Destini Wiseman, a graduate student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME), has lived through the best and worst of modern-day medicine.
Growing up in southern Ohio, she saw the prescription opioid epidemic ravage her hometown. Then, her sophomore year of college was disrupted by a global pandemic. As scientists raced to develop the COVID vaccine, Wiseman learned in her science courses how relatively new mRNA technology made the development possible.
Those experiences reinforced for Wiseman the wide-ranging influence of science and medicine. She wanted to play a role in ensuring that developments in the lab made people’s lives better.
“Life is hard,” said Wiseman, who had family and friends succumb to opioid addiction. “People face roadblocks that aren’t necessarily their fault. For those who have struggled, I want them to know that I will use my knowledge to be their advocate.”
Aside from learning about innovations like the mRNA technology, Wiseman had not considered a career in bioengineering. After deciding not to pursue medical school, Wiseman moved to Chicago to study metabolic inflammation in the laboratory of Ada Weinstock, UChicago assistant professor of medicine. In Wiseman’s role as a research technician, she visited other research groups and attended conferences with Weinstock. Again, she saw bioengineering at work.
“So much progress we see in healthcare today comes from bioengineering,” Wiseman said. “Vaccines are engineering. Insulin patches are engineering. It’s so amazing that science and engineering are able to affect our lives.”
Her experiences in Weinstock’s lab put Wiseman’s career path into greater focus: she wanted to develop vaccines and other therapies, especially those that can advance women’s health. She searched for a graduate program that could deepen her understanding of engineering and offer her a fast path to impact.
With a focus on engineering, leadership, and business, the Master of Engineering (MEng) program at UChicago PME offered Wiseman the knowledge she needed. The three-pronged approach gives students the knowledge to develop breakthroughs in the lab, the ability to evaluate them for commercialization, and the skills to communicate across an organization about the discovery’s value.
“If the goal is to develop a product that can significantly change people’s lives, then I need to understand commercialization and patents,” said Wiseman, who is on the bio- and immunology engineering track.
As a first-generation college graduate, Wiseman also appreciates how MEng balances leading-edge education with practical advice. For instance, the required Innovation Leadership Workshop teaches MEng students how to communicate one-on-one and in groups, and how to overcome and benefit from differences among team members. Staff and leadership also actively encourage people in the program to network and use their career services.
“If you don't have family that has been through higher ed, there are things you just don't know,” Wiseman said. “I learned quickly that UChicago PME faculty wanted to share their knowledge and staff wanted to support me. Being able to have a community help guide me has been helpful.”
—Learn more about the Master of Engineering degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering