Name: Marie Floryan
Program: Mechanical Engineering
Degree you are studying toward: Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Expected year of graduation: 2022
Institution: University of Toronto, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: Send Email
Fun Facts About Me
If your best friend had to describe you in 10 words or less, what would they say?:Nature enthusiast who likes good food and trying new things.
Share one fun fact about yourself: I’ve seen a live brain surgery!
What do you want to accomplish in the next 10 years?: Get my PhD, run a marathon, and find a job that I love and will allow me to make a positive, long-lasting impact on society!
The most inspiring engineer I know is ....... Because ........?: This questions is too hard for me to answer because I’ve met so many inspiring engineers! I love seeing engineers that are really passionate about their work and about promoting STEM to youth.
Profile Questions
Why did you choose your program of study?: I chose to study Mechanical Engineering (Mech) because, simply put, I wanted to learn how things move and how to design moving systems. Mech is a relatively broad field so it allowed me to explore different areas ranging from mechatronics to bioengineering, and from machine design to thermodynamics. I’ve always been interested in the health sector and so eventually I decided to focus on bioengineering.
What has been your favourite course (in Engineering) and why?: My favourite course in engineering was a robotics design course. The whole course was focused around designing an autonomous robot that can navigate through a maze to find a block, pick up the block, and deliver it to a drop off zone. What I liked most about the course was that it was really practical and it tied together electrical, mechanical, and algorithm design very nicely into one project. Seeing my team’s robot complete the project challenges was definitely worth all of the late nights spent in the lab!
What has been the best part of your Engineering education to date?: My favourite part by far has been meeting new people. There were a lot of students from all over the country and world in my classes and extra-curricular activities so it was cool getting to know them and getting to learn about their different cultures. I made some really great friends in my undergrad and am excited to see where the future will take everyone!
What do you hope to do after you graduate?: I’ll be starting my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at MIT in fall 2020, and I plan to stay at MIT for my PhD. At MIT I’ll be working on microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip work. My goal for grad school is to get more exposure to the health sector and deepen my knowledge in bioengineering-related work. I don’t know exactly what I want to do after grad school, but I would like to get more involved in Engineering for Global Development to improve the quality of life of individuals in low- and middle-income countries.