BME WEEKLY ROUNDTABLE

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

National Post Doc Appreciation Week

 

INTERIM HEAD’S NOTE

 

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

 

Week of September 18

 

Tues., Sept. 19, Postdoctoral Candidate Interview Seminar, 2:00 p.m., MJIS 2001. Brady Hislop (Montana State University) will present “Does bone to cartilage fluid transport exist and is it relevant to joint health.” Hosted by Deva Chan and Doug Brubaker.

 

Wed., Sept. 20:  Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, 10:30 a.m., ARMS Atrium. (NOTE:  Please plan on attending this very special seminar. There will not be a “regular” BME seminar this week so that you will be available to attend!) Huda Y. Zoghbi, Investigator Howard Hughes Institute, Distinguished Service Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital will be presenting “Rett Syndrome: From the Clinic to Genomes, Epigenomes, and Neural Circuits.”

 

Wed., Sept. 20:  YOU’RE INVITED – BME Head Search Town Hall, 4:30-5:30 p.m., MJIS 2001.

Dear Weldon BME faculty, staff and students,

The Search Committee for the next Head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering kindly invites you to a Town Hall meeting to discuss the head search process/timeline and to gather your input for the next department head.

Time: September 20, 2023 (Wednesday) from 4:30 - 5.30 PM

Location: MJIS Room 2001

Moderated by: Luis Solorio, Eugenio Culurciello

Agenda:

4:30-5 PM                 Introduction to the search advertisement and requirements.

5-5:20 PM                 Break-out into groups to collect community feedback.

5:20-5:30 PM           Organizer will collect feedback in person or by email.

Send feedback by email to:

Luis Solorio  <lsolorio@purdue.edu>

Eugenio Culurciello <euge@purdue.edu>

We sincerely hope you’ll make every effort to attend in-person. However, for those of you that cannot be here we offer the following WebEx meeting link:

https://purdue.webex.com/meet/euge

 

Thurs., Sept. 21:  National Postdoc Appreciation Week Breakfast Event, 9:30 a.m., MJIS 3041. We will be providing coffee, bagels, and snacks for all of our postdoctoral fellows. We invite you to join us in celebrating the incredible contributions made by all of you here at Purdue. Whether you'd like to discuss your work or simply enjoy some relaxed conversations with fellow postdoctoral members, we look forward to seeing you there. You are welcome to bring other post-doctoral friends with you.

 

Thurs., Sept. 21:  Seminars in Hearing Research, 12:00 p.m., Nelson Hall, Room 1215. Ananthanarayan Krishnan, Professor of SLHS will present “Tonal language experience shapes functional asymmetries in pitch processing at the brainstem and cortical levels.

 

MJIS Updates

 

Our semi-annual air handling shutdown is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 10th. As a reminder: the entire building air handling system in MJIS will be turned off. ALL chemical hood activity, biosafety cabinet activity, autoclave work and activities in wet labs will need to STOP by 5 PM on Monday, October 9th. Any chemicals stored in the hoods will have to be sealed at that time. Signs will be posted on all hoods to remind users not to use the hoods Monday evening, and removed when the maintenance work is completed and normal operations can resume. Please plan ahead - DO NOT use chemicals in the lab areas that you would normally use in the hoods.

 

 

Graduate Committee and Grad Programs Update:

 

https://engineering.purdue.edu/BME/Academics/Graduate/PhDMilestones/PhD_Milestone_Timeline_Fall_2022 Here is the milestone timeline if that is helpful.

 

Graduate Admissions Update

 

·         Changes to admissions

o    Guidance document to be distributed; see the attachment.

o    Holistic evaluation, no consideration for race in any admission decision

·         New “Academic” Statement of Purpose

o    Professional and career goals

o    Research interests

o    Experiences

o    Fit with school

·         Includes Personal History Statement now

o    How background and life experiences prepared candidate

o    If academic records do not reflect your true capabilities explain circumstances

·         Opportunities for students and faculty to attend and advertise at the following conferences

o    October 26 – 28th – Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Conference – Los Angeles, CA

o    November 1 - 5th –Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) National Convention – Salt Lake City, UT

o    March 20 – 24th 2024 – National Society of Black Engineering (NSBE50) – Atlanta, GA

o    Looking for faculty interested in serving in person or online on a faculty panel/workshop at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Conference

 

Antimicrobial Resistance Seminar Series - Purdue

 

The College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Drug Discovery want to invite you to join fellow scientists at Purdue for the launch of the inaugural Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Seminar series. According to the U.S> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur annually in the US, resulting in 35,000 deaths. Combating AMR requires multifaceted efforts both the healthcare and veterinary sectors. In response to this critical public health threat, scientists at Purdue are working together to increase awareness and discover solutions for advanced diagnostics, treatment, and prevention. Starting on September 13,the AMR Seminar Series will be held in person at the Lobby Conference Room at the Institute for Drug Discovery (from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.).  Please let us know if you are interested in giving a talk for the series. Faculty, graduate students and postdocs who want to participate are welcome to present; please send names and email addresses to amr-purdue@purdue.edu   A schedule will be coming soon.

