BME MONDAY ROUNDTABLE

OCTOBER 10, 2022

 

QUICK LINKS

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

 

Week of October 10

Mon.-Tues., Oct. 10-11:  Purdue Octoberbreak. No classes, but offices and buildings open normal hours.

Tues., Oct. 11 AND Wed., Oct. 12:  MJIS Air Handling Shutdown beginning at 7:30 AM and lasting until approx. 3:00 PM for preventative maintenance of the building’s air systems (Tuesday) and air handling bearing replacement (Wednesday – THIS IS A NEW, ADDITIONAL SHUTDOWN). This includes air ventilation supplies to all public, classroom and research areas, including chemical fume hoods. There should be NO chemicals used anywhere! All chemical fume hood activity should terminate by 5 PM Monday October 10th. You must make sure all chemical containers are sealed at that time. Chemical fume hoods will have notices posted - do not resume activity until BME staff have verified that work is complete, and have removed postings.

Wed., Oct. 12:  BME Seminar Series, 9:30 a.m., MJIS 1001 or via Zoom. Qiuhong He, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Purdue will present “In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging of Cancer Biomarkers.”

Wed., Oct. 12: COE “Celebrating our Associate Professors” Session, 11:30 a.m. This event features recently tenured associate professors making a 10-minute presentation on some aspect of their teaching/learning, research and/or engagement activities, followed by an opportunity to discuss the presented work with other colleagues in attendance. BME’s very own Fang Huang will be one of the presenters on this date. Go to https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GXBqUDu1DZdTn0 to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Thurs., Oct. 13: Seminars in Hearing Research at Purdue (SHRP), 10:30-11:20 a.m., LYLE 1150. Varsha Mysore Athreya (PhD student, SLHS) will present "Effects of Age on Within-Channel and Across-Channel Temporal Processing and Relationship to Speech Perception in Noise."

Fri., Oct. 14:  BMES 2022 Special Session, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Convention Center, Room 216AB. For those attending this year’s BMES conference in Texas, there will be a special session on “Establishing and Sustaining Effective Mentor/Mentee Relationships” that will include our own Andrew Brightman on the panel. See attached flyer for details.

Fri., Oct. 14: Graduate Student, Faculty and Postdoc Seminar: The Dark Side of Development: When Mentoring is Problematic and What to Do About It, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. You must have a GoSignMeUp account to register for this free workshop. See details below.

 

Upcoming important deadlines and info.

Wed., Oct. 19: Special BME Seminar, 9:30 a.m. in MJIS 1001 and via Zoom. Megan Yi-Ping Ho, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong will present “Microfluidics for Single Cell Applications.”

Wed., Oct. 19: BME PhD Defense Announcement for Sarah Libring (L. Solorio, advisor), 12:30 p.m., MJIS 2001 or via Zoom. Title: Characterizing Interactions Between Cancer Cells and the Extracellular Matrix in Metastatic Breast Cancer through Fibronectin Accumulation

Tues., Oct. 25: Mentoring Graduate Writers Workshop for faculty and postdocs: 2:00-3:30 p.m., A good deal of research indicates that mentoring graduate students on their writing is fraught with problems. This initial workshop will share a range of best practices around mentoring and writing in the disciplines, with the hope of making mentoring graduate writers more empowered, effective, and sustainable. Details below.

Wed., Oct. 26: Graduate Mentorship Seminar Series: Building Healthy Mentorship Relationships. 4:30 p.m., WALC 2051. Hear from various COE faculty members and students in a panel-led discussion on how to develop good faculty mentor-student advising relationships. Faculty members welcome!

Tues., Nov. 1: Proposals due for WL-Indy Collaborative Seed Grant. (From Jay Akridge): “We are happy to announce a collaborative seed grant competition, which is focused on establishing new research collaborations between faculty located at our two campuses. Please review the attached guidelines and reach out to colleagues to start building new research collaborations.  Proposals are due November 1, 2022. See attached RFP.

