BME WEEKLY ROUNDTABLE

January 22, 2024

INTERIM HEAD’S NOTE

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

After a freezing weekend, we’ve finally got a warm front coming to us. We have several special BME seminars, some of which are related to the Dream Hire mechanism. Thank you for scheduling to meet with the visitors. Please find detailed information in the following.

We will have another proposal Sounding Board this Friday (1/26). It will be from 2 to 4 pm in MJIS 2001. It is a great mechanism for many of us to calibrate our solid proposal ideas in front of dear colleagues or simply check the plausibility of some preliminary idea. It is just good that we can motivate idea exchanges and research excellence among us.

By last Friday, we have got all IUPUI BME TT and NTT faculty on boards by signing their respectively offer letters officially. They have become one of us even though the official start will have to wait until mid this year. Now it is time to further operationalize the transition at the departmental level and show how collegial we are as a group. To say the least, we will invite them to our department faculty meetings in the remainder of the spring and ask them to sit in our committee meetings.

The spring semester has begun. It looks like this is the last semester of me being the Interim Head. I stated my plan for this semester in our first faculty meeting of the semester. I want to send the following message explicitly. I am here to try to make each faculty and staff member’s life as easy as possible during the transition and with a lot of changes to this university. Leading towards the mini retreat, we want to have open discussions and intelligence gathering on key issues. Typically, we want to announce the discussion topics and provide basic data, followed by a Qualtrics Survey to solicit your feedback. Then if the issue(s) are complex and massive, we want to form a working group to review your feedback and devise a plan or specific strategies to address your concerns. Then a report back to you will take place in a department faculty meeting or at the mini retreat. Vitaliy helped us make a good start during this process on the teaching assignment topic. Additional potential topics include AY incentivization, budgeting in the broader sense, space usage, boosting the external image of the school, and promoting faculty and staff excellence for external recognition. To foster the faculty governance, your participation is appreciated and the leadership from some of you is also appreciated.

Week of January 22

Mon., Jan. 22: BME Special Seminar, 9:30 a.m., MJIS 2001. Behzad Sharif, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine & Lilly Endowment INCITE Scholar; Director, Cardiovascular MRI Research; Director, Cardiovascular Imaging Research Core; Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center, IU School of Medicine, Indianapolis will present “Innovations in translational cardiovascular MRI: Towards “intelligent MRI” with automatic data analysis enabling gold-standard diagnostic procedures.”

Mon., Jan. 22: BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Hammad F. Khan (K. Jayant and T. Kinzer-Ursem, co-advisors). Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 10:30 a.m. in DLR 221. TITLE: Inter-Areal Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Volitional Motor Movements.

Mon., Jan. 22: Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Seminar Series, 12:00 p.m., R4-101 (Indianapolis) and via Zoom. Ashley Webb, PhD, Associate Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging will present “Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of brain aging and neurodegeneration.” Zoom link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/87501979533 This seminar series is sponsored by the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Tues., Jan. 23: Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series. 3:00 p.m., ARMS Atrium. Yannis C. Yortsos, Dean of Viterbi School of Engineering, Zohrab Kaprielian Dean’s Chair in Engineering, University of Southern California will present “The Intertwining of Engineering with Social Phenomena.” This seminar is hosted by the College of Engineering, and Davidson School of Chemical Engineering. Register at bit.ly/pedls-yortsos The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion from 4-5:00 p.m. in the ARMS Atrium.

Wed., Jan. 24: BME Distinguished Seminar Series, 9:30 a.m., MRGN 121 or via Zoom. Fiona Kolbinger, Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue will present “Artificial Intelligence in Medicine – From Concepts to Clinical Translation.”

Thurs., Jan. 25: Seminars in Hearing Research, 12:00 p.m., LYLE 1160. Chuchu Li, PhD, will present “Juggling two languages in one mind – The mechanisms of bilingual language control and its clinical implications.”

Thurs., Jan. 25: BME Special Seminar, 3:00 p.m., MJIS 2001. Hyeon Jeong Lee, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science at Zhejiang University will present “Label-free imaging pinpoints molecular markers for disease diagnosis and mechanism investigation.”

