Diving straight into the foundational courses at Tufts can seem very daunting as a first-year engineering student. Between Chemistry 1, Biology 13 and Physics 11, the transition from high school to college is infamously steep. Physics 11, however, is known for a quirk that has made many students intrigued and terrified over the past two fall semesters: It’s completely ungraded.
For most science students, it can seem that there are only two paths open after one earns a Ph.D. — being a professor or working in a privately-funded lab. Regardless, this confines scientists to a laboratory. Yet, careers in science can extend to nearly any field, even the humanities. At a recent event hosted by the Tufts School of Engineering’s Biotechnology Industry Series, Dr. Atsuko Polzin (GBS’01), senior vice president and head of intellectual property at Scholar Rock, shared her path from research in neurobiology to intellectual property law which beautifully illustrates the diverse roles sciences can have in biotechnology.
For most students, science is limited to the lab bench — pipetting solutions and taking precise measurements to check the validity of their hypothesis. Yet, beyond the world of the wet lab, quietly supporting scientific discovery, is the high-stress, high-reward business of biotechnology. Last week, Ted Myles, chief executive officer of Cellarity, came to speak at Tufts as part of the School of Engineering’s Biotechnology Industry Series. He spoke candidly about his journey, sharing several insights into the lessons that have shaped both him and his career.
