As both an iCons graduate, the most recent recipient of the Mahoney Alumni Award for iCons, and an instructor of the new iCons course, ICONS 390BH Integrated Discovery Lab in Biomedicine, Erica Light has made a name for herself in the program.
Alongside Martin Hunter of the Biomedical Engineering Department, Light’s new laboratory course combines biomedical engineering techniques with innovative, student-driven problem-solving. Students have the opportunity to create their own experimental design in order to investigate a gap in scientific knowledge. Light wants her students to have three primary takeaways from the course. “I want students to 1) learn what it means to "do science," 2) channel their interests and passions into "doing science," and 3) develop a sense of connection, belonging, and embeddedness within the STEM community,” she says.
When asked about what she values most from her experience as an iCons student, Light highlights her mentor relationship with Justin Fermann and Scott Auerbach. “They approached mentorship as an exchange of ideas between equals with shared goals. These experiences provided me with a foundation for how it feels to be respected intellectually. It's helped me learn how to give and expect respect in my professional relationships today,” she says.
“[I’ve learned that] my ideas have value. I should believe in them and advocate for them,” Light says. As a now instructor for iCons, she wants her students to learn the same.
In the future, Light is interested in studying research ethics, the history of the STEM field, and how we can improve biostatistics. “Integration of science ethics with course-based research experiences has been identified as a gap in the literature on teaching and learning,” she says. Because of this, Light is interested in integrating the current iCons 3 curriculum with science ethics training. “Science ethics presents a fecund opportunity to explore how the institution of STEM has historically supported and undermined social justice values and the interests of the public - with implications for the practice, and perhaps the very epistemology of science today.”
What piece of advice would she give to a current iCons student? “Ask for help when you need it. That’s when the magic happens.”
Stay Connected