Virtual Workshop Series on Mastering Grant Writing

Tommy Sors, Director of Scientific Strategy and Relations, invites you to elevate your research potential by registering to be part of our exclusive workshop series, meticulously designed to guide you through the competitive landscape of NIH funding and the art of grant writing. Each session builds on the next, so you want to make sure to catch all sessions because they offer the knowledge and tools to craft winning proposals. Sessions ran on Thursdays from 2:00-3:00 p.m. November 30 – December 14 and will continue Tuesdays 10:00-11:00 a.m. January 9-Feb. 13. Register at https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/ife/form/SV_01WMuhATStggQOW

NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education RAISING A RESILIENT SCIENTIST Series

The NIH OITE is pleased to offer the RAISING A RESILIENT SCIENTIST (RRS) series for faculty, staff scientists, and administrators who mentor students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences. A variety of topics will be covered with a specific focus on communication and shared problem-solving to help trainees deal with the inevitable setbacks experienced in high knowledge environments. The goal of the Raising a Resilient Scientist series is to promote the mental health and well-being of the academic research community by supporting faculty and administrators to develop self-management, relationship-management, and mentoring skills. There will be five units in the series and start on February 1^st, 2024; each unit will consist of a 75-minute lecture followed by a 1-hour facilitated discussion with peers.

Previous participants found participation very valuable, and the tools presented practical and actionable. Here is what those who participated in series have to say:

“Informative workshop that I think all faculty should be required to attend. Making this a requirement for mentoring teams for fellowship and training grants would be a great approach! They need to be invested in mentoring and training, as much as training fellows.”
“Thank you! I've done a lot of mentoring workshops/training but feel like this one is already taking things to another level.”
“This course needs to be offered again and again, such an important resource in any academic curriculum.”

There is no charge for participation, but advanced registration is required. For more information, and to register, please visit our webpage. Participation in the entire series is recommended but is not required. Please do not hesitate to email us if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Your OITE Resilience Team

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ulrike Klenke, PhD [C] (she/her/hers)

