Life-Changing Science: The BioBuilder Podcast
Oct 11, 2026 · 24 min · 8 segments
We talk with Jasmine Thompson about building a biotech career from the ground up, starting with BioBuilder and expanding into biomedical engineering, lab research, and software engineering. She shares…
[upbeat music] It's, it's fantastic that, you know, while, while I was sort of, you know, reading about your high school experience, that you got to partake in so many different, you know, activities, educational as well.
Um, when did the science side of things come into things? You know, when, when do you think science became, uh, something you really wanted to do? Was it, was it way before? Was it, you know, you saw, um, a documentary in grade two and you were inspired by the universe, or was it more like, uh, was it more later?
I always, like, when I was younger, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor.
So, like, that w- there was that, and then, like, I remember when, kinda like the whole documentary thing, like, when Hidden Figures came out, like the movie, I remember I was watching it and I just thought it was so cool how, like, they were doing all this math to help win NASA and everything.
I loved staying busy, and my mom always kept me super busy in, like, whatever we could find.
So yeah, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, and then I took some AP computer science classes in, like, my junior and senior year, and I just learned more about, like, different majors and career paths, like, that were combining both, like, the health scientist science side and, like, the engineering side of things, and just learning more about everything.
And then obviously, like, my classes, like, um, biology and stuff in high school and just, they were things that interested me, so I just kept those very close and dear to my heart.
When did BioBuilder start getting close to your heart? [laughs] When did you first hear, come across it? Was there already, um, a BioBuilder club? Uh, and, and this was, um...
Actually, yeah, I'll, I'll let you answer.
When did you hear about BioBuilder and, and think about joining? Which, which grade were you in?
Yeah, I was in, I believe, my junior year, so around, like, 2022, 2021, like that year, going into my senior year, 2023.
And me and my mom were just, like, looking at different programs, like science or biology programs, um, for, like, Boston Public Schools and stuff, students.
Um, 'cause I was, like, trying to figure out, like, what I wanted to major in when I did go to college.
It was, like, a weekly thing that I went to, and it just kept me coming back.
It was, like, my first time doing, like, wet lab science and, like, chemistry and just learning what I...
And it was, like, my first time doing, like, research projects like that or even just knowing what research is and starting to do it and talking to other like-minded students who were also interested in that sort of stuff.
[upbeat music] It's, it's fantastic that, you know, while, while I was sort of, you know, reading about your high school experience, that you got to partake in so many different, you know, activities, educational as well.
Um, when did the science side of things come into things? You know, when, when do you think science became, uh, something you really wanted to do? Was it, was it way before? Was it, you know, you saw, um, a documentary in grade two and you were inspired by the universe, or was it more like, uh, was it more later?
I always, like, when I was younger, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor.
So, like, that w- there was that, and then, like, I remember when, kinda like the whole documentary thing, like, when Hidden Figures came out, like the movie, I remember I was watching it and I just thought it was so cool how, like, they were doing all this math to help win NASA and everything.
I loved staying busy, and my mom always kept me super busy in, like, whatever we could find.
So yeah, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, and then I took some AP computer science classes in, like, my junior and senior year, and I just learned more about, like, different majors and career paths, like, that were combining both, like, the health scientist science side and, like, the engineering side of things, and just learning more about everything.
And then obviously, like, my classes, like, um, biology and stuff in high school and just, they were things that interested me, so I just kept those very close and dear to my heart.
When did BioBuilder start getting close to your heart? [laughs] When did you first hear, come across it? Was there already, um, a BioBuilder club? Uh, and, and this was, um...
Actually, yeah, I'll, I'll let you answer.
When did you hear about BioBuilder and, and think about joining? Which, which grade were you in?
Yeah, I was in, I believe, my junior year, so around, like, 2022, 2021, like that year, going into my senior year, 2023.
And me and my mom were just, like, looking at different programs, like science or biology programs, um, for, like, Boston Public Schools and stuff, students.
Um, 'cause I was, like, trying to figure out, like, what I wanted to major in when I did go to college.
It was, like, a weekly thing that I went to, and it just kept me coming back.
It was, like, my first time doing, like, wet lab science and, like, chemistry and just learning what I...
And it was, like, my first time doing, like, research projects like that or even just knowing what research is and starting to do it and talking to other like-minded students who were also interested in that sort of stuff.
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