Undergraduate BE Board:Elections

Elections for the 2011 BE Undergraduate Board will be held during the end of semester study break on Tuesday December 6th.

Candidate platforms are due on Thursday, December 1th. Platforms should be submitted to Yuan Zhao at yuanz@mit.edu. After submission, platforms will be posted on the page.

Positions

The time commitment for all of the positions is about three hours a week. Responsibilities mainly include attending board meetings, sending emails to students and faculty, and attending events.

• President:

Faculty go-to person, runs the board and bi-weekly BE meetings

• Vice President:

A little of everything, primary FPOP coordinator

• Secretary:

Sends out emails, takes minutes, reserves rooms for meetings

• Treasurer:

Orders food, budgets events, handles merchandise, all other pecuniary needs

Platforms

President:

Jonathan Gootenberg

Hello couse 20! I'm Jonathan Gootenberg, and I'm running for President of the BE Undergrad Board. I think that I have the necessary background to serve as the head of the BEUB: I currently serve as a director on the MIT Techfair board and represent course 20 in the Biology Undergraduate Student Association In addition, I serve as an associate advisor for Professor So, and I was involved in planning and running the BE FPOP this fall, so I have a strong relationship with the department.

As for my vision as President, I feel that Course 20 is undergoing a transition. We are now among the four largest majors, but we still have a say in the future development of our major. I want to encourage feedback and suggestions on the curriculum and foster interactions between students and faculty. I'd like to work with the department to create more opportunities for meeting with professors, similar to the class-wide dinners that were held last year.

In addition, I think that as the major grows it's important to maintain strong cohesion with and between classes, so that students in the major know one another. I would work to organize events (hopefully paid for by the department) to allow for underclassmen and freshmen interested in the major to meet with upperclassmen. I also think that the BE lounge is an important location for our major, and as President I would try to secure funding to add more amenities (for example, in the the graduate lounge, there's a constantly refreshed supply of candy).

Our major is growing quickly, and I'm excited about what we can do to help shape its future. By being on exec, I hope to let your voice be heard.

Vice President:

Jenny Van

Hey, Course 20! My name is Jenny Van, and I am a sophomore running for vice president. One of the most important roles of the vice president of BEUB is to organize and coordinate the FPOP each year. As a former “FPOP baby” of the 1st DBE FPOP and a counselor for it the second time around, I have the experience and passion to make the third year just as successful. In the past, one of the most difficult tasks in organizing the FPOP was coming up with ideas to keep the incoming freshman both interested and entertained. My plan to ameliorate this problem is to make sure the FPOP is well planned with structured events, and of course, lots of free food! I am really passionate about bioengineering and would love nothing more than to open up fresh minds to our major as well.

I am also an active member in the Biological Engineering-Biomedical Engineering Society (BE-BMES) and the Society of Woman Engineers (SWE). In the former, I am the Student Research Chair and have gained invaluable experience organizing large events with the support of the BE department. In the latter, I mentor high school girls interested in science and engineering. As the vice president, I would love to coordinate events co-sponsored with BE-BMES such as mixers for undergraduates with grad students and professors.

I am very excited to contribute even more to the best major at MIT as the vice president of BEUB! Thanks in advance for your support and vote.

Arvind Thiagarajan

Biological Engineering, more than any other field at present, offers a rich and diverse atmosphere, one in which people of different academic backgrounds can find both common ground and a niche for themselves. This is especially evident at the graduate level, where students from electrical engineering, physics, math, biology, and other fields come together to work on interesting problems in biological engineering. At the undergraduate level, however, the range of students, while still somewhat broad, is much more focused: the major still primarily attracts those students with biology backgrounds. Part of the reason for this is the way the classes are structured, but just as important is the existing community and the opportunities it offers. It is at this level that the BEUB can exert the most influence, and it is for this reason that I am running for Vice President.

In particular, I believe that two things must be done in order to expand and strengthen our field. First, we must work to give incoming freshman a really good overview of the opportunities that BE offers, and second we must work to integrate BE more closely with the other departments at MIT. The first goal seems most easily accomplished within the framework of a BE FPOP. The second goal can be approached by organizing mixers between departments or arranging interdisciplinary talks. Both of these are jobs that are best handled through the office of BEUB Vice President. It is for this reason that I am running for this office, and these are the things I intend to do if elected.

Thank you for taking the time to read my platform, and please vote Arvind Thiagarajan for BEUB Vice President.

Sincerely, Arvind Thiagarajan

Secretary:

Nina Jreige

Hi, my name is Nina Jreige, and I am a junior majoring in BioEngineering. I am interested in running for secretary for the Biological Engineering Undergraduate Board, and have both experience (I am currently the secretary for the BEUB and Lebanese Club at MIT) and enthusiasm for the position. I think the study breaks and information sessions that we hold are a great way for students within the major to meet each other and learn more about BE. Next year I would like to work on getting attendance numbers for these events increased, a task that is surely accomplishable through increased advertisement, variety, and better scheduling. Maybe instead of solely focusing on lunch study breaks, we could also hold dinner or movie study breaks as well. I am excited about majoring in BioEngineering, and I would like to channel some of my excitement into the Undergraduate Board. The aforementioned ideas are just some of the things I would try to work on, and I would always be open to suggestions.

Thank you! Nina

Treasurer:

Sonika Reddy

I would be a good treasurer because I am capable of balancing budgets and I turn things in on time. I have enjoyed being the treasurer for BEUB for the past year and now have a good idea of how the organization works and our goals for the major.

Sonika

Matt Hung

Hello, Course 20!  My name is Matthew Hung, and I’m running for treasurer of the BE Undergraduate Board.  This past year I have served on the BioTech staff of BE-BMES, and I have come to embrace Course 20.  I wish to be a part of BEUB, a student group that plays a large role in nurturing our major.  As for qualifications, I’ve had numerous experiences handling budgets for several student groups in high school.  I know where money should be allocated and I assure you that BE events will be supplied with good food.  I have excellent taste ;).  Furthermore, I am always on top of my work (never punted a pset or pulled an all nighter :D), and will be able to devote enough time to BEUB to fulfill my duties.  Thank you for reading my platform, and I look forward to working for you.