 

Upcoming important deadlines and information

 

Wed., Sept. 27, Center for Healthy Living Flu Shots. Seasonal flu shots are provided annually at no charge to all benefits-eligible Purdue faculty and staff, as well as spouses and dependents covered on a Purdue health plan, through a variety of means. The West Lafayette campus Center for Healthy Living, located at 1400 W. State St., Building B, Suite C, will begin distributing flu shots on Sept. 27 with convenient, drive-thru vaccines. See Additional information below.

 

Thurs., Sept. 28: Campuswide PurdueALERT test, 10:00 a.m.  Purdue will test its PurdueALERT emergency notification system at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 28. The test will include the activation of the outdoor all-hazards sirens. The test will help the campus community know what the sirens sound like and what to do during a potential emergency. While the Sept. 28 test requires no action, it should serve as a reminder to review building emergency plans and the emergency procedures guide. More information is available on the Emergency Preparedness and Planning website.

 

Mon., Oct. 9 – Tues., Oct. 10: The NSF I-Corps Hub Great Lakes is offering an Industry Connect Program,  on Oct 9-Oct 10 in Minneapolis for attendees participating in the Medical Design and Manufacturing Conference, MD&M Conference. The primary goal of the Industry Connect workshop is to provide teams with essential networking and customer discovery skills on how to introduce themselves, talk to technology decision-makers, set up follow-up meetings, acquire feedback, and identify key milestones, etc. Teams then participate in a tradeshow (MD&M Conference) to apply the skills they have acquired.

 

The hub is also offering a Medical Jumpstart Workshop, Sept 29-Nov 17 (offered virtually) to teams exploring the commercial viability of their Medical-based innovation idea. This course is for faculty, researchers, and students with Medical-based ideas or Intellectual Property and a strong interest in commercializing their technology. Teams participating in this workshop will receive funding up to $1000/team for Customer Discovery purposes. The funding can also be used to participate in the Industry Connect Program.

 

Please share this information with interested faculty and students. 

 

Feel free to reach out to me or Matthew Lynall (mlynall@purdue.edu) for any questions.

 

Thanks,

Geetali

 

Geetali Pradhan, Ph.D., MBA (gpradhan@purdue.edu)

Tech Commercialization Specialist, Daniels School of Business

Innovation and Outreach Specialist, NSF I-Corps Hub, Great Lakes Region

Purdue University

LinkedIn

Google Scholar

Great Lakes I-Corps Hub Website

 

Fri., Dec. 1:  Indiana Human-Centered Design for Health Seminar Series, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Lean about research and best practices in HCD and health, promote the diverse HCD expertise in Indiana, and build a community of HCD researchers and practitioners focused on health, in Indiana and beyond. The speaker will be Jackie Linnes, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue. Register and learn about upcoming seminars at healthtechquitylab.org/hcd-seminar

 

Fri., March 1:  Indiana Human-Centered Design for Health Seminar Series, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Lean about research and best practices in HCD and health, promote the diverse HCD expertise in Indiana, and build a community of HCD researchers and practitioners focused on health, in Indiana and beyond. The speaker will be Andrew Miller, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Hunan-Centered Computing, IUPUI. Register and learn about upcoming seminars at healthtechquitylab.org/hcd-seminar

 

Fri., June 7:  Indiana Human-Centered Design for Health Seminar Series, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Lean about research and best practices in HCD and health, promote the diverse HCD expertise in Indiana, and build a community of HCD researchers and practitioners focused on health, in Indiana and beyond. The speaker will be Youngbok Hon, Professor, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI. Register and learn about upcoming seminars at healthtechquitylab.org/hcd-seminar

 

Resources and further information

 

Tues., Sept. 19, Postdoctoral Candidate Interview Seminar, 2:00 p.m., MJIS 2001. Brady Hislop (Montana State University) will present “Does bone to cartilage fluid transport exist and is it relevant to joint health.” Hosted by Deva Chan and Doug Brubaker.

