12:30 p.m.

After lunch, I’m off to my Biomaterials and Medical Devices class, one of my Biomedical Engineering (BME) track courses. BME PhD students at Northwestern can choose between multiple focus areas, or “tracks,” and having completed my undergraduate degree in materials science, the Biomaterials track was just right for me. Today, we’re discussing the different ways that biomaterials can be sterilized, including steam, gamma radiation and ethylene oxide-based methods.