Tues., Nov. 1: Mentoring and the Dissertation Process for faculty and postdocs, 2:00-3:30 p.m. . You must have a GoSignMeUp account to register for this free workshop. See details below.

Wed., Nov. 2: COE “Celebrating our Associate Professors” Session, 11:30 a.m. This event features recently tenured associate professors making a 10-minute presentation on some aspect of their teaching/learning, research and/or engagement activities, followed by an opportunity to discuss the presented work with other colleagues in attendance. IE/BME’s very own Ramses Martinez will be one of the presenters on this date. Go to https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GXBqUDu1DZdTn0 to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Wed., Nov. 9: Graduate Mentorship Seminar Series: Diversity and Inclusion in Mentorship Relationships, 4:30 p.m., WALC 2051. Learn about how identity and culture are crucial components to recognize in faculty mentor-student advising relationships. Faculty members welcome!

Wed., Nov. 9 – Sat., Nov. 12: The is a go-to conference for underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Scientific or professional development session submissions due July 29.

Thurs., Nov. 10: BME Faculty Coffee Chats for Grad Students, 9:30-10:30  a.m., MJIS 3041. Faculty hosts: Hugh Lee, Taimoor Qazi, Steve Steinhubl. Potential discussion topics: ask me anything/ healthcare, academic jobs/academia, visas/international students

Thurs., Dec. 8: BME Faculty Coffee Chats for Grad Students, 2:00-3:00 p.m., MJIS 2041. Faculty host: Deva Chan. Potential discussion topics: AMA work-life, teaching & diversity statements, time management

 

PROTECT PURDUE

https://protect.purdue.edu/updates/fall-2022-what-you-need-to-know/

 

Committee Updates

 

Academic Programs Update

 

The spring teaching schedule is finished and attached. FYI, there are always changes before the semester starts, so the most recent version will be accessible via this pathway: \\bmelab\Office\Academic Programs Office\Teaching Schedules

 

NOTE: Spring Evening and Final Exam requests, along with textbook needs, are due to Cindy by Friday, 10/21. Look for an email containing a Course Info Form from her for your responses.

 

Graduate Office Update

 

COE Graduate Mentor Seminar Series

In case you missed the excellent workshop this week on “Navigating Toxic Environments” with Dr. Gonzalez-Perez (Associate Dean for Diversity Initiatives) from Princeton, a recording is available (view that here).  This virtual seminar covered how to better identify attributes that can lead to poor mentorship relationships or environments and mitigating tips.

 

The next seminar in this series is on Wednesday, October 26th from 4:30-5:30pm in WALC 2051!  Contact Stephen McBride (Assistant Director, Graduate Student Success; College of Engineering - Graduate Education) for more information on this seminar series, or anything else related to the College’s work/initiatives to support graduate students https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Academics/Graduate.

 

BME Coffee Chats

We are once again hosting are faculty coffee chats for grad students.  Remember, we need attendance for this event to be successful so get these on your calendars today😊.

 

These coffee chats will attempt to accomplish some priorities that have been shared with us by you:  

  1. First year students—what a great opportunity to find out more about other labs and find potential mentors for your qual committee.
  2. Grad student professional development—to learn/ask/chat about topics of interest to the student either about research or other topics.
  3. Increase faculty involvement with graduate students outside of their own lab.
  4. Help build community between grad students.

 

Here are the dates and faculty for fall:

November

Date:  November 10th

Time: 9:30 am-10:30 am

Location: MJIS 3041

Faculty hosts: Hugh Lee, Taimoor Qazi, Steve Steinhubl

Potential discussion topics: ask me anything/healthcare, academic jobs/academia, visas/international students

 

December:

Date:  December 8th

Time: 2:00 pm-3:00 pm

Location: MJIS 2041

Faculty host: Deva Chan

Potential discussion topics: AMA work-life, teaching & diversity statements, time management

 

Please plan to participate in as many as your schedule will allow.  There will be free snacks and drinks included.

