Hi my name is Mattea and I’m from Long Island, New York. I live right near the water, so I love going to the beach and being outside. I also really enjoy baking, reading, and traveling. I find that once I have explored a new place and culture I want to capture the feeling and experience I had and be able to have the memory forever. I also often get inspired by the nature and environment that surrounds me, wherever I am! I have one sister who lives in England and who has always been the more creative one in the family, and took many art classes, including (but not limited to) interior design, sculpting, photography, painting, and paper cutting. I have always looked up to her and awed her ability to capture and portray what was in front of her, or illustrate an idea she had in her mind. She is always finding new ways to express herself and I one day hope to be able to do the same!

I am currently a senior studying biomedical engineering and am interested in research and design. I find that art and creativity plays an integral part in my education, as it allows me to keep a more open mind and think outside of the box. Although the technical and mathematical aspects of my current studies are often at the forefront of my work, I find that having a (small) background in art allows me to view problems and solutions from a different perspective and expands my skillset. Over the summer I was fortunate enough to have an internship at a small startup company where they were working to design a device that could separate red blood cells from plasma. One of the aspects of the project I was working on was imaging the blood under a light microscope. With the resources I had available, I had to adjust the lighting, coloring, and focus of the microscope to get a clear image of the blood cells. I was also able to help with some of the modeling for the cell and setup on a CAD program and learned how to 3D print some of the parts. Outside of the office and school, I love to take photos and sometimes draw to help relax (when I have time!). I hope to continue to integrate art and what I learn from these classes with my work in the future and make time to use art as a way to unwind and appreciate my surroundings.

I do not have too much experience with programming or electronics, although I have used SolidWorks and done a couple of things with an Arduino for class. I created a CAD model of a wrist brace device we made for my design class and was able to capture our idea in both SolidWorks and in person. I have also taken the digital imaging and computer design art course at WPI and found that I liked using Photoshop to alter photos I had taken, changing them from one mood to a completely different one, or combining several photos to create something new. However, I probably have the most experience with drawing and really enjoyed my figure drawing class. I was really proud of the self-portrait that I worked on, even though I was hesitant about the idea of it at first.

I am really looking forward to learning more about light art and trying a new art form!