Originally on a Biomedical/Pre-Med track as a freshman at Liberty High Magnet School, Tiara T. Britten had yet to discover the complexities of engineering. Though it was somewhat of a foreign concept, Britten’s ninth grade teacher saw her prior coding experience and encouraged her to learn more by switching to the Pre-engineering track her sophomore year. Upon entering the program, Britten attended her first class, Principles of Engineering, which introduced ten different engineering disciplines, including Biomedical Engineering.
Once in the program Britten’s pre-engineering course work included 3D modeling, building and programming circuits in Aruidno, and practicing the execution of the engineering design process to come up with solutions to complex problems in many different applications. Britten’s favorite memory from the LSU Pathways Program was the moment she finally achieved claw functionality within the Biomedical Engineering unit in Principles of Engineering. Utilizing her knowledge of Arduino code, Britten and her partner successfully programmed a VEX Claw with a Myoware sensor device, which stimulated a prosthetic hand to open and close concurrently with the muscle contractions of a bicep stagnant and flexing. A spectacular achievement for Britten’s younger self that increased her passion to continue pursuing STEM and specifically biomedical engineering.
Currently involved in multiple engagements, Britten does not have any time to waste. She is a member of the five-person Louisiana State University Community Playground Project Design Team, which utilizes 3D modeling to construct safe, accessible playgrounds across the state, with their most recent design being built in Baldwin, Louisiana. Britten credits the LSU Pathways Program for introducing the concept of 3D design early in high school, which gave her the necessary skills to feel confident when joining the team. Additionally, Britten serves as a teaching assistant for a classroom version of the CPP Playground Design Team. She helps guide underclassmen through the playground design process, with their most recent design going to Southdown Elementary School. Lastly, on top of her on-campus work, Britten is also a student worker at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, specifically working in the Clinical Chemistry Core. She oversees the tracking and shipping of all the samples from various studies, including some that are decades old and helps reorganize the freezer barn to make everything traceable. Britten also utilizes Microsoft Excel to log and digitize everything electronically to make it easier to store and track sample information for the research center.
Britten states that the LSU STEM Pathways Program provided her with a vast amount of experience, helping her forge the path to the work she does today. The program challenged her critical thinking skills and presented hands-on learning experiences regularly. It also cultivated an environment where Britten could get ample education on various concentrations of engineering and grow her confidence in STEM curriculum. Britten’s advice to students who want to pursue STEM is to remain open-minded when taking classes, especially when enrolled in Principles of Engineering because it opens the doors to the world of engineering. In five years, Britten wishes to build and manage her own medical device company, with various locations across the nation.