 

Graduate Admissions Update

1.                   Graduate Diversity Visitation Program (GDVP)—October 23rd-26th

·                     Will typically host students on Monday, October 24th from 1-2 pm and will need grad students and faculty to meet with them.

2.                   New Application Deadline Reminder: December 1st

 

Resources, attachments, further information

 

BME Seminar Series, Wed., Oct. 12,  9:30 a.m., MJIS 1001 or via Zoom. Qiuhong He, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Purdue will present “In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging of Cancer Biomarkers.”

Abstract: We are developing Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) technologies for in vivo cancer biomarker imaging with applications in early detection of cancer treatment responses.  Rapid advances in cancer research has offered many treatment options to cancer patients.  However, individual treatment responses differ dramatically among patients.  Clinically, there is no effective methods to predict therapeutic effect.  Current monitoring of cancer treatment response relies mostly on tumor volume changes, which often takes several months to detect, especially in the presence of pseudo-progression.  To improve cancer imaging specificity, we have recent developed pi-MRSI techniques to resolve overlapping biomarker images, permitting fast spatial mapping of cancer biomarkers with potential clinical translations.  The commercially available MRSI methods are based on the spin echo techniques that apply only to the brain.  In extracranial tissues, the intensive lipid and water signals dominate the proton NMR spectrum, blocking observation of most cancer biomarkers.  Using selective multiple quantum coherence transfer (Sel-MQC) techniques, we have suppressed lipid and water signals in a single-scan, expanding MR biomarker imaging to extracranial tissues.  For applications at high and ultrahigh magnetic field, we have developed zero-quantum MRSI techniques that are insensitive to inhomogeneous broadening due to tissue susceptibility artifacts and poor B0 shimming.  Various spatial localization schemes have been employed in the Sel-MQC chemical shift imaging (CSI) experiments using Hadamard matrix approach and spatial-spectral RF pulses.  In the novel pi-MRSI methods, 3D biomarker imaging speeds up by hundreds of fold using any currently available fast k-space mapping and multi-slice localization techniques.  By distinguishing tumors specifically from normal tissue, pi-MRSI enables early detection of cancer treatment responses in days rather than months to improve clinical outcome. 

Bio: Dr. Qiuhong He recently joined Purdue faculty in August, 2022.  She earned her PhD in physical chemistry in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH).  Working with Prof. Charles C. Johnson, Jr. in Chapel Hill, she developed the multi-dimensional electrophoretic NMR (ENMR) technology.  Subsequently, she became a postdoctoral research fellow in Princeton University working with Prof. Warren S. Warren.  In Princeton, she discovered the phenomenon of long-range dipolar interactions in solution NMR in her intermolecular multiple quantum conference correlation (iMQCs) experiments.  For biomedical applications of NMR, Dr. He joined the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, working with Prof. Jerry D. Glickson on in vivo NMR of cancer.  She has started to develop cancer biomarker imaging techniques ever since.   

~BME Faculty Host: Dr. Uzay Emir ~

NOTE: Students registered for the seminar are expected to attend in-person. Zoom link:

https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/7731446991?pwd=RHdkZTVnRkxTM3J3dnRvY1VLWTlYUT09

 

BMES 2022 Annual Meeting will be held in San Antonio, Texas on October 12-15, 2022. Registration is now open! Register here:  https://s7.goeshow.com/bes/annual/2022/attendee_reg.cfm

 

Seminars in Hearing Research at Purdue (SHRP), Thurs., Oct. 13, 10:30-11:20 a.m., LYLE 1150. Varsha Mysore Athreya (PhD student, SLHS) will present "Effects of Age on Within-Channel and Across-Channel Temporal Processing and Relationship to Speech Perception in Noise."