Abstract: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a debilitating disease that presents in more than 50% of patients within 10-20 years of joint injury (i.e., ACL tear). During traumatic injuries our joints experience loads that vastly exceed the loads seen during normal physiological loading (i.e., walking).  These excessive loads, combined with loss of normal joint mechanics lead to cartilage swelling, cell death, and drastic bone loss within the first week after injury. However, the root cause of these changes and their role in the progression from injury to PTOA remains elusive. A potential mechanism for these changes is joint fluid transport. Joint fluid transport influences joint mechanics and is directly tied to the strain response of cartilage. The focus to date in musculoskeletal research has been on fluid transport within cartilage alone. Recently, studies have shown that musculoskeletal researchers may be ignoring a key player in joint mechanics and mass flux – bone to cartilage fluid transport. Bone to cartilage fluid transport may be a critical component of joint mechanics and provide cartilage with an additional source of nutrients. In addition, bone to cartilage fluid transport changes after traumatic injury may drive early joint changes, and the associated progression from injury to PTOA. Therefore, understanding the role of bone to cartilage fluid transport in health and disease is a logical next step toward understanding the progression from injury to PTOA.

Biography:  Brady Hislop is originally from Polson, MT, a small town in northwest Montana. He received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho in 2019, and started his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Montana State University in the fall of 2019. As a PhD candidate,  his research has focused on applying computational and experimental methods to better understand orthopedic systems. Furthermore, he was responsible for the conceptualization, design, development,  and utilization of a novel pipeline for untargeted metabolomics data – ensemble clustering de novo.

 

Wed., Sept. 20:  Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, 10:30 a.m., ARMS Atrium. (NOTE:  Please plan on attending this very special seminar. There will not be a “regular” BME seminar this week so that you will be available to attend!) Huda Y. Zoghbi, Investigator Howard Hughes Institute, Distinguished Service Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital will be presenting “Rett Syndrome: From the Clinic to Genomes, Epigenomes, and Neural Circuits.”

Abstract: Rett syndrome is a delayed-onset childhood disorder, typically found in girls, that causes a broad range of severe neurological disabilities, including loss of the ability to speak and socialize, and the development of tremors, ataxia, seizures, autonomic dysfunction, and stereotypic hand-wringing movements. We discovered that mutations in the gene MECP2 cause Rett syndrome, and before long it became clear that mutations in MECP2 can also cause other neuropsychiatric phenotypes ranging from autism to bipolar disorders. Using genetically-engineered mice, we learned that the brain is acutely sensitive to MeCP2 levels; both decreases and increases in the amount of MeCP2 protein can lead to neurological problems that are also observed in humans. We learned that normalizing MeCP2 levels can reverse disease-like features in a mouse model of the human MECP2 duplication syndrome, a disorder that is usually found in boys and results from excess MeCP2. In addition, we have been gradually pinpointing the neurons and circuit abnormalities that mediate various symptoms. Building on this understanding of the relationship between neural circuits and the features of Rett syndrome, we are exploring deep brain stimulation to improve some Rett phenotypes.

Bio:  Dr. Zoghbi graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB). She attended AUB’s medical school for one year, but due to the civil war, she moved to the U.S. and received her medical degree from Meharry Medical College. She joined Baylor College of Medicine for her residency and subsequently obtained additional training in molecular genetics.  Dr. Zoghbi’s expertise ranges from neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration. She and Dr. Harry Orr discovered that Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 1 is caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract. Her subsequent studies demonstrating that such expansion leads to accumulation of the mutant protein in neurons has had profound ramifications since many late-onset neurological disorders involve similar accumulations of disease-driving proteins and inspired her studies in Alzheimer disease. Her work in neurodevelopment led to the discovery of the gene Math1/Atoh1 and showed that it governs the development of several components of the proprioceptive, balance, hearing, vestibular, and breathing pathways. She also discovered that mutations in MECP2 cause the postnatal neurological disorder Rett syndrome and revealed the importance of this gene for various neuropsychiatric features. Dr. Zoghbi has trained over 100 scientists and physician-scientists and is committed to educating the next generation. She has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Zoghbi’s honors include the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize from Rockefeller University; the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine; the Breakthrough Prize

in Life Sciences; the Canada Gairdner International Prize; the Lundbeck Foundation’s 2020 Brain Prize; and the Kavli Prize from the Kavli Foundation. She has honorary degrees from Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, Yale University and KU Leuven.

