Senior Profile/Laura Dempsey, Whitaker Fellow, Combines Bioengineering and Art

Laura Dempsey and two of her paintings displayed at the Frick Fine Arts Gallery during Pitt's annual student art exhibition.

At four years old, Laura Dempsey drew a vibrant, colorful picture of a train for her mother. The image was especially captivating because of the level of detail: It included the functional parts of a working locomotive. The picture, Dempsey says, epitomizes the workings of her brain from a very young age: the ability to “make things that work,” combining science and art.

Dempsey graduates today with a Bachelor of Science degree in bioengineering from the Swanson School of Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio arts and a minor in chemistry from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. This fall, she will move to England to pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in clinical neuroscience; Dempsey is one of only 50 recipients worldwide of this year’s Whitaker International Fellowship at the University of Cambridge. She also won Pitt’s 2012 Emma Locke Award, which is presented annually to a graduating senior in recognition of high scholarship, character, and devotion to the ideals of the University.

Dempsey moved from rural Colorado to Pittsburgh five years ago to begin her education at Pitt, where she had received a full-tuition scholarship. She says she knew then that she was interested in a career in bioengineering, either in academia or industry. Her father is a mechanical engineer who had urged her at a young age to gain experience in her interests. While in high school, she spent two years as a junior researcher at Colorado State University studying tomato species along with tissue/protein growth in cells. After long hours in the lab, Dempsey spent her evenings crafting, creating, and drawing—much like her mother, who is an artist.

“It’s as if my brain can only function when both engineering and art are in my life,” says Dempsey. “When I was accepted to Pitt, I was thrilled to be joining the engineering department, but there was still this nagging feeling. I knew where a science degree would take me, but I still couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I’d gone to art school?”

To keep her brain balanced, Dempsey vowed to take outside art classes alongside her bioengineering studies whenever possible. From the start, she quickly immersed herself in engineering, working in labs focusing on molecular plant biology, chemical engineering, developmental embryology, and magnetic resonance imaging. She excelled, maintaining (and now graduating with) a 3.99 GPA. The work led to her being nominated for and receiving the George Washington Scholar Award as the single outstanding engineering senior of the Class of 2011. All the while, she continued taking art classes on the side at various Pittsburgh institutions.

But her devotion to pure science, she says, soon became exhausting.

It wasn’t until her fourth year at Pitt, during a discussion with a professor from Pitt’s University Honors College, that Dempsey decided to pursue art in a more traditional way—by enrolling in Pitt’s Studio Arts Program. With a yearlong extension granted by the Honors College, Dempsey could graduate with not just one, but two degrees.

“The two disciplines made sense to me; they are both about making. I’ve used art in engineering, and now I’ve used engineering in art,” says Dempsey, whose work was recently on display at the Frick Fine Arts Gallery in the University’s annual student art show. “And the nice part is that they [engineering and art] don’t have to be related and can be completely separate outlets if I want them to be.”

Admittedly, Dempsey says, the reason she didn’t pursue an art career is because she didn’t want the economic hardships associated with it. With engineering, she knew there would be ample opportunity to grow intellectually and to work in a field with ample job opportunities. She also knew there’d be time, later in life, to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree. Although she is satisfied with her choice, she admits that some people are skeptical about her academic decisions.

“Some people think I’ll be less of an engineer because of my studies in art, but I view my art degree as a strength,” says Dempsey. “In the lab, my peers call me the ‘arts and crafts girl.’ I make systems, and I’m extremely good with meticulous details. Working with my hands is my skill set, no matter the venue.”

At the end of the day, Dempsey says, she feels at peace when both science and art are part of her life, and she believes others also see the combination as a strength.

“It’s an honor to be nominated for awards by my professors. It’s recognition that people were paying attention and liked what I was doing,” she says.

Dempsey credits not only the University Honors College for her ability to combine two seemingly unrelated fields but also the University as a whole. Forcing herself to move from life in a rural setting into an urban oasis, Dempsey has taken solace in the woods of Schenley Park while learning to love both the city of Pittsburgh and the University environment.

“Pitt has been really good to me,” she says. “I’ve gotten to this place because of the environment here: the limitless resources and research and the opportunity to have the experiences you need as a student. It truly is a remarkable place for young researchers and artists.”