Abstract: Age-related changes in the auditory system can lead to difficulty perceiving speech in noise (SIN). Temporal processing plays a vital role in the perception of SIN, evidenced in prior behavioral studies. There are two mechanisms of temporal processing – within-channel, which is mediated by peripheral and central involvement of the auditory system, and across-channel, primarily involving the central auditory system. Animal studies suggest that with age, there are peripheral (loss of hair cells, cochlear synaptopathy) and central changes (down-regulation of inhibition). In this study, we sought to understand the relative contributions of within-channel and across-channel temporal processing mechanisms to speech perception in noise in individuals with near-normal hearing sensitivity as a function of age. In this talk, I'll be going over our preliminary data from subjects in a wide age range (18-70 years) and future goals.

Zoom link for remote attendees: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/4326340458  Meeting ID: 432 634 0458

The working SHRP schedule is available on the T32 TPAN website here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_schedule

 

Graduate Student, Faculty and Postdoc Seminar: The Dark Side of Development: When Mentoring is Problematic and What to Do About It, Fri., Oct. 14, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. You must have a GoSignMeUp account to register for this free workshop. Detailed instructions are attached. This seminar is presented by Dr. Erin Dolan, a professor of biochemistry & molecular biology and Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Innovative Science Education at the University of Georgia. Erin studies the career development and decision-making of undergraduate and graduate life science students in the context of research experiences and research training. With funding from the National Science Foundation, her group is working to delineate the features of research experiences that influence students’ career trajectories, develop measurement tools for studying undergraduate and graduate research experiences and mentorship, and promote change toward more effective and inclusive undergraduate and graduate education. She served on the National Academies consensus committee on mentoring in STEMM, which produced evidence-based recommendations for improving undergraduate and graduate mentorship. Register: https://gspd.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=3922

 

Special BME Seminar, Wed., Oct. 19, 9:30 a.m. in MJIS 1001 and via Zoom. Megan Yi-Ping Ho, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong will present “Microfluidics for Single Cell Applications.”

Abstract: Microfluidics has gathered significant interest for biomedical applications, particularly the analysis of targeted biomolecules from minute amount of samples. This presentation will summarize our efforts on exploiting microfluidics for the manipulation and analysis of individual cells and subcellular organelles. In particular, we have explored the possibility of modulating hydrodynamic shear stress at microscale to selectively disrupt cellular membrane while maintaining the mitochondrial membrane intact. We have also investigated a microfluidics-based method to encapsulate protein payloads into red blood cells by controlling membrane deformation either transiently or extendedly in a microfluidic channel. This presentation will also highlight our recent development of a novel surfactant based on fluorinated plasmonic gold nanoparticles, rendering a previously unavailable feature of photo-responsiveness in droplet microfluidics. Looking forward, we plan to study the fundamentals of how individual cells alter their phenotypes in response to environmental and therapeutic stimuli. These efforts are expected to find clinical applications in diagnostics, prognostics and treatment evaluation of infectious and chronic diseases, as well as to expand our fundamental understanding towards disease development.

Bio: Megan Yi-Ping Ho is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Power Mechanical Engineering from National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in USA. After her postdoctoral training with Duke University in USA, she received the Young Elite Researcher Award from the Danish Research Council for Independent Research and started her independent career in the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre and the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics at Aarhus University in Denmark. She is a co-founder of two start-up companies situated in Demark, Zymonostics and vPCiR, focusing on enzyme-based diagnostics. She has published 67 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 book chapters, 77 conference papers, edited 1 book and holds 2 granted patents. The results that she presented have been recognized internationally by the American Society of Gene Therapy and Controlled Release Society. Her research team is focused on developing nanosensors and microfluidics as diagnostic tools to expand the capacity of disease detection and treatment evaluation.

