March 2026 - Bmegradstudents-list

FW: Registration open: HG2BG symposium 4th and 5th June
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 30 Mar '26

30 Mar '26

Dear Colleagues, We are excited to welcome you to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Biomolecular Galaxy Symposium, taking place on June 4 and 5, 2026. Join us for two days of engaging workshops, insightful discussions, and opportunities to connect with peers and professionals across the biomolecular sciences. Register here: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8vnlXa0kRz0TvRs<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurdue.ca…> Register early to secure your place. We highly encourage you sign up for poster and oral presentations - you do not need to submit abstracts at this time. Event details and updates: https://www.hitchhikersguide2biogal.com/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hitch…> We look forward to having you aboard this journey across the biomolecular galaxy! Best regards, Priyanka On behalf of the HG2BG organizing committee Dr. Nicholas Noinaj (Faculty Advisor, Dept. of Biological Sciences) Priyanka Naik (PULSe-Dept. of Biological Sciences) Michelle Bush (Dept. of Biological Sciences) Sydney Bogan (Dept. of Biochemistry) Mercedes DeMoss (Dept. of BMCMP) Ryan Peters (Dept. of Biological Sciences) Sandali Piladuwa Gamage (Dept. of Biological Sciences) Jayamini Gunaratne (Tarpo Dept. of Chemistry) Harris Giles (Dept. of Physics and Astronomy) _______________________________________________________________ Priyanka Naik Ph.D. Candidate, Tesmer lab Department of Biological Sciences Interdisciplinary Life Science Program Purdue University Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054

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FW: CARE Seminars: 3.25: Xiaoning Jiang, 4.8: Jacques Kpodonu
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 30 Mar '26

30 Mar '26

Appointments to meet with the speakers in INDIANAPOLIS are available. Please email Julia Sibley at jmsibley(a)purdue.edu.

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The Resilient Scientist: The Real Survival Skills--Workshop Series Starts March 30th
by Tammy R Siemers 26 Mar '26

26 Mar '26

I am pleased to share information about my up-coming webinar series on resilience for students and postdocs. The series is modeled after the Becoming a Resilient Scientist series I presented during my time as director of the NIH OITE. I appreciate NIH OITE colleagues who helped develop the series and the 4D Experience at the University of Denver<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.du.ed…> for helping me to continue the work. For more information on the benefit of resilience training for STEM students visit here<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.front…>. The series starts on Monday March 30th and runs weekly for five weeks. Each session will start at 3 PM EST and last approximately 90 minutes. I will stay on-line to take questions and will provide participants with resources after each session. The Resilient Scientist: Tools for Thriving in Academic and Research Environments March 30: Resilience and Well-being: The Real Survival Skills April 6: Mind Games: Imposter Fears and Other Unhelpful Stories We Tell April 13: Assertiveness 2.0: Speaking Up, Even When Power Dynamics Make It Hard April 20: Feedback: We Need It, Even (Especially?) When We Don't Like It April 27: You Can't Sing a Duet Alone: Mentoring Relationships for Long-Term Success There is no charge for the webinars; participants can read about the webinars and register for sessions here<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.du.ed…>. Reach out with any questions. Wishing you well, Sharon L. Milgram, Ph.D. (She/Her) www.sharonmilgram.com<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharon…> sharon(a)sharonmilgram.com<mailto:sharon@sharonmilgram.com> Tammy Siemers She/Her Associate Director, Graduate Education BME Students (ONLY): Schedule appointments with me via BoilerConnect here<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurdue.ca…>. Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering 206 S. Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2032 o: 765-496-0294 Achiever, Relator, Includer, Restorative, Developer [cid:image001.png@01DCBD3D.ABA69CB0]<https://www.purdue.edu/?utm_source=signature&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=…>

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Help Showcase BME at Purdue Spring Fest
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 25 Mar '26

25 Mar '26

I'm reaching out because BME will be hosting a tent at Purdue Spring Fest on April 18th (9 AM - ~4 PM), and we're looking for a few grad students to help represent our department through interactive demos and outreach. The idea is to showcase simple, engaging demos of your research (or anything BME-related!) that can resonate with a general audience, especially kids and families. Spring Fest is very much a community, family-friendly event with hands-on, interactive activities-think along the lines of slime-making, simple experiments, or visual/interactive displays rather than formal presentations. If helpful, you can check out examples of past demos/activities here: https://ag.purdue.edu/springfest/spring-fest-at-home-activities-demos.html These are a good reference point-they're fun, accessible, and not academically heavy, but still grounded in real science (e.g., simplified demos from your research, making popping boba, extracting DNA from strawberries). Logistics: * We'll have 2-3 hour shifts so no one is there all day * Aim for ~3 demos running at a time * Open to both grad and undergrad involvement * Very informal, outreach-focused environment You're also very welcome to do an activity with your lab mates or friends! If you're interested, you can sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14vqGJRtZsJ0pM5Io_U-w-KneuRf3aUmkcjU…<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.goog…> Even a short shift would be super helpful, and it's honestly a really fun way to share your work with the community. Let me know if you have questions or want to brainstorm demo ideas, I'm happy to help! Thanks so much :) Best, Samantha Mata Robles, B.S. BME PhD Candidate Biomedical Engineering Linnes Lab & Health TechQuity Lab Purdue University (she/her/hers) Let's Connect!<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…>