Laura Dempsey and two of her paintings displayed at the Frick Fine Arts Gallery during Pitt's annual student art exhibition.

At four years old, Laura Dempsey drew a vibrant, colorful picture of a train for her mother. The image was especially captivating because of the level of detail: It included the functional parts of a working locomotive. The picture, Dempsey says, epitomizes the workings of her brain from a very young age: the ability to “make things that work,” combining science and art.

Dempsey graduates today with a Bachelor of Science degree in bioengineering from the Swanson School of Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio arts and a minor in chemistry from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. This fall, she will move to England to pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in clinical neuroscience; Dempsey is one of only 50 recipients worldwide of this year’s Whitaker International Fellowship at the University of Cambridge. She also won Pitt’s 2012 Emma Locke Award, which is presented annually to a graduating senior in recognition of high scholarship, character, and devotion to the ideals of the University.

Dempsey moved from rural Colorado to Pittsburgh five years ago to begin her education at Pitt, where she had received a full-tuition scholarship. She says she knew then that she was interested in a career in bioengineering, either in academia or industry. Her father is a mechanical engineer who had urged her at a young age to gain experience in her interests. While in high school, she spent two years as a junior researcher at Colorado State University studying tomato species along with tissue/protein growth in cells. After long hours in the lab, Dempsey spent her evenings crafting, creating, and drawing—much like her mother, who is an artist.

“It’s as if my brain can only function when both engineering and art are in my life,” says Dempsey. “When I was accepted to Pitt, I was thrilled to be joining the engineering department, but there was still this nagging feeling. I knew where a science degree would take me, but I still couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I’d gone to art school?”

To keep her brain balanced, Dempsey vowed to take outside art classes alongside her bioengineering studies whenever possible. From the start, she quickly immersed herself in engineering, working in labs focusing on molecular plant biology, chemical engineering, developmental embryology, and magnetic resonance imaging. She excelled, maintaining (and now graduating with) a 3.99 GPA. The work led to her being nominated for and receiving the George Washington Scholar Award as the single outstanding engineering senior of the Class of 2011. All the while, she continued taking art classes on the side at various Pittsburgh institutions.

But her devotion to pure science, she says, soon became exhausting.

It wasn’t until her fourth year at Pitt, during a discussion with a professor from Pitt’s University Honors College, that Dempsey decided to pursue art in a more traditional way—by enrolling in Pitt’s Studio Arts Program. With a yearlong extension granted by the Honors College, Dempsey could graduate with not just one, but two degrees.

“The two disciplines made sense to me; they are both about making. I’ve used art in engineering, and now I’ve used engineering in art,” says Dempsey, whose work was recently on display at the Frick Fine Arts Gallery in the University’s annual student art show. “And the nice part is that they [engineering and art] don’t have to be related and can be completely separate outlets if I want them to be.”

Admittedly, Dempsey says, the reason she didn’t pursue an art career is because she didn’t want the economic hardships associated with it. With engineering, she knew there would be ample opportunity to grow intellectually and to work in a field with ample job opportunities. She also knew there’d be time, later in life, to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree. Although she is satisfied with her choice, she admits that some people are skeptical about her academic decisions.

“Some people think I’ll be less of an engineer because of my studies in art, but I view my art degree as a strength,” says Dempsey. “In the lab, my peers call me the ‘arts and crafts girl.’ I make systems, and I’m extremely good with meticulous details. Working with my hands is my skill set, no matter the venue.”

At the end of the day, Dempsey says, she feels at peace when both science and art are part of her life, and she believes others also see the combination as a strength.

“It’s an honor to be nominated for awards by my professors. It’s recognition that people were paying attention and liked what I was doing,” she says.

Dempsey credits not only the University Honors College for her ability to combine two seemingly unrelated fields but also the University as a whole. Forcing herself to move from life in a rural setting into an urban oasis, Dempsey has taken solace in the woods of Schenley Park while learning to love both the city of Pittsburgh and the University environment.

“Pitt has been really good to me,” she says. “I’ve gotten to this place because of the environment here: the limitless resources and research and the opportunity to have the experiences you need as a student. It truly is a remarkable place for young researchers and artists.”