Meet Sam Stuart
Sam Stuart graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Materials Engineering, Minoring in Bioengineering and Business from the University of Toronto in 2019. Sam is currently pursuing her Masters of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto, with the Frank Gu Lab. She is fascinated by the intersections of materials science and data science. Her masters research combines experimentation and machine learning to quantify the mysterious polymer-protein behaviour of nanoparticle drug delivery systems. This will improve their clinical translation, and eventually save lives!
A STEM outreach advocate and proud alumni of the Canada Wide Science Fair, Sam has returned to the CWSF four times as an Ambassador to mentor and energize Canada's top young scientists (and embarrass herself dancing). She has been recognized as a University of Toronto National Scholar and Wilson Academic medal recipient for achieving top academic honours in undergraduate materials engineering at the University of Toronto. In a feat that is even more exciting, she has also given a TEDx talk, spilling the secret roles that engineers play in society. Check out her talk if you want to learn about what having an engineering degree can do for your future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH6vjvyXjFs&t=1s
Among her favourite things are sushi, cats, books, skiing, and music. She chose to study engineering to have a backup in the event her career as an opera singer didn't pan out. (Only half a joke). Sam is excited to now be pursuing a career in data science, starting with a summer internship in Big Data & Analytics at Amazon Web Services over the summer of 2021.
When did your love of STEM begin?
It's hard to say exactly. I was not a traditional "engineer" pulling things apart or getting my hands dirty as a kid, and I was bored by LEGO robotics in high school. I wanted to be an animator at Pixar growing up, because I was always fascinated by computers and creative problem solving, and drew my own comic books. I also tried to teach myself how to code several times in high school (unsuccessfully). Eventually I decided on materials engineering, because I loved my high school chemistry classes, and was truly fascinated by the science behind flexible panels of light (made from a magical technology called the organic light emitting diode!) that the materials department showed at a UofT Engineering March Break Open House.
What really sealed the deal in STEM for me in high school was participation in the Canada Wide Science Fair (2012 PEI and 2013 Lethbridge). Winning a gold medal for my passion project on the statistics and psychology of social media addiction changed my life, and inspired me to believe I could solve challenges much larger than myself. It was also incredible to meet the other science fair finalists - many of whom have continued to be my inspiration in the academic research world, and close friends!
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
You learn how to learn while studying STEM. The rest is about chasing what inspires you, leading a healthy life, and not being afraid to fail.
Once you've built a base in STEM, you can go anywhere. I am only able to pursue my masters degree in machine learning for nanomedicine because I pursued my chemistry-heavy undergraduate degree in materials science first! Overall, it is extremely powerful to see what STEM knowledge in the hands of creative people can do for the world. There is more to learn in STEM than anyone will ever know, and because of that the inspiration is bottomless.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
Don’t let short term struggles define your potential! I struggled early on academically with math and programming, despite my passion for it. Before discovering I wanted to pursue data science at age 24 I experimented by working in materials research, intellectual property, quality engineering for surgical robots, contact lens design, and even deuterium and hydrogen technology!