Director, OITE Resilience Programs

Coordinator, OITE Wellbeing Services

Program Manager, Office of Postdoctoral Services

Office of Intramural Training & Education

National Institutes of Health

Building 2, Room 2E14

Bethesda, MD 20892

Phone: 301-496-7173

FAX: 301-594-9606

email: klenkee@mail.nih.gov

https://www.training.nih.gov

~~~~~
NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education - https://www.training.nih.gov
Upcoming Events - https://www.training.nih.gov/events/upcoming
Career Services Advice and Appointments - https://www.training.nih.gov/career_services
NIH Alumni Database, Explore for your career options & Register as you leave -
https://www.training.nih.gov/alumni/register

Upcoming important deadlines and information

Mon., Jan. 29: BME Special Seminar, 9:30 a.m., MJIS 2001. Jessica Oakes, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Northeastern University will present “Respirable Particles in the Lung: From Diseases Caused from Wildland Fire Smoke and E-cigarettes to Effective Treatment Strategies.”

Wed., Jan. 31: BME Distinguished Seminar Series, 9:30 a.m., MRGN 121 and via Zoom. Cherie Stabler, PhD, Professor and Department Chair, J. Crayton Pruitt Family & UF Foundation Preeminence Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida will present “Engineering biomaterials for improving cell therapy in Type 1 Diabetes.”

Thurs., Feb. 8: John Martinson Honors College Lead Forward Luminary Series, 6:00-7:00 p.m., Honors Hall. Dr. Mark Brennan, UNESCO Chair for Community, Leadership and Youth Development will present “Bringing Together Youth, Community & Empathy: Achieving Stable, Civil Societies. An open meet and greet with Dr. Brennan will be held on Feb. 7 from 4:30 to 5:30pm in the Reading Room (rm 1060) of the Honors College and Residences south building. Some additional opportunities for meeting with Dr. Brennan may be available, please contact Adam Watkins (aewatkin@purdue.edu) if interested.

Wed., Feb. 21: Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series. Russell Allgor, Vice President and Chief Scientist, Worldwide Operations at Amazon.com will present “Logistics and Fulfillment Systems for E-Commerce.” This seminar is hosted by the College of Engineering, and School of Industrial Engineering. Register at bit.ly/pedls-allgor

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

Wed., March 6: Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series. Karen Willcox, Director, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Associate Vice President for Research, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin will present “From Reduced-Order Modeling to Scientific Machine Learning: How Computational Science is Enabling the Design of Next-Generation Engineering Systems.” This seminar is hosted by the College of Engineering, and School of Mechanical Engineering. Register at bit.ly/pedls-willcox

Thurs., April 4: 19^th Annual Garnet E. Peck Symposium, France A. Cordova Recreational Sports Center. Registration now open: www.purdue.edu/conferences/Peck2024 . The Peck Symposium will showcase the digital transformations occurring in the pharmaceutical industry. Presentations include the latest developments in discovery, data analysis, process development and the application of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a poster session and 3-minute student thesis competition. Chaired by Dr. Nathaniel Milton, Professor of Practice. Questions? Email Cindy Everhart, IMPH Communications & Events Coordinator, ceverha1@purdue.edu

Wed., April 10: Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series. Jeffrey Dean, Google Senior Fellow and SVP of Google Research and Google Health, Google Research will present “Machine Learning, AI and Applications of AI.” This seminar is hosted by the College of Engineering, and Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Register at bit.ly/pedls-dean

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

Abstract: The overall theme in my research laboratory is the development, validation, and clinical translation of new MRI-based technologies aimed at improving the state-of-the-art in diagnosis and imaging-guided therapy of cardiovascular (CV) disease with a focus on:

(1) Reliable quantification of imaging biomarkers for assessment of microvascular health, including new “functional MRI” markers of tissue microcirculation by leveraging multi-disciplinary innovations in magnetic resonance physics, computational engineering, and machine learning;

(2) Development and translation of minimally-invasive interventional MRI technologies enabling gold-standard diagnosis and monitoring of CV disease status without ionizing radiation.

In this talk, I will present our recent efforts devoted to developing artificial intelligence-enabled MRI strategies for automatic and reliable quantification of blood flow patterns in the myocardium. I will demonstrate the potential impact of these techniques by presenting preclinical and clinical results. Next, I will discuss how our ongoing collaborations with local medical device companies has led to the development of an accelerated interventional MRI paradigm for “gold standard” assessment of CV health status using a low-field, lower-cost MRI system. Once combined with deep learning-based real-time data analysis, this minimally invasive paradigm has the potential to change the current approach for clinical management of most CV patients, which is based on x-ray-based fluoroscopy and involves radiation exposure for patients and healthcare workers.

Biography: Behzad Sharif is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Radiology & Imaging Sciences at IU School of Medicine where he directs the Cardiovascular MRI research program. Dr. Sharif obtained his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from UIUC in 2010 supervised by Yoram Bresler and trained as an American Heart Association (AHA) postdoctoral fellow with Debiao Li, PhD, and Daniel Berman, MD, at Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. From 2015 until joining IU in 2021, he held joint faculty appointments at Cedars Sinai and UCLA with continuous NIH funding as PI. Dr. Sharif currently serves on committees and peer review panels for AHA, NIH, and the Society for Cardiovascular MRI (SCMR), and as the PI or co-investigator on four active federal grants. His earlier work has been recognized by the AHA National Scientist Development Award, a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the NIH, and the SCMR Early Career Award in Basic Science. In 2021, Dr. Sharif was recruited to IU as part of the INCITE biomedical scientist recruitment program funded by the Lilly Endowment. Since then, he has established academic-industry partnerships with local biotech companies to advance the emerging field of low-field & interventional MRI with the goal of enhancing the role of MRI-guided diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.

~ BME Host: Craig Goergen ~

