Lucy Zhao ’24: “Exploring Different Fields of Study Is My Responsibility as a Global Citizen”
A recent graduate in biological engineering with a political science concentration, Lucy Zhao ’24 gravitated toward courses and projects that centered around community health. “Once you’re able to delve into communities and have a local impact, that’s where the core of the solution is,” she says. Her compassion for people has led her to health care research and policy, and her journey is continuing at Harvard Medical School, where she is currently a student. As an MIT undergraduate, she received scholarship support from the Lois J. and James A. Champy Scholarship Fund.
Q: What was the most interesting research project you did at MIT and why?
A: I did a research project for three years with the Langer Laboratory/Traverso Group at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, developing an autonomous gastric balloon that can help support weight loss. We developed a device that could be swallowed and then self-inflate and deflate in the stomach, passing through the gastrointestinal tract at the conclusion of its lifetime. That project was important to me because I got to lead several aspects of the optimization and design of the technology. Science is never very clear-cut. It’s always a cycle of reimagining and reengineering.
Q: What community service projects did you work on as an undergraduate, and how did MIT play a role in that work?
A: One of the most important experiences I had at MIT was through the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center. I received funding to support my work with the CDC Foundation on the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and communicating the importance of vaccination in an equitable way. I’ve also worked with the Boston Children’s Hospital to help found a program that supports underserved girls in STEM, which is funded by the MIT Community Service Fund. It’s been rewarding to see how those girls come in for a week of our program and come out feeling so much more confident in themselves and their career prospects.
Q: You were an Emerson/Harris Scholar and a member of the Chamber Music Society. How did music affect your MIT experience?
A: I think it’s so important at MIT to be able to de-stress and relax. For me, that’s through music, particularly through piano and singing. Being able to meditate, just being quiet and listening to your soul and what your heart says, helps me have a clear mind and think more logically as a scientist. Many things in the real world are messy, and in order to be able to apply key technologies in that messy world, you have to understand the beauty of art and the flexibility and creativity that it brings.
Q: You managed a team for TEDxMIT, a program that brings in MIT-based speakers to present in the famous TED Talk format. How was that experience and what did you learn?
A: It was such a joy because my team members, who were fellow students, were just incredibly creative and dedicated people. I like creating spaces for others to develop the next big idea. Two things I learned were how to cultivate environments where people feel safe to share their opinions and how to merge my teammates’ unique skill sets together to create something amazing.
Q: If you were to give a TED Talk, what would it be about?
A: I’ve interned in government, across the private sector, and in academia. These sectors were crucial to addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, so I’d want to give a talk about how much power there is in creating intersections to solve public health problems. But I’m also a big jokester, so I would love to give a talk about humor and how to bring it into more areas of our lives. Laughing at myself and not taking things too seriously has been something I’ve learned to do as an MIT student.
Q: How did scholarship support affect your outlook while at MIT?
A: I come from a single-parent family, and so in the past, I didn’t see responsibility and exploration as things that could mesh. With scholarship support, I really learned that those two things aren’t just compatible but are essential parts of each other. Receiving a scholarship that opened these doors showed me that exploring different fields of study is actually my responsibility as a global citizen. That realization has made me a better engineer and has helped motivate me to fulfill my responsibility of serving others.
Q: What is one thing that you’ve done at MIT that your younger self would be impressed by?
A: So many things. Sometimes it’s easy to look from the outside and be impressed by tangible achievements, but I think my younger self would be impressed by how I’ve grown in developing relationships with my absolutely fantastic mentors and professors. They’ve guided me through the ups and downs of life, career decisions, research papers, how to be a better communicator, and everything in between. And of course, the friends I’ve met who continually encourage and challenge me. Just having them by my side is such a blessing, too.
This article was written by Julianne Massa, a 2024 Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Summer Intern.