Student Life

• Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and interests. 

I grew up in a small modern-orthodox Jewish community outside Baltimore where I had access to amazing academic and employment opportunities. I studied mechanical engineering with a minor in global engineering leadership at the University of Maryland, and I applied the skills I gained from my training in places like the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the tank development unit of the Israel Defense Forces.

by Cristina Deptula

UC Davis’ biomedical engineering (BME) department recognizes graduate student Caitlin Banks for her diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocacy. 

“I was aware there was injustice in society before, but it was really George Floyd’s murder that inspired me to get involved in DEI work. That, and also what happened to Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery,” she says. 

Advocacy Within and Beyond the Department