Mon., Jan. 22: BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Hammad F. Khan (K. Jayant and T. Kinzer-Ursem, co-advisors). Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 10:30 a.m. in DLR 221. TITLE: Inter-Areal Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Volitional Motor Movements.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dr. Krishna Jayant (Primary Advisor), Dr. Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem (Co-advisor), Dr. Edward Bartlett, Dr. Scott Pluta

ABSTRACT: The execution of structured motor actions is influenced by the context in which they occur. In mammals, this behavior is integrated in the primary motor cortex (M1), which conveys task-relevant signals for motor action. Further, the integration of contextual pre-motor (M2) and sensory thalamic inputs in M1 can combine to form a reliable neural code for motor action. However, the mechanisms underlying communication between these regions and their maintenance across varying behavioral timescales remain unclear. In this study, I aim to investigate how thalamocortical and inter-cortical inputs shape distinct neural dynamics in mice performing a volitional motor task, which requires them to employ rapid motor planning. I hypothesize that such interactions will emerge in the form of propagating traveling waves across the two motor cortices, influenced by feedforward thalamic inputs arriving at M1 and M2. Such integration of inputs will enable distinct translaminar neural dynamics that track motor behavior within a low-dimensional neural state-space. My research, split into 3 aims, focuses on elucidating how traveling waves shape neural dynamics in M1 (Aim 1), unraveling thalamocortical interactions underlying traveling wave structure (Aim 2), and whether traveling waves can predict impending contextually-driven motor sequences (Aim 3). To test and validate my hypothesis, I plan to use innovative methods, including custom microfabricated µECoG technology for mapping traveling waves, high-density electrophysiology with concomitant high-speed two-photon (2P) imaging, cell-type specific optogenetics, and a novel behavioral paradigm. Successful completion of my aims will lead to a new understanding of how motor regions communicate within behaviorally relevant timescales to influence motor action. The outcome of this project could also inform the development of brain-machine-interface algorithms and advance research on dysfunctional circuits in motor-related diseases.

Abstract: Computational approaches have the potential to transform the way we diagnose and treat diseases. Deep learning-based image analysis finds direct applications across various clinical fields including radiology, histopathology, and surgery, and has demonstrated to outperform medical experts in specific tasks such as diagnosing lung cancer on chest x-rays. However, conceptual and regulatory barriers hinder clinical translation, resulting in a limited number of models progressing to clinical stages. In this presentation, I will highlight some of the most promising applications of computational data analysis in diverse clinical domains. Additionally, I will explore strategies to overcome translational barriers for innovations in Artificial Intelligence-based medicine. Finally, I will discuss the broader scope of AI in medicine, extending beyond patient care to potential enhancements in education and research within biomedical fields.

Biography: Fiona Kolbinger is a Research Assistant Professor at Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. A physician by training, she completed her doctorate at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany in 2019. Since then, she has conducted translational research at the intersection of data science and clinical medicine. Her research aims to develop computational tools for personalized treatment in surgery and interventional medicine and to evaluate the clinical value of these tools in early-phase clinical trials.

~ BME Host: Young Kim ~

Zoom link: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/5593290378?pwd=eFBOZFlNTU50ZDA2S2gwcnpyOWIwUT09

Note: Students registered for the seminar are expected to attend in-person.

Abstract: Bilinguals seem to effortlessly choose which language they wish to speak, although studies show that both languages are always active even when bilinguals speak in monolingual contexts. I will present a series of studies on how bilinguals switch languages, thus revealing the mechanisms of bilingual language control in speech production. Specifically, I consider how bilinguals manage activation of cognates, which may pose special challenges to bilingual control mechanisms, because of overlap in form (e.g., the Spanish word for lemon is limón). While cognates sometimes facilitate language switching, in other situations they magnify interference and make it more difficult for bilinguals to switch languages, an effect that is even stronger among patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This work reveals that language switching requires both specialized linguistic processes and also relies on domain-general cognitive abilities such as inhibition, and monitoring. In addition, it has implications for neuropsychological evaluation of bilinguals, and has uncovered unique tasks for early detection of AD that can be used in bilinguals and monolinguals alike. Finally, I will present my current and future plans regarding how to have a more comprehensive understanding of bilingual language control in different populations.

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

Abstract: Understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of metabolites in living systems is crucial for biomedical research. Vibrational spectroscopic imaging techniques, such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and mid-infrared photothermal microscopy (MIP), offer unique insights into biomolecules in their natural microenvironment. By employing a pump-probe detection scheme, these techniques provide enhanced sensitivity and spatial resolution, enabling high-speed chemical imaging for disease diagnosis and classification. Our recent work has developed a novel multimodality spectroscopic imaging method, allowing comprehensive chemical analysis in cells and tissues at submicron resolution. Furthermore, the photothermal relaxation localization (PEARL) mechanism has led to a novel super-resolution imaging technique for non-fluorescent molecules. Improved spatial and spectral resolutions enable direct localization of chemical bonds, facilitating the quantitative mapping of chemical dynamics within single cells. These technological advancements decode the molecular machinery of living systems, providing valuable insights into subcellular biomolecular dynamics.

