RRTN MIT Extern 2013
Justin Yuan ‘16 is currently a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. He plans on graduating from MIT with a degree in biomedical engineering. This will help him reach his goal of one day finding the cures to incurable diseases, such as prions. While Mr. Yuan is not busy with school work, he is often found dancing hip-hop or playing the piano. Extracurricular organizations that he is involved with include, but are not limited to, Sloan Business Club (SBC), Chinese Students Club (CSC), Leadership Training Institute (LTI), Dance Troupe (DT), and his fraternity Theta Xi.
In January 2013, Mr. Yuan took up an externship at the Robert R. Taylor Network, Inc. (RRTN). While at RRTN, he has aided in the writing of several grant progress reports. He has directed meetings and led agenda discussion. Mr. Yuan’s main role is in driving RRTN’s mobile strategy. He is responsible for the Arc of Discovery, Innovation, Architecture, and Science (ADIAS), a digital archive that documents and celebrates black culture and contribution to STEM fields, and how it can be transformed into a mobile app for friendlier user interface.
Mr. Yuan showed great initiative when he was a young man. He joined the Boy Scouts of America in sixth grade and has since attained the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout after seven years of dedication. Furthermore, he started his own ACT test preparation business during the summer of his junior year in high school. Mr. Yuan managed to market his service to his high school, create a class curriculum, and effectively teach underclassmen students how to improve their standardized test scores within a mere four months. That same summer, he conducted research in the neuroscience department at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. His contributions towards the project helped define a method for curing neurodegenerative diseases, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Mr. Yuan proceeded to enter his research into the nationally recognized Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, earning second place in the nation and a scholarship award of $50,000.
Mr. Yuan was born in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to San Antonio, Texas when he was one year old. His family moved to Troy, Michigan when he was five, and it was there that he grew up and received his education from kindergarten to high school. Mr. Yuan recalls his lazy summer days where he spent digging for worms and fishing with his dad. Living life as fully as possible, he can always be found trying new things and participating in adventurous activities. As he likes to say, “When was the last time you tried something for the first time?”