 

Thurs., Sept. 21:  Seminars in Hearing Research, 12:00 p.m., Nelson Hall, Room 1215. Ananthanarayan Krishnan, Professor of SLHS will present “Tonal language experience shapes functional asymmetries in pitch processing at the brainstem and cortical levels.”

Abstract: Temporal attributes of pitch processing at cortical and subcortical levels shaped by language experience are differentially weighted and well-coordinated. The question is whether language experience induced functional modulation of hemispheric preference is complemented by selective brainstem ear symmetry for pitch processing. Brainstem frequency-following and cortical pitch responses were recorded concurrently from Mandarin and English participants. A Mandarin syllable (in both speech and non-speech context) with a rising pitch contour (Mandarin Tone 2) was presented monaurally to both ears. At the cortical level, left ear stimulation in the Chinese group revealed an experience-dependent enhanced response for pitch processing in the right hemisphere, consistent with a functional account. The English group revealed a contralateral hemisphere preference consistent with a structural account. At the brainstem level, the Chinese participants showed a functional leftward ear asymmetry, whereas English were consistent with a structural account. Taken together, the cortical RH preference for processing pitch-relevant information in the Chinese group may reflect, at least in part, experience-dependent enhanced input from the right IC. Thus, RH preference seen at the cortical level may already be emerging at the subcortical level. Overall, language experience appears to modulate both cortical hemispheric preference and brainstem ear asymmetry in a complementary manner to optimize processing of temporal attributes of pitch.

This year’s SHRP schedule is available here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_schedule 

Titles and abstracts of all SHRP talks are here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_abstracts

 

Wed., Sept. 27, Center for Healthy Living Flu Shots. Seasonal flu shots are provided annually at no charge to all benefits-eligible Purdue faculty and staff, as well as spouses and dependents covered on a Purdue health plan, through a variety of means. The West Lafayette campus Center for Healthy Living, located at 1400 W. State St., Building B, Suite C, will begin distributing flu shots on Sept. 27 with convenient, drive-thru vaccines. No appointment is required to obtain a flu vaccine at CHL via drive-thru, walk-in or at on-campus events hosted by the CHL.

Drive-thru flu shots will be offered on the south side of CHL, with both morning and evening time slots available for added convenience. The CHL drive-thru schedule is below:

·         Sept. 27, 7-9 a.m.

·         Sept. 28, 4-6 p.m.

·         Oct. 4, 7-9 a.m.

·         Oct. 5, 4-6 p.m.

On-campus flu shot events planned as follows: 

·      Oct. 19, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Smalley West Conference Room

·      Oct. 20, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dining Room, 2550 Northwestern Ave, Suite 1100

·      Oct. 25, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Stewart Center, Room 302

Walk-in flu shots at the CHL beginning Oct. 2. Patients can stop by to receive their flu shots; appointments are not required. Pediatric patients 6 months and older can also receive their flu shots at the CHL beginning Oct. 1. 

CHL vaccine information
The CHL on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus will be administering:

·         Fluzone quadrivalent vaccine, which is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. It is approved for anyone ages 6 months and older. 

·         Flublok quadrivalent vaccine, which is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. It is approved for use in ages 18 years and older. It is preservative- and egg-free.

 

BME Weekly Research Seminars

 

Week #

Date

Speaker

Title

Host

Website

5

9/20/2023

NOTE TIME CHANGE: 10:35 a.m.

AND LOCATION CHANGE:

ARMS Atrium

Huda Y. Zoghbi

Investigator Howard Hughes Institute, Distinguished Service Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital

Young Kim

SPECIAL PURDUE ENGINEERING DISTINGUISHED LECTURE

LOCATION:  ARMS Atrium

6

9/27/2023

Omer Inan

Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair Professor at Georgia Tech

Young Kim

https://irl.gatech.edu

7

10/4/2023

Alexander Chubykin

Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University

Fang Huang

https://www.bio.purdue.edu/People/profile/achubyki.html

8

10/11/2023

Kyung Sung

Chief of Cellular and Tissue Therapy Branch, FDA

Young Kim

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/biologics-research-projects/investigating-effects-cell-materials-interactions-safety-and-effectiveness-cell-based-products

9

10/18/2023

Alan Grodzinsky

Professor of Biological, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering Department of Biological Engineering, MIT

Deva Chan

https://be.mit.edu/directory/alan-j-grodzinsky

10

10/25/2023

Nian Wang

Assistant Professor of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana School of Medicine