~BME Host: Young Kim~

Zoom link:  https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/7731446991?pwd=RHdkZTVnRkxTM3J3dnRvY1VLWTlYUT09

 

BME PhD Defense Announcement for Sarah Libring (L. Solorio, advisor), Wed., Oct. 19, 12:30 p.m., MJIS 2001 or via Zoom. Title: Characterizing Interactions Between Cancer Cells and the Extracellular Matrix in Metastatic Breast Cancer through Fibronectin Accumulation

Location: MJIS 2001 or Zoom: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/98072942203?pwd=Y09ub3NUZndSckdPeGtYOEhIZlNMQT09

Committee: Luis Solorio (Chair), Michael K. Wendt, Hyowon (Hugh) Lee, Sherry Voytik-Harbin

Abstract: Metastases are responsible for approximately 90% of all cancer-related deaths, with metastatic breast cancer (BC) holding a 5-year survival rate of only 27%. Recent research has highlighted a complex dynamic between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment as essential for the formation of macrometastases. Within this field, tissue stiffening through matrix accumulation and altered matrix organization at the primary tumor site were recently linked with sustained proliferation and increased migration of tumor cells. Separately, elevated levels of the glycoprotein, fibronectin, were correlated to poor patient survival in BC and were linked to enhanced seeding of disseminated tumor cells at metastatic sites. Through my thesis work, we have identified several mechanisms through which accumulated fibronectin impacts the metastatic potential of BC cells. First, we identified a transient increase in extracellular fibronectin in the lungs, which peaked before overt metastasis, coupled with a non-transient increase in total lung volume. To better recapitulate physiological conditions, we then developed a novel magnetically-actuating platform with the ability to apply tensile strain on cells at various amplitudes and frequencies in a high-throughput multi-well culture plate using suspended fibrillar fibronectin for 3D cell culture that is not reliant on a synthetic substrate. Using this as a biomimetic lung model, we found that cyclic mechanical force acted as a suppressor of cancer cell growth in a biomimetic lung model, implicating the accumulation and reorganization of extracellular matrix as an attempt by the cancer cells to alter the mechanical properties of the lung tissue and resist entering dormancy. However, our results showed that BC cells could not organize extracellular fibronectin independently. Instead, BC cells altered the accumulation and architecture of fibronectin by conditioning fibroblasts through soluble factors and extracellular vesicles. We observed that the fibronectin produced by conditioned fibroblasts varied as an effect of both the method of conditioning and the phenotype of the BC cell as the conditioning source. Taken together, these results have increased our knowledge of the relationship between disseminated breast cancer cells, fibroblasts, and fibronectin architecture in the early metastatic lung niche that paves the way for further investigation on targeting disseminated BC cells during early disease intervention in order to inhibit later overt metastatic outgrowth.

 

Mentoring Graduate Writers Workshop for faculty and postdocs: Tues., Oct. 25, 2:00-3:30 p.m., A good deal of research indicates that mentoring graduate students on their writing is fraught with problems. This initial workshop will share a range of best practices around mentoring and writing in the disciplines, with the hope of making mentoring graduate writers more empowered, effective, and sustainable. Participants will learn strategies for sound response and receive materials to take away and study. Depending on faculty interest, additional workshops will be scheduled to address needs that arise during the conversation. This workshop is for faculty and postdocs only. Register: https://gspd.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=3923

 

Mentoring and the Dissertation Process for faculty and postdocs, Tues., Nov. 1, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Among the most consequential documents that writers produce in graduate school is the dissertation. Strong mentoring at specific critical junctures in the dissertation process can strengthen both the document itself and graduate students’ abilities to later support their own graduate students. Unfortunately, most faculty receive little to no training about the writing instruction central to the dissertation process, from invention to final deposit. Instead, they rely upon their own experiences producing a doctoral thesis, which might have been problematic and trauma producing or wonderful yet still mystifying. This workshop incorporates current research on graduate student writing and builds on insights about graduate student struggles that the Writing Lab gains through working with dissertation writers. Faculty will be offered actionable strategies for helping dissertation writers be more effective. The workshop also will offer faculty mentors guidance on when and how to direct their students to the Writing Lab for intensive and on-going support. This workshop is for faculty and postdocs only. You must have a GoSignMeUp account to register for this free workshop. Registration: https://gspd.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=3923

 

 

Attachments

SPRING 2023 class schedule

BMES 2022 Mentoring Special Session Flyer

How_Do_I_Register_for_a_Purdue_University_Workshop