From Performing Arts to Biomedical Engineering
Nina Pierce didn’t follow the typical path to biomedical engineering. While her peers were coding or competing in robotics, she spent her early years singing, playing piano, and performing in theatre. Yet she was always drawn to patterns and logical puzzles—the kind of analytical thinking that seemed at odds with her artistic background. When she took AP Statistics in high school, she found something unexpected: a way to combine quantitative rigor with narrative reasoning. A few years later, when she discovered biomedical engineering, the connection became clear. Here was a field where she could build tangible solutions that directly impact people’s lives, merging everything she cared about: design, technical problem-solving, communication, and science.
At BU, Nina has treated her unconventional background as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. She brought skills from a different realm: comfort with public speaking, experience navigating high-stakes auditions, and an intuitive understanding of how relationships drive opportunities. Rather than trying to catch up technically, she became strategic about leveraging what she already knew. She reached out to industry professionals on LinkedIn, attended networking events, and followed up deliberately. That proactive approach changed her trajectory—a sophomore year internship opportunity that fell through became instead a meaningful mentorship that shaped her entire professional direction.
Learning by Doing: From Classroom to Product Development
Hands-on, project-based learning has been the most exciting for Nina. Courses like BE428, and EK210 stood out because they required collaboration, iteration, and real communication about technical ideas. She was able to dive deep during an internship at Mussel Polymers, where she worked as the only intern on developing a new cosmetic adhesive product. She conducted market research, collaborated with stakeholders, designed experiments, and watched the full arc of product development from concept to testing. That summer proved to her that she thrived in collaborative, mission-driven environments where technical problem-solving intersected with genuine human need. She also learned to appreciate the power of teamwork. That insight has influenced how she approaches every group project since, making her more intentional about seeking out different perspectives and ways of thinking.
Music and performance remain woven through her college experience. She writes for The BU Buzz’s music column, studied electronic music production, and this year joined BU On Broadway, currently performing in Merrily We Roll Along. These creative pursuits aren’t separate from her engineering identity—they reinforce her confidence and keep her balanced. She even formed a band with peers from different engineering disciplines called Thru Traffic, a fitting metaphor for how ideas flow when you bring together diverse technical minds and creative energy. Her leadership in Kappa Theta Pi, BMES, and Engineering Student Government has deepened her investment in community. Through these roles, she’s mentored younger students and worked to create spaces where people feel genuinely supported in their career journeys.
Where Creativity and Engineering Converge
Nina is heading into a product development engineering role in the medical device space, planning to stay in Boston where she’s built her professional network and found meaningful mentorship. Her advice to other undergraduates mirrors her own experience: take the initiative to explore, attend events, reach out to professionals, and maintain relationships even when immediate opportunities don’t materialize. The connections you build often matter more than any single title. Her journey—from performing arts conservatory to biomedical engineering to industry—demonstrates that innovation thrives when teams are built on the willingness to think differently.