Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Blau and I’m a Master’s student in the bioengineering department at Rice University. I’m interested in the development of medical devices, particularly in ways to make them more affordable or portable for low-resource settings.

I’ve just arrived in Houston after spending a summer interning in San José, Costa Rica. I haven’t joined any activities or clubs at Rice yet, but I’m excited to get to know other grad students and explore the museums near campus.

As an undergrad at Duke, I was part of a club called Duke Engineers for International Development. I traveled to Honduras over two summers to work on a graywater treatment system in a small mountain village. We built grease traps and percolation beds that would catch the majority of solid particles coming from bathroom and kitchen sinks, and allow the rest to filter through the soil. I am so proud of the work my team was able to do to prevent household waste from flowing into a local river.

In the future, I’d love to learn how to do glass etching. A friend once showed me a set of wine glasses she had engraved for her mom, and it seemed like a great way to make personalized birthday or wedding gifts. I’m looking foward to learning lots of hands-on skills in ENGI210/BIOE555, such as laser cutting and 3D printing. Here’s to a great semester!