Young Alumni Spotlight: Hunter Bomba
Hometown:
Johnstown, Penn.
Graduation Year
2017
Degree
B.S., Biomedical Engineering
Current Job Title
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ph.D. candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill
Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB)
2018 — present
Once Hunter Bomba decided that she wanted to pursue a degree in engineering, she knew NC State was where she wanted to attend.
“Touring NC State was what solidified my decision. The information session hosted by the Engineering Ambassadors and Brian Koehler (the College’s director of student engagement) helped me visualize myself as part of the NC State community, and it was reassuring to hear the positive and inspiring stories from current students,” said Bomba. “Also, coming from the mountains in Pennsylvania, the thought of more warm, sunny days was also very enticing.”
Post-graduation, Bomba is a pharmaceutical sciences Ph.D. candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill. It is here that she works with a variety of physicians, scientists and engineers on collaborative research that she hopes will leave a lasting impact on patients in the future.
Though she is no longer at NC State, her ties to the University can be found in collaboration with the Nonwovens Institute in the Wilson College of Textiles as well as her most recent lab project with the College of Veterinary Medicine that looked at the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy in a large-animal model. According to Bomba, this is a crucial step in pharmaceutical research before entering clinical trials.
“It was a huge undertaking for me as one of the newest members of the lab; however, it helped me enhance my project management and leadership skills. The best part about this project was collaborating with the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State.”
Bomba shares that the skills and knowledge she gained at NC State continue to help her every day in graduate school. “From skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, to knowledge on biomaterials and equipment to evaluate mechanical properties, my education at NC State has helped me tremendously.”
Another big takeaway for her was working with students as a teaching assistant for E 101 and BME 204 courses. She is looking forward to continued mentoring of students in graduate school and has already had the opportunity to work with several students. “I’ve really enjoyed ‘paying it forward’ to the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Outside of her studies, she and her dog Willis, a two-year-old mini golden doodlw (@willis_doodle on Instagram), are a registered therapy animal team. Currently, they visit the School of Pharmacy at UNC-Chapel Hill and are hoping to visit NC State’s campus soon.
Return to contents or download the Spring/Summer 2020 NC State Engineering magazine (PDF, 11MB).
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