{"id":574,"date":"2020-05-28T18:23:45","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T18:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/?post_type=cu_people&p=574"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T19:53:11","slug":"maryann-wu","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/people\/maryann-wu\/","title":{"rendered":"MaryAnn Wu"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the time of writing this bio, I am a Master of Biotechnology (MBiotech) student at the University of Toronto Mississauga. MBiotech is a professional master\u2019s program. This means that instead of being thesis based it instead focuses on courses and industry experience. Pitched as \u201cscience meets business\u201d, it is (what I think) the perfect bridge between research science and industry work to aid you into the biotechnology sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was one of the few students in the Combined Honours stream, and despite being kind of a joint student between the Department of Biology and Neuroscience, I always felt most at home in the Neuroscience Department. The people there are some of the kindest and sweetest individuals you will ever meet! They are constantly willing to help you succeed with whatever goals you\u2019ve set. From professors taking the time to know you by name to fellow neuroscience students always offering a friendly smile, the collaboration and community is something that is truly special. Honestly, I will be forever thankful to have had that experience and academic family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Current Students<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t know what you want to do just yet that is totally okay! I did not learn that I liked biotechnology until my 4th<\/sup>\u00a0year all because I took a course on a whim. Bonus for those struggling with the idea that they don\u2019t want to do medical school or research: those aren\u2019t the only two paths\u2026 trust me there\u2019s more out there and you\u2019ll find what you want to do! Also, as clich\u00e9 as it sounds, don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions. They\u2019re the best way to show you\u2019re curious and willing to learn. Overall, take this opportunity to grow, learn, make connections, and just have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University is more than going to class and getting straight A grades. Overall your experience is what you make of it. Don\u2019t be afraid to trying new things, whether that is a class that seems out of scope for your program (all my passions were derived from these explorations \u2013 biotech and comp sci) or meeting new people at different social events. Make the most of every experience because the undergraduate years truly pass so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested in biotechnology but don\u2019t know what it is, I highly recommend taking one or two courses that talk about current topics in the field to gauge if you\u2019re interested. Above all else, approach the topic with an open mind. If you\u2019re interested in learning more about professional masters\u2019 and the options out there Google is your best friend! Though it might not be as common as a thesis-based master\u2019s, there are many options – just be prepared to spend the time researching and exploring them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cu_people_first_name":"MaryAnn","cu_people_last_name":"Wu","cu_people_initials":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_people_type":[105],"cu_people_expertise":[],"class_list":["post-574","cu_people","type-cu_people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_people_type-diversity-directory"],"acf":{"cu_people_job_title":"Career Path: Biotechnology","cu_people_degree":"MBiotech (Toronto)","cu_building":"","cu_people_office_num":"","cu_people_pronoun":"","cu_people_designation":"","cu_people_email":"","cu_people_phone":"","cu_people_phone_ext":"","cu_people_linkedin":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maryann-wu-27786a107\/","cu_people_bluesky":"","cu_people_twitter":"","cu_people_instagram":"","cu_people_facebook":"","cu_people_website":"","cu_people_orcid":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_people"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9579,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/574\/revisions\/9579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_people_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_type?post=574"},{"taxonomy":"cu_people_expertise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_expertise?post=574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}