Announcements

The Graduation dinner was held at the Country Club of Troy on May 24, 2013 to celebrate the achievements of the students graduating this year. A total of 99 students will graduate with a BS, 14 with a MS, and 8 PhDs will be awarded. The number of students receiving each of these degrees are at record values, reflecting the popularity of the program. In addition to honoring the graduating students, several award recepients were also announced at the dinner: The Paul B. Daitch Memorial Award: Maureen Newman The Zelda & David G.

Adam Brooks' participated in a team for Rensselaer Business Plan Competition. His entry "A proprietary partial hand prosthesis system that will allow better functionality and a more comfortable fit to the user" placed second in the competition.

Artharva Poundarik places 2nd in the Class of ¹51 Student Idea Competition held this spring for his bone regeneration entry. The level of competition among the more than students in this particular competition was deemed to be among the most intense that some observers have experienced in years and the winning entries were very thoroughly developed.

This personal essay described the development of the field of Biomedical Engineering from its early days, from the perspective of one who lived through that development. It describes the making of a major invention using data that had been rejected by other scientists, the re-discovery of an obscure fact of physiology and its use in developing a major medical instrument, the development of a new medical imaging modality, and the near-death rescue of a research project.

Eric Ledet has been selected as the recipient of Trustees Outstanding Teacher Award. The award was announced by President Jackson at the Faculty Recognition Awards. This award is one of the highest teaching honor given by Rensselaer. Given annually, this award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in classroom instruction. Selection is made based on evidence of sustained outstanding teaching as reflected by student evaluations, peer evaluations and letters of support from colleagues, alumni and students.

Juergen Hahn has been elected to The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows for his contributions to the field of systems biology. The induction ceremony will take place in February 2013. AIMBE is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing 50,000 individuals and the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. In addition, AIMBE represents academic institutions, private industry, and professional engineering societies.

Leo Wan has won the "Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering(CMBE) Conference Rising Star" award. CMBE is a special interest area within the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and Leo is one of the 10 winners selected nationally.

Deepak Vashishthhas been appointed director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS), effective April 16. He succeeds Jonathan Dordick, who is now the vice president for research. “Deepak Vashishth is well recognized as a prominent leader within his field, which is itself an embodiment of the interdisciplinary work that is at the heart of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.