Yunjie Tong

https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/48212/wang-nian

11

11/1/2023

Ben Gaston

Billie Lou Wood Professor of Pediatrics Indiana University School of Medicine

George Wodicka

https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/43800/gaston-benjamin

12

11/8/2023

Jean-Pierre Mobasser

Affiliate Clinical Faculty
Indiana University

Young Kim

https://www.goodmancampbell.com/our-team/team-member/jean-pierre-mobasser-md

13

11/15/2023

Jane Grande- Allen

Isabel C. Cameron Professor of Bioengineering, Rice University

Deva Chan

https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/k-jane-grande-allen

14

11/29/2023

Sarah Wiehe

Jean and Jerry Bepko Professor of Pediatrics Indiana University School of Medicine

George Wodicka

https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/16722/wiehe-sarah

15

12/6/2023

Robbee Wedow

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Data Science,
Purdue University Department of Sociology

David Umulis

https://www.robbeewedow.com/?_ga=2.88497945.389094989.1679581193-1816225309.1603576015

 

Postdoctoral Fellow Opportunity – IUSM Emergency Medicine

 

The laboratory of Dr. Nathan J. Alves, PhD, within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), is seeking a highly motivated and independent post-doctoral research fellow. Dr. Alves is a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineer, Associate Professor and the Director of Translational Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine in addition to having an affiliate faculty appointment at Purdue University in Biomedical Engineering. The Alves Lab explores highly interdisciplinary research interests applying engineering and biophysical principles and designs to create translational technologies and treatments in the area of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. The primary focus of research in the laboratory is to develop targeted clot digesting therapeutic agents to more safely digest clinically relevant blood clots to treat pulmonary embolism (PE, blood clots in the lungs), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and ischemic stroke. This interdisciplinary research utilizes diverse enzyme assays, chemical synthesis, blood clot formation and digestion assays under shear, and other novel testing/delivery platforms that include multivalent branched molecules and nanoparticle drug delivery systems. Projects Include: (1) Leveraging multivalency to modulate enzyme activity and improve inhibitor selectivity (nanoparticle drug delivery and targeting). (2) Ex-vivo flowing models of clot digestion under shear using in-vivo like fluorescently labeled blood clots from human whole blood. (3) Development of novel fibrinolytic diagnostics tools to assess coagulation state. (4) Mouse models of clot formation/targeting/digestion utilizing intravital microscopy. (5) Study the effects of environmental microplastic exposure on coagulation/fibrinolysis. Projects are funded both externally and internally.

For additional information and to apply, go to: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/19651

 

Indiana CTSI logo and co-directors logo

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR
THE 2023 INDIANA CTSI ANNUAL MEETING

   

PLEASE JOIN US ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2023!

Dear Indiana CTSI Colleagues,

As announced today in a communication to our Indiana CTSI newsletter subscribers, 
registration is open for this year's Indiana CTSI Annual Meeting to be held in-person, with virtual option, 2023 Indiana CTSI Annual Meeting on September 22, 2023.

As you know, this year's 
2023 August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research Awardee, Huda Y. Zoghbi, MD, is our keynote speaker. Dr. Zoghbiis a Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital and an investigator with Howard Hughes Medicine Institute.  

In honor of this year’s Watanabe Awardee, Dr. Zoghbi, our annual meeting theme will focus on translational neuroscience. Thus we will be showcasing the Indiana CTSI’s cutting-edge research in neuroscience and related topics from across all our campuses. Importantly, as part of the day's agenda, we responded to your feedback and have dedicated a separate poster session along with more opportunities for networking and building collaborations. Our complete program is being finalized so please 
view the website to stay informed.  

We are accepting submissions for in-person poster presentations. Research topics across the translational spectrum are welcome. Come showcase your research that is making a difference! The deadline for submitting poster presentation applications is 5:00 pm EDT on Wednesday, August 9th. More information is available via the registration link above – please note that you must register first in order to receive poster submission details.

We look forward to seeing you on September 22 as we highlight the great work and people of the Indiana CTSI, and celebrate our efforts to advance health research in Indiana and beyond.

Please register now and encourage others to do so!

Sarah and Sharon
Co-directors, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
ictsi@iupui.edu

 

Attachments

 

Student-Advisor Expectation Scales

BME_Graduate_Research_Credit_Expectations_Form_Fa22

Admissions Guidance Aug 2023 FINAL

WGHI Symposium