Putting STEM to Work: Gaining Inspiration from Scientist Belinda Tang

Through the generous support of Regeneron, four times a year River Journal publishes the on-site report of a high school science student from the River Towns who is paired with a Regeneron scientist to experience what it is like to put STEM education to work in the real world.   

Belinda Tang (left) and Sophie Surguladze in Tang’s lab.

As a young woman aspiring to enter the field of medicine, I’ve learned to push past my comfort zone. In pursuit of opportunities to help me grow both professionally and personally, I’ve spent summers conducting immunohistochemistry on rat brain sections and long days practicing my public speaking and connection skills. I fight to remember it’s okay to not know what I’m doing and to mess up. Growth happens when I acknowledge and accept my flaws yet still find the courage to try again.

My perspective is in large part due to inspiring role models like Regeneron process development engineer Belinda Tang, a scientist who works hard to succeed at work while uplifting others.

Belinda developed her passion for biology in high school, thanks to her teacher Mr. Coby, who was passionate about teaching science  and incredibly patient while doing so. Belinda was able to find similar positive role models while attending Stony Brook University, especially in her professor, Dr. Chan, who was dedicated to her students’ learning and their pursuit of research. Her influence inspired Belinda to pursue an 8-month Co-Op at Regeneron while in college.

Her internship experience was invaluable, teaching her the value of research and helping her envision her future career.

Upon asking Belinda what being a good teacher means to her, she emphasized empathy, the ability to listen, and adaptability— understanding that different students have different learning needs.

Belinda carries these principles with her at her role at Regeneron. She leads a team whose goal is to answer the question of, “Can we make it?” for drug manufacturing. Her team conducts experiments in the lab to evaluate cell lines and develop the manufacturing process. She oversees the project from the lab to when it is transferred to other groups for further studies or to the manufacturing site to be made for early-stage clinical trials.

Every scientist should have something internally motivating them — for Belinda, knowing she can potentially positively impact people’s lives is the most rewarding part of her job. Though the job is very fast-paced and balancing different programs can be difficult, knowing there’s a deeper purpose behind every decision is a continuing drive.

At Regeneron, Belinda served for two years as the co-chair of WISER, Women in Industry, Science, and Engineering at Regeneron. Through her position, she took part in community outreach events to empower women like raising money for Dress for Success and organizing events for International Women’s Day where the program would invite keynote speakers from female NASCAR drivers to astronauts to inspire the community.

As a young woman who struggles with self-confidence, I asked Belinda what advice she has for girls to empower not only themselves but the girls around them. Her response? To advocate for one another. Belinda conveyed that it is essential to acknowledge the women around you for what they do and celebrate their successes.

Moving forward, Belinda’s goals in her role are to expand her responsibilities and continue to give back the support she received from her own mentors by being a supportive mentor to her team members. To her, this means standing up for their best interests, providing timely feedback, and since most employees start fresh out of college, empowering them to ask questions. Belinda also emphasized that she thinks people are capable of more than what they give themselves credit for. She encourages people to be open and look for new opportunities to grow their skill set.

Upon asking what advice Belinda had for me as a young scientist, she expressed the importance of making mistakes. Make them—and then acknowledge what went wrong, accept that things don’t go as planned, and keep going. She recounted a story of her own painful error when she first started her career: breaking a glass reactor during her co-op. Shaking from the fear, she expected that her team would make her pay for the mistake she had made, but was more than surprised when her lab manager simply replied with  “It’s fine, here’s a new one”.  People should be allowed to make mistakes—in fact, they’re supposed to mess up in order to grow from their experiences.

Also, she was adamant that there is no such thing as a stupid question. She expressed that people shouldn’t assume something will be fine, but instead ask for help. People love to talk about their experiences and where they came from—so be courageous and ask questions.

Finally, her advice was that no one can advocate more for you than yourself. It’s essential to fight for what you believe you deserve.

When she isn’t contributing to manufacturing new medicines or building a team with strong professional and personal skills, Belinda is weightlifting, baking, and cooking. She deeply enjoys researching the science behind cooking, and her Thanksgiving black sesame butter mochi inspired me to make some for myself!

According to Belinda, one thing she wishes people knew about biotechnology is that to make a medicine, it takes a village, (or more  like a city, a New York-sized city). The whole process is lengthy and creative. It takes many brilliant minds working together, and every step in the process matters — from role models like Belinda to aspiring high school students like me, who hope to contribute to impactful progress.

Sophie Surguladze is a driven Irvington High School senior passionate about neuroscience and nonprofit work. She leads her school’s chess club and is captain of the fencing team.

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About the Author: Sophie Surguladze