Bhavya Prakash Gupta SEBS'25

I chose the SEBS biochemistry program, because I wanted to learn what keeps us alive. This broad question necessitates a broad interdisciplinary curriculum that allows students to design and take control of their education. That's exactly what SEBS offered! Through the core classes, I built a foundation of biochemistry principles, and then I had the freedom to learn about the tiniest organisms to building computational models for proteins to understanding how drugs like Ozempic work. The specific tracks allowed me to dabble and taste different disciplines, and when I stumbled upon toxicology, my academic advisors and professors supported me in how to best structure my classes for my future career plans. Another facet of coursework that I appreciated was the gradual and steady increase in complexity and nuance. Each class builds on top of the other and you're often left with a refined and beautiful understanding of science. Lastly, The emphasis on experiential learning propelled me to find internship and research opportunities early and apply my classroom skills in real-world applications.

The breakthrough moment in my studies happened during my Aresty Summer Science Symposium in the summer before sophomore year.

I worked on a mini-research project under Dr. Harini Sampath, and I presented my findings in a poster session with other students. My project focused on a DNA repair enzyme that mysteriously affected body weight maintenance and regulated lipid metabolism. To get to the interesting details of research, I had to jump numerous hurdles of heavy scientific jargon. So I would create analogies, narrated through storytelling, related to everyday experiences to make the presentation more engaging. I didn't win the best presentation award (unfortunately :)) but I remember that high school students and parents of presenters really understood my presentation. At that moment, I realized how I liked presenting and communicating science. And through classes like Biochemical Communications and Ethics in Biochem, I had the opportunity to hone that scientific communication muscle. So much so that I even joined the Daily Targum to write about scientific research happening across Rutgers Campuses.