Composites: Biomedical Engineering Student Joyce Lin Brings Biotech and Classical Music 'In Concert'

Navigating the demanding academic and research responsibilities of an engineering student can be overwhelming at times. However, Joyce Lin, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major, has found respite in pursuing a minor in music. Hailing from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Lin has found a way to bring together her love for biotechnology and classical music in perfect harmony.  

"By doing a music minor, I have a way to adjust my mindset from the stress of schoolwork," she said. "They don't have much overlap but keeping up with my hobbies gives me some space between my workload." 

Her workload consists of engineering coursework, memberships in the Society of Women Engineers and the Biomedical Engineering Society and an internship through the Provost’s Undergraduate Fellowship in Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Cheemeng Tan's lab focused on "cyborg cells."  

These "cyborg cells" could become strong candidates for cancer treatment and even vaccines. 

For Lin, the research is just as fascinating as her collaboration with other lab members. 

"What stood out to me first is the approach of making cyborg bacteria as an alternative to other therapies, which don't usually have the mobility to target tumors and cause damage to other parts of the body," she said. "I really enjoy brainstorming with the other members and Dr. Tan, since they always give out new thoughts." 

When she's not working in Tan Lab or class, she's practicing piano in the Ann E. Pitzer Center and embodying her own advice of having the "courage to try everything and believe you can achieve it."