Neha Datta
Bioengineering/Chemistry

Néha has always been passionate about science, so she knew she wanted to go to a school that included undergraduates in research. In addition to Rice, Néha was accepted at Stanford, Duke, and Johns Hopkins. For her, the decision came down to what each school offered in scholarship support and education quality. Rice offered her the most support and the opportunity to work with one of the university’s top researchers, Dr. Antonios Mikos, the John W. Cox Professor and Director of the Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering. Since joining Dr. Mikos’ bone tissue engineering team, Néha has authored three publication articles and has presented her research findings at international conferences––all accomplishments many graduate students don’t even achieve. However, her most life–changing experience came this past summer, when she was selected as one of 27 students from across the nation to participate in Baylor College of Medicine’s Michael DeBakey Summer Surgery Program. Néha was assigned to the congenital heart surgery team and had the opportunity to travel with lung and heart transplant teams, observe cardiothoracic procedures, and learn about life as a surgeon. "These experiences have solidified my desire to become an innovative surgeon––to use my background as a biomedical engineer to advance the frontier of medicine," Néha says. She currently is applying to medical schools. "While the process is very nerve–racking, it is also thrilling to know I will be able to use my studies to improve the quality of life for others." Néha says her decision to attend Rice was one of the best ones she has made in her life so far. "I know none of these experiences would have been possible without generous support from scholarship donors. I have been fortunate to meet some of the most stimulating people ever and would not trade any of my experiences for the world because they define the very reason why I am glad I came to Rice." Read more about Néha: A rare feat for young scientist: Rice undergrad is lead author on bone research in prestigious journal (Houston Chronicle, 2-14-06) Student’s research appears in national journal (Rice News, 2-23-06)