The Bigger Picture by Dave

The Bigger Picture by Dave - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

"The Bigger Picture"

The bigger picture for me is to become a Bio-medical engineer within ten years. I want to build robots that can assist in medical surgeries because human error is prevalent and often times inevitable. My grandmother in Florida has had a profound influence in my aspirations for becoming a Bio-medical engineer. For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated with robots and the multitude of benefits that they could provide for humanity, but my curiosity for this particular subject intensified at age eight. At this tender age, my grandmother told me that she suffered from Cataracts as a result of a surgical mishap during surgery. The doctor performing the surgery made a slight miscalculation and took away the very beauty of life that my grandmother so greatly admired: the gift of sight. Ultimately, my grandmother lost most of her vision that day and she has never been the same since. I finally understood why she wore black patches when she left the house and why she would habitually have bouts of depression. Seeing her this way, stripped of the precious beauty of sight, left a void within my heart.

From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to build machines that would prevent others from experiencing my grandmother’s suffering. Machines free of human error. To make my dream of Bio-med come to life, I have partaken in activities such as Robotics and the Student Technology Entry Program (STEP). In Robotics, I am able to immerse myself in the world of robots and in turn, better understand how and why they function. "STEP" on the other hand, is a rigorous research program at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. My group and I consist of the head Chemistry professor and students majoring in Chemical engineering. We get a “hands on experience” by doing everything a scientist would. We conduct research on microscopic organisms and evaluate how certain environmental factors affect them. These organisms are known as “C. elegans” and they are very similar to humans in their anatomical make-up. By conducting experiments on them, we see how humans would fare in certain conditions such as: an increase in toxic levels, increased levels of Glucose, and etc. Observing this permits us to better analyze how and what affects humans both positively and negatively. In effect, this allows us to make better inferences in understanding the capability of humans.

Furthermore, high school was the foundation for me to build upon my aspirations. I not only see the technical side of an engineer’s work, but also the humanitarian perspective. Growing up in my hometown of Westbury, New York, I was exposed to the degrading mentality that my community had towards people of an underprivileged background. By becoming a Bio-medical engineer, I can show my peers who are from a similar environment that they can accomplish their dreams as well. I want them to say, “If Dave can do it, why can’t I?” For me, being an engineer means being someone who aims to better humanity by their skillset. In high school, my community service activities humbled me while my S.T.E.M. clubs augmented my thirst for this particular discipline of engineering. Giving back is a simple concept that my grandmother ingrained within me as a young boy and if I will continue that as an engineer.

With the resources available at Dartmouth College, I will have the chance to explore the intriguing world of engineering as well as broaden my horizon on medicine and how it coincides with engineering. In ten years I hope to revolutionize my field and pave the way for others to follow. All it takes for a tree to sprout is one seed. As the days go by, I continue to draw my bigger picture. As the seconds turn to days, this realization intensifies and ultimately, solidifies. My name is Dave Lacroix and in ten years, I will become a Bio-medical engineer!