The Women in Science and Engineering Program (WiSE) is hosting a series of talks aimed at connecting undergraduate and graduate students in STEM with USC WiSE alumni this fall semester. Alumni are invited back to share their career path, what helped them persevere, and why they encourage students to continue on their STEM paths.
Speakers:
Heidi Tu, PhD in Biomedical Engineering, USC
Dr. Heidi Tu has bachelor’s degrees in BME and German from UT Austin and a PhD in BME from USC, which she earned as a member of Dr. Ellis Meng’s Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory. Supported by a Viterbi Dean’s Doctoral Fellowship and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, she developed small implantable drug delivery devices for applications including eye disease and cancer treatment. Dr. Tu’s academic work was recognized with the Best Dissertation Award and has been featured in over a dozen scientific conferences and journals.
After graduation, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she now develops commercial products for medical and life sciences applications. Dr. Tu is currently a Staff Mechanical Engineer at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, doing Zoom yoga with friends, and trying new foods.
Luann Raposo, MS in Product Development Engineering, USC
Luann graduated with a BS in Biomedical Engineering (Mechanical Emphasis) from USC in May 2019 and then graduated with her MS in Product Development Engineering in December 2019 through USC’s Progressive Degree Program (PDP). While at USC she was involved in research, ASBME, WiSE, internships, study abroad, and a number of other organizations. After graduating, she did a Fulbright English Teaching Fellowship in Spain. In May 2020, Luann began working as a Process Development Engineer in New Product Introduction for Abbott’s Heart Failure Division. She and her team are developing an alternate power system for the HeartMate 3, a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), to improve patients’ quality of life.
Register here: tinyurl.com/WiSETuRaposo
