Three years ago, my father took me to a public lecture series, called Stem Cells 101, at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health. Over the course of the four lectures, scientists described the functions and potential applications of stem cells. The idea that really captivated me was the possibility of creating synthetic organs in a lab using a patient's own stem cells, especially with the recent discovery of how to derive induced pluripotent stem cells from adult cells. I decided to apply for my school’s Science Research Program. Before I started the program, I used the NYSTEM directory to find and ask local scientists to be my research mentor. After being accepted into a laboratory at RPI, I was exposed to several of the different fields that fall under the umbrella of biomedical research. Much of this was due to the fact that the lab I was accepted into was a materials science and engineering lab. The lab combines laser technology with material science to conduct research with cells for a variety of biomedical applications. I have been able to work on projects involving stem cells, cancer cells, and laser printing. I am in awe of all that could be achieved by biomedical engineering and research, but my primary interest remains with understanding and directing cell signaling. I want to work to control stem cells for the purpose of tissue engineering. I plan to pursue a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering and eventually become a research professor.