especially my professors,” she said. Now, she plans a career in biomedical research that she hopes will make a positive difference in other people's lives.