Omar Bashth
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I love science and graduate studies provide me the space and time to explore the answers for the questions i am curious about. I also believe that graduate studies are great opportunities to build strong networks for future academic careers.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
UBC has a very strong stem cell community that fosters great collaborations between labs and institutes. I am excited and privileged to be close to this community to learn and contribute to the science.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
The School of Biomedical Engineering has a unique interdisciplinary environment to tackle scientific questions. This ignites a lot of collaborations between different labs that have different scientific interests.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
The best surprise for me when I moved to UBC is the degree of collaboration between labs in different departments and institutes.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
I joined the SBME PhD program without prior strong knowledge in Stem Cell Biology or Embryonic Development, but I think my curiosity and willingness to learn are the main driving forces to achieve my goals.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
My everyday advice to graduate students is to activate their curiosity and have no limit to their imagination. Have fun, enjoy science, be rationale with your assessment and be aware of your biases. We, as graduate students, should be humble and we should remind ourselves that no matter of how rich our knowledge is, there is much more that we don't know yet. In my opinion, as a graduate student, the joy is to seek knowledge that wishing for recognition - science always pays back and achievements will follow sooner or later.
