Alumni Profile
 Kristin Bernick

Biomedical Engineering '06

Kristin Bernick pursued life-changing research experience as an undergraduate in the College of Engineering. Now in her second year as a Ph.D. student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bernick was sad to leave UC Davis, 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 also credits research opportunities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Bay Area and the National Science Foundation (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 explains. 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 adds.

The 2006 winner of the M.S. Ghausi Medal—the highest academic honor the College of Engineering can bestow on a graduating senior—did not plan to go to graduate school when she arrived at UC Davis as a freshman. "My experiences here shaped that dream. Everyone at UC Davis encouraged me, especially my professors," she says. Bernick now works in a lab at MIT under Professor Subra Suresh, researching mechanical properties of single neurons as well as what happens at the single cell level after traumatic brain injury. Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, she continues her research and education with the hope that she will make a difference in other peoples’ lives.