HEALTH CHALLENGES WITH ENGINEERING

NICOLE COUTURIER ’19 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING HOMETOWN: Gaithersburg, Maryland

Blending Disciplines

Although she knew she wanted to be a scientist, Nicole Couturier started her college career at Montgomery College as part of their humanities program. As she earned an interdisciplinary associate degree that crossed the arts, history, and literature, she deepened her work by layering on classes in science and bioengineering.

Finding Her Path

When Nicole, a U-RISE scholar, began exploring options to get involved with research, she wasn’t sure which direction to take. She was intrigued to learn about the interdisciplinary approach taken in UMBC Labs that combine engineering, biology, and human health.

She joined the lab and began studying the properties of gold nanoparticles that can potentially be used as immunotherapy agents. She’s fascinated by all the possibilities offered by immunoengineering.

“Our lab looks at how we can engineer the immune system to do what we want,” she explains. “We want to influence it so that we can treat diseases like cancer.”

Embracing Uncertainty and Exploration

Mentors encouraged Couturier to explore and expand the scope of her work and helped her keep her expectations in check.

Thanks to her experiences at UMBC and guidance from faculty, Nicole’s embracing the spirit of discovery as she pursues a graduate degree in biomedical engineering at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.