An Alumna Abroad: Kat Kerr!

Kat Kerr is a Purdue Alumna who graduated from the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in December 2021. She was an active member of the Women in Engineering program and has been incredibly passionate about research since she started at Purdue. She is currently living in Frankfurt, Germany doing research through the Fulbright Scholarship program. She did an interview with us all the way from Germany to share her life from across the world and reflect on her experiences at Purdue!

What have you been up to since leaving Purdue?

“I can’t believe it has only been a year since I graduated because my life has changed so much since. After I graduated, I moved to Philadelphia and worked in a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania for about 7 months. In April 2022, I heard that I had been accepted to the Fulbright Scholarship and that I was moving to Frankfurt, Germany! I am currently doing computational vascular biomechanics research here in Frankfurt. There is also another program here through the Fulbright Scholarship called The Meet US program. I get to go to high schools around Frankfurt and talk to German students about life in the United States, which is really cool because many of them had never even met an American before. I’ve also been taking German classes and have improved my communication skills significantly while I’ve been here. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel all around Europe: Austria, Slovakia, France, Latvia, Italy, Belgium and more!”

What is the Fulbright Scholar Program and what inspired you to take part in it? 

“The Fulbright Scholar Program gives college faculty, researchers, artists and/or professionals an opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange all around the world. The goal is to make international connections, exchange ideas and contribute to mutual understanding. There are over 100 countries you can travel to and I chose Germany. I've always loved Germany, the culture and their language, and had taken a few language courses while I was at Purdue. I was hoping to study abroad while I was at Purdue, but it didn’t work out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had heard about the US Fulbright program while I was a junior at Purdue and decided to apply for the opportunity. I also felt that Germany was a great place to travel to because I knew they provided good funding for research and I have always been interested in living there.

Through the program you receive a scholarship and many networking opportunities. For example, in September 2022, I attended an orientation for 3 days where I connected with other Fulbright scholars, and there is another networking opportunity coming up later this year. The best part is that I'll have access to that alumni network for the rest of my life! They also help as much as they can to get you settled into your new home. The Meet US Program is another way I get to give back to the community here in Germany too!”

What was the process like of applying to the program?

“I started applying during the second semester of my junior year at Purdue. I was actually able to find my current lab in Germany through a connection I made at Purdue while doing research at the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. The rest of the process involved doing campus interviews, receiving a nomination from the university and making it through the semi-final and final rounds. I heard back about my acceptance in April of 2022. During this process, I was also applying to PhD programs and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program. The National & International Scholarships Office (NISO) at Purdue was a really great resource for me during the application process. They guided me through the whole process and they also help students through all kinds of scholarship applications.

How did you feel going into the opportunity?

“I remember being really scared leading up to my trip to Germany. I didn’t know how I was going to do this; I didn’t know the place or anyone there and I was about to move halfway across the world! But ever since I’ve been here, it’s been an incredible experience for me to grow and experience the world!” 

What did you do during your time at Purdue?

“Graduating from Purdue feels like one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I worked really hard during my time there to be successful. I feel really thankful for my experience and everything I achieved because now I get to be living this life. I majored in Biomedical Engineering and graduated in 3.5 years. I was involved in undergraduate research the whole time I was at Purdue. I was apart of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Laboratory led by Dr. Craig Goergen where they develop imaging techniques to study cardiac and vascular disease. Also, I was involved in the WiE program on the WE Link leadership team (recruiting for the WiE program), EPICS (a service-learning design program) as a freshman, and the Biomedical Engineering Society as the Vice President. I was also a teaching assistant for CS 159 labs and BME 304. I tried to pick extracurriculars that I really liked while I was at Purdue. You spend a lot of time in classes, so I wanted my time outside of school to be spent on what I enjoyed doing. 

From what you remember, why did you choose Purdue?

“I was choosing between another Big 10 state school and Purdue. I visited that campus, and left halfway through the day because I didn’t feel very seen or like I fit in at that school. I had also heard that I wouldn’t be able to get involved in research until I was a junior or a senior. Then, I came to visit Purdue’s campus. I got to meet with the Engineering Ambassadors and it was a much smaller group, which I loved. I remember seeing how well the students got along with each other and they were also so interested in answering all of my questions. I felt really seen as a person and cared for by just regular undergraduate students. I left that event knowing I wanted to come to Purdue. I had also spoken to a first-year engineering advisor and received immediate confirmation that I would be able to do research as a first-year. Everything I felt at the time was confirmed throughout my time at Purdue too. I was able to get into a lab the first week of my freshman year at Purdue. I continued feeling welcome and seen on campus. Even though people see Purdue as a big school, I was able to make it feel small through my little communities in the WiE program, my BME classes or my research lab. There’s just such a strong community and the people make Purdue so phenomenal.” 

What’s a piece of advice you have for incoming or current students? 

“I would definitely recommend auditing classes to take advantage of the many learning opportunities you have at Purdue. I always enjoyed auditing classes while I was at Purdue. It relieves some of the pressure of working for a grade and you can focus completely on absorbing the material. For example, I audited ME489 - Introduction to Finite Element Analysis during my last semester at Purdue and I’ve been applying skills I learned in that course to my current research. I would also recommend attending Access Alum events through the WiE program or any other incredible speakers that Purdue hosts. I found so many inspiring role models through those events and I hope everyone can experience that!” 

Aikya Chirra, BME'23

Leadership Team Member

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