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[Bmeroundtable-list] April 1 Seminar - John Maunsell
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 25 Mar '26

25 Mar '26

[cid:image001.jpg@01DCBC42.365C14E0] BME Distinguished Seminar Wednesday, April 1, 2026 9:30 - 10:30 am, MJIS 1001 Students registered for the seminar are expected to attend in person. Teams Meeting<https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3apuAnSNBmZ68PGu3udYUlVyzt7ogF…> ID: 211 123 896 292 8 Passcode: Uh9qs2pf "How the Brain Reads Natural and Artificial Signals from Visual Cortex" [cid:image002.jpg@01DCBC42.365C14E0] John Maunsell, PhD Albert D. Lasker Distinguished Service Professor Department of Neurobiology and Director of the Neuroscience Institute University of Chicago Abstract: Understanding how the brain interprets activity in the sensory cortex is central to basic neuroscience and is also important for efforts to develop cortical sensory prosthetics, which use electrical stimulation of the cortex to evoke percepts. However, the rules by which cortical activity is interpreted by downstream circuits remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will describe work using electrical and optogenetic intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) combined with behavioral measurements in mice and monkeys. These experiments show that, with practice, animals can detect stimulation delivered to nearly any area of the cerebral cortex with similar thresholds. Despite this, multiple lines of evidence indicate that artificial stimulation of the visual cortex cannot readily be integrated into coherent perceptions of forms or patterns. I will then discuss recent work in animals and humans examining how naturally occurring cortical signals are interpreted during perception and decision-making. These studies reveal an unexpected asymmetry: increases in neuronal firing strongly influence behavior, whereas decreases in firing rate of similar or even greater magnitude have little or no measurable impact. This finding suggests that downstream circuits rely primarily on increases in spiking activity when extracting information from cortical populations. Together, these results highlight fundamental constraints on how the brain reads activity from the sensory cortex and point to important limits on the interpretability of artificially evoked cortical signals. -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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[Bmeroundtable-list] Request for Judges - 2026 Purdue BME Research Symposium
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 25 Mar '26

25 Mar '26

BMEGSA is hosting the Purdue University Research Symposium, From Cells to Systems: Engineering the Future of Medicine, offered to Biomedical Engineering (BME), PULSe, and IBSc students. This year, the Research Symposium will be held on April 23, 2026, in Discovery Learning (DLR Room 131) in West Lafayette. BMEGSA is seeking industry professionals, faculty, research scientists, and post-doctoral students to be judges during our event. The Purdue University Research Symposium From Cells to Systems: Engineering the Future of Medicine, is an opportunity for all BME, PULSe, and IBSc students to gain experience in presenting a poster or oral presentation. Students can submit abstracts following the criteria listed here: Abstract Criteria<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.goo…> via the Abstract Submission Form <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…> and register here: Student Registration Link<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…> until March 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM. We need judges present at the event in the late morning and early afternoon on April 23, 2026. The time is TBD and we would request that you submit your availability in the registration form below. Judges are not required to be present for the entire event. Please consider judging for the Research Symposium this year and/or distributing this request to any faculty that you believe would be interested. Here is the link to register as a judge: Judges Registration Link<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle…>. Please fill out this form by March 27, 2026, at 11:59 PM. The detailed schedule will be sent out as the event approaches. If you have any questions regarding the Research Symposium, please email Samantha Mata Robles (smatarob(a)purdue.edu<mailto:smatarob@purdue.edu>). -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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[Bmeroundtable-list] BME SPIRIT WEEK! MARCH 23-27!
by Crystal D O'Neal 23 Mar '26

23 Mar '26

Welcome back from Spring Break! We hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing time to take a breath and reset. Let's keep the good times rolling with Spirit Week! Hope to see you all there! [cid:image002.png@01DCBAA4.F59974F0][cid:image003.png@01DCBAA4.F59974F0] Sincerely, Crystal O'Neal Administrative Manager Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering 206 South Martin Jischke Drive, Room 3003C| West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 cdoneal(a)purdue.edu<mailto:cdoneal@purdue.edu> [cid:image001.jpg@01DCBAA4.A528CE30] [https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/bookwithme/misc/CalendarP…] <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/1b43da6f85ea41e584c7489a6a7f9898…> Book time to meet with me<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/1b43da6f85ea41e584c7489a6a7f9898…> -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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[Bmeroundtable-list] The air is back on in MJIS
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 19 Mar '26

19 Mar '26

The maintenance to the air handling system is done and the air system is running. -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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[Bmeroundtable-list] Thursday (March 26) Seminar: Mehmet Kurt
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 18 Mar '26

18 Mar '26

[cid:image003.png@01DCB6FD.865598D0] https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/22301893996615?p=kbdg04U3gQ5CSabWnR<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…> -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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[Bmeroundtable-list] Seminar Speaker March 25
by Rhonda Wolf Jones 18 Mar '26

18 Mar '26

[cid:image003.png@01DCB6DD.A5A369D0] https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3apuAnSNBmZ68PGu3udYUlVyzt7ogF… -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list(a)ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list

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