Natalie Kuldell (00:03):
Hi Bryan, thank you for joining today.
Bryan Hirsch (00:05):
Hi. Thank you for having me.
Natalie Kuldell (00:07):
I’m really glad you’re here. And excited to hear more about the work that you are doing. So maybe you could introduce yourself and say where you study and a little bit about what you do.
Bryan Hirsch (00:17):
Sure. So, like you said, my name’s Bryan. I’m a first year PhD student at Tufts University. I did my undergrad at Hofstra University and right now I’m working in a biomaterials lab where my focus is mostly in bio-electronics where I’m trying to move towards focusing on imaging with that modality and trying to improve the use in imaging in the medical community.
Natalie Kuldell (00:47):
So, so you’ve started to touch on a lot of my questions. So biomaterial, bio-electronics imaging. But it sounds like the application space for this is medical. Is that the ultimate, what, what would be the ultimate goal and the ultimate great outcome from your work?
Bryan Hirsch (01:01):
That would be my ultimate goal. Depend, like I said, I’m a first year, so my specific project for my PhD proposal and thesis hasn’t been determined yet, so I don’t know which way that’s gonna go. But my ultimate goal would be like a medical application of imaging to really try and improve upon the imaging modalities out there. So you have the x-rays and the CTs that work well, but they release a lot of radiation depending on how much you use them within the body and how often. So then you have the other modalities of MRI and ultrasound that are much better in terms of there’s no ionizing radiation, and then it’s just a balancing of resolution and what specific body part and area you need to focus on. So if I can some way develop something that maybe optimizes the resolution without having to have like such a long scan over such a set amount of time, that would be ideal. Obviously there, there’s a lot of integrating parts that can go into this and it’s just right now thoughts in my head, but we’ll see where it goes over time.
Natalie Kuldell (02:13):
I, I think it’s amazing and I think you’re working right at that interface of many different sort of silos or what had been silos of fields, right? Biology and physics and image analysis, which is often computer science. So how great to be truly interdisciplinary. That’s, that’s I think where the greatest advances are gonna come is at the interface of these for sure. Or some great advances, great advances within. Sure. cool. But like how, how did you land at Tufts as a first year PhD student? What did you study as an undergrad?
Bryan Hirsch (02:48):
So I studied biomedical engineering as an undergrad and I did work in my university’s ultrasound lab. And really it was just a matter of when I was looking to start a PhD program out of undergrad, I was looking at the different programs out there and what different labs were at each university and where my interests lie. And it was really a means of the lab that I’m associated with now and the research that they’re doing really connected with me and I was like, I gotta be a part of that lab. So luckily it all worked out in the end and I wound up being where I wanted to be. So it’s, it’s a really promising start.
Natalie Kuldell (03:29):
That is a really wonderful story. Very important, too, because I think the process of applying to undergraduate and the process of applying to a PhD program like you’ve recently done, the way you search, the way the list you generate is done quite differently. And so I think that’s yeah, that’s a really important and often, you know, not obvious next step about education in, science. So, so that’s great. So you’re new, are you still taking coursework as part of your PhD?
Bryan Hirsch (04:04):
I am. So we have, if you depends if you come in with a master’s or not going into the program, I did not. So I have to take a few more courses than those who did. But it’s good, it gets me integrated with the university and the lab slowly, so I’m not just jumping head first in either direction. And it also allows me to take some foundational courses that can help with the fundamentals that I’m gonna need going forward. And it definitely shows me a different learning and teaching strategy than my other university. So it really has a holistic influence on what I’ll be looking at going forward, where I’m gonna spend the next hopefully, like, five years on a project and getting my doctorate degree. So yeah, really, really good.
