Announcements

After completing his PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering, and his post-doctoral research in the Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue at Columbia University, Dr. Leo Wan joins the Biomedical Engineering department faculty. Dr. Wan’s research focuses on Cell Chirality, BioMEMS, Stem Cell Mechano-Biology, Functional Tissue Engineering, Cartilage Biomechanics and Bioimaging.

Tuesday, October 4 5:30 pm in the Biotech Auditorium, William Edelman '78 will speak to the undergraduates. Bill Edelman, is a medical device industry executive with over 33 years of experience and currently serves as Chairman of the Board at Leviticus Cardio, Ltd. He has served as Co-Chairman for ETView, Ltd., (TASE: ETVW) (airway management), Chairman of the Board for PolyTouch, Ltd. (general surgical instrumentation), Medivalve, Ltd., (percutaneous aortic valve placement) and Cardioflow, Ltd., (embolic protection). Mr.

The second Undergraduate Seminar Series in Global Health was held Tuesday, April 3, 2012 in Academy Hall. We were happy to welcome Dr. Eric Ledet of the BME Department, who presented a talk titled, "A Tale of Two Systems: Immersion in South African Health Care." Adequate healthcare remains a significant challenge in developing nations. State-of-the-art technology and equipment are often unsustainable. Accessibility of facilities is often prohibitive due to limited infrastructure.

Dr. Deanna Thompson has been promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.She joined Rensselaer in September of 2004 as an Assistant Professor within the Department. Her continued work for both teaching and research have been recognized by the Institute and the science community, with awards including the 2010 Research Excellence Award from the School of Engineering and the NYSTAR Biotechnology Research Award.

Atharva Poundarik, a graduate student in Dr. Vashishth's lab, has been selected to receive a 2011 ASBMR (American Society for Bone and Mineral Research) Young Investigator Award for his abstract presentation titled "Non-collageneous Proteins Influence Bone Mineral Size, Shape and Orientation: A SAXS Study." As part of the award, Atharva will receive an honorarium and a plaque commemorating this award at the annual ASBMR meeting this September in San Diego.

“Micropatterned mammalian cells exhibit phenotype-specific left-right asymmetry” by Leo Q Wan, Kacey Ronaldson, Miri Park, Grace Taylora, Yue Zhang, Jeffrey M Gimbleb, and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic. http://www.pnas.org/content/108/30/12295 Left-right (LR) asymmetry (handedness, chirality) is a well-conserved biological property of critical importance to normal development. Changes in orientation of the LR axis due to genetic or environmental factors can lead to malformations and disease.

Congratulations to Nabeel Ali, Class of 2012, on his research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He will spend the summer working with Dr. Udo Hoffman, Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, utilizing predictive modeling to assess and quantify the risk associated with atherosclerotic plaque. He was also chosen to participate in the 2010 University of California Berkeley’s Amgen Scholars Program. The prestigious Amgen Scholars program is international - established both in the United States and Europe.

Julie Campbell, class of 2012, has been awarded the Charles D. Dyce Award. This prize was established by friends in memory of Charles D. Dyce, Class of 1972. It is to be awarded to a student in the School of Engineering who, at the conclusion of the freshman or sophomore year, has demonstrated high scholastic ability and involvement in extracurricular activities and indicates potential for constructive leadership. Julie was nominated by her coach, Bridget Lanoir.