Feature Stories 2017: Matthew Phou ’18, two-time scholarship recipient

“UMass Dartmouth is known for engineering and nursing and allowed me to continue my goal in pursuing a bioengineering degree.

I’ve always been interested in the engineering and medical field. Combining those interests led me to major in Bioengineering. Engineers understands how things work and come up with new ideas to improve products or processes through research activity, which often becomes something more useful or environmentally beneficial. I want to be one of those people who not only understands how technology works, but also how the human body works.

Having the opportunity to work in the wet lab allowed me to apply what I learned in my classes in a real-world situation. I learned sterile techniques, how to take readings on cell growth/cell density, how to transform and modify bacteria, how to do PCR, and how to run a gel to look at DNA. The research along with the course work is preparing me to be a knowledgeable engineer. I am also a member in the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) club and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE).

My interest in the medical field is more personal. Before my freshman year of high school, my grandma suffered a serious injury. Even though she rested and took the required medications, there were times she didn’t feeling well and I wished I had a medical background to help her heal. This gravitated me toward the medical side of bioengineering.

Because the medical field is growing rapidly, UMass Dartmouth was the best choice for me to attend. Receiving the scholarship has helped me contribute to funding my own education and allowed me to alleviate some financial pressure.”

"Receiving the scholarship has helped me contribute to funding my own education and allowed me to alleviate some financial pressure.”