Natalie Kuldell (04:50):
I, I think it’s, it’s really good and I, and I love the open-minded and open-heartedness that you’re approaching it with because I think the coursework can, like you say, if you’re in a new place, things are done differently, taught differently, learn differently, you’re in with new students, it gives you a chance to meet them, you get to meet more faculty and really build your network while you’re learning the coursework and ultimately the grades don’t really matter. So, you know, as long you’re passing the courses, you’re, you’re gonna make it through your PhD. So that’s that is awesome. So I’m so glad that you’re settling in and that the first semester and the first year are going well for you. So biomedical as an undergrad is somewhat specific, right? So, so when you were in high school, was there an experience that led you to know that you wanted to do biomedical engineering or or it just was something that you developed as a interest once you got to school, once you got to college?
Bryan Hirsch (05:46):
So I can’t really pinpoint an exact time where I was like, that’s what I want, but I always had this interest in medicine but this interest also in just like building and putting things together. So when I was looking at undergraduate degrees and I knew I wanted to do something engineering, the biomedical engineering sort of put all together because I felt like just the biology or just the natural sciences, not that they’re limiting in any way, but they were much more theory and science-based where I wanted to do more applications and practical stuff. So the biomedical engineer really put it all together and it allowed me to take both interests and flourish it into something new.
Natalie Kuldell (06:31):
I think that’s great. I did not fully appreciate how satisfying it is to actually engineer and build something like, as part of the, the connection between, as you say the, the natural sciences and the actual like almost entrepreneurial spirit that engineering has to meet a need and solve a problem. So I think that’s, that’s very cool. And if you were still in high school and you know now what, what do you wish you had known then that you currently know now?
Bryan Hirsch (07:08):
I would say one large thing is to expose yourself to as much as possible and really try to find that one thing that you care about and that you’re passionate about. Because then it makes everything going forward a little bit more worthwhile but also a little bit more enjoyable. So even when things get tough or you’re in a class where it’s like, this class is a drag, if the material interests you, it’s a little bit easier to get through it because you care and you want to do well in it. So you want to learn that material v`ersus if you’re just going with the flow and following the motions, it, it’s harder to keep that going and keep the motivation there. So I think the key as early as possible, but obviously there’s no reason to like stress people out if they haven’t found what they want. It comes at everyone’s own stage in life and has its own impact. But if you can find what you love to do, then I think that’s the biggest factor. And I think exposing yourself to as much as possible is the way to do it.
Natalie Kuldell (08:09):
I think that is such great advice because I, I do get questions emailed to me students saying, you know, what should I take if I wanna be a synthetic biologist, what should I do? What, what should I study? And a lot of times it really boils down to exactly what you said, which is, you know, what’s interesting to you, what do you want to learn more about? Because it is an interconnected world and you know, if you are super excited about government policy, right? That factors into synthetic biology as well. If you like art and design, that factors into synthetic biology as well. So you really do, like you say, sort of benefit from dabbling and figuring out where your strengths are, what is most resonant for you as an individual and then you have this large playing field of, of knowledge that you can draw from. So I think that’s excellent advice. I think that’s great. So so let’s see what, what comes next for you in your PhD? More coursework? Are you ready to get into the lab or…?
Bryan Hirsch (09:07):
So I still have a few more courses this semester. I have a bunch of courses and then it’s more dwindled down and then is the qualifying exam. But after that part it’s starting to pick a project and work towards the proposal that I gotta write. So now at this point it’s just I’m getting my feet wet in the lab, doing little projects here and there with the other students and really just getting accustomed with their process and the whole lab’s, just, atmosphere so that once I’m at that start I can just go running forward and not have to first get ready and get set.
Natalie Kuldell (09:47):
Yep, I am sure you will hit the ground running. It sounds like you have a very strong foundation and a real lot of clarity about what you wanna do. So maybe I’ll just put it out there that once you get sort of into the thick of it, maybe we’ll revisit and I’d love to hear how your project is going. I’m sure it’s gonna go great. Thank you so much for sharing your path.
Bryan Hirsch (10:08):
Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thanks.
Natalie Kuldell (10:11):
Awesome.