Biography: Dr. Hyeon Jeong Lee is an Assistant Professor in the College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science at Zhejiang University. She earned her B.S. in Biochemical Science and Technology from National Taiwan University and her Ph.D. in Comparative Pathobiology through the Interdisciplinary Life Science (PULSe) program at Purdue University. After that, she worked as a postdoctoral associate at Boston University Photonics Center. Her research interest centers on developing and applying biophotonics techniques for functional imaging and modulation at the subcellular level to decipher the molecular machinery of life. Her research accomplishments were recognized through multiple awards, including the Innovator Under 35 Asia Pacific by MIT Technology Review in 2021, Optica Ambassador in 2022, NSFC International Young Scientist, and Province-level award. Her work was selected as Paper of the Year and spotlight article. Hyeon Jeong is currently serving as a Chair in the Optica Molecular Probes and Nanobio-Optics technical group, a junior director in the Metabolic Biology branch of the Biophysical Society of China, and a junior committee in the Chinese Optical Society Biomedical Optics division. She is serving as a guest editor of Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience and Frontiers in Chemistry and is invited to organize international conferences.

~ BME Hosts: Fang Huang and Young Kim ~

Abstract: The respiratory system is one of the primary portals into the body and is responsible for gas exchange and protection from airborne foreign substances. The extent of deposition, retention, and clearance of inhaled particles is a complex interaction of physical forces, biological mechanisms, and subject's pathophysiology. Aerosol particles that originate from toxic sources (e.g., wildland fires, cigarettes/e-cigarettes, industrial emissions) can cause local and systemic inflammation, which when exposed to chronically, can lead to dysfunction of nearly every system in the body. Alternatively, particles may be designed for therapeutic purposes to treat, for example, asthma or respiratory distress syndrome. This talk will first focus on development of a chronic exposure platform to model occupation exposure in the context of wildland fire fighters. We will discuss how inhaling wildland fire smoke over a long period of time can cause changes in respiratory biomechanics and the biological underpinnings of lung remodeling. Turning our attention to other particles, we will next focus on the biomechanical impact of inhaling e-cig aerosols on the lung. Finally, we will discuss computational modeling of asthmatic and sarcoidosis lungs and importance of sensitivity analysis on predicting therapeutic potential.

Biography: Jessica Oakes is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Northeastern University. Following completion of her PhD in 2013 (UC San Diego), she continued research in aerosol medicine as a postdoc fellow at INRIA Paris, France and at UC Berkeley, supported by a Whitaker Fellowship, a UC Presidential Postdoc Fellowship, and an American Lung Association Fellowship. Now, her research group focuses on combining experimental and numerical techniques to predict, quantify, and optimize aerosol dosimetry, and the corresponding structure/function response, in the lung. Dr. Oakes’s is the recipient of the Outstanding New Environmental Scientist award from NIH/NIEHS. Her research has also generously supported by the FEMA/DHS Assistance to Firefighters grant program, NIH NHLBI, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In June 2023, Jessica received with the YC Fung Early Career Medal from the American Association of Mechanical Engineers.

~ BME Host: Craig Goergen ~

Abstract: Clinical islet transplantation, the intrahepatic infusion of allogeneic islets, has the potential to provide physiological blood glucose control for insulin-dependent diabetics. The success of clinical islet transplantation, however, is hindered by the location of the implant site, which is prone to mechanical stresses, inflammatory responses, and exposure to high drug and toxin loads, as well as the strong inflammatory and immunological responses to the transplant in spite of systemic immunosuppression. To address these challenges, our research has focused on three primary strategies: the development of scaffolds to house islets at alternative transplant sites; the fabrication of encapsulation protocols for the immuno-camouflage of the transplant; and the production of bioactive biomaterials for the local delivery of oxygen and immunomodulatory drugs and/or cells. Three-dimensional scaffolds can serve to create a more favorable islet engraftment site, by ensuring optimal distribution of the transplanted cells, creating a desirable niche for the islets, and promoting vascularization. Encapsulation can substantially decrease the need for systemic immunosuppression of the recipient, by preventing host recognition of surface antigens. Finally, localization of supportive agents to the site of the transplant can serve to enhance efficacy, while minimizing the side effects commonly observed with systemic delivery. Success in these strategies should increase the efficacy of islet transplantation for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, whereby the long-term survival and engraftment of the transplanted islets are significantly improved.

Biography: Dr. Cherie Stabler is the J. Crayton Pruitt Family & UF Foundation Preeminence Term Professor and Departmental Chair in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering at the University of Florida. She also is an Affiliate Member of the UF Diabetes Institute. Dr. Stabler has established an internationally recognized research and educational program focused on the generation of translational biomaterial platforms for cellular implants, with a particular emphasis on cell-based therapies for Type 1 diabetes. Her novel bioactive materials are targeted at enhancing graft survival and utilizing local and translational approaches to dampen host immunological responses. Her work spans from designing new biomaterials to seeking FDA clearance for combinatory products. She is an inducted fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and is the recipient of the NIH NIDDK Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder DP2 Award. Other awards include the 2022 UF Foundation Preeminence Term Professor, the 2022 HWCOE Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentor of the Year, 2019 UF HWCOE Faculty-Scholar of the Year, and a UF Term Professor (2019-2022). She is the President of the international Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERMIS) Americas Chapter.

~ BME Host: Taimoor H. Qazi ~

Zoom link: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/96081777247?pwd=OElHaUE5UHVDMjU1KzhES1JiZXM4UT09

Note: Students registered for the seminar are expected to attend in-person.

How do we tackle community challenges at home and across the globe? Now, as in the past, youth are the answer. In his talk, Dr. Brennan will explore how empowering youth voices and fostering youth leadership – with a focus on empathy and self-efficacy – are keys to sustainable community action. During the Q&A, Brennan will be joined by Jason Ware and Casey Mull for a discussion on the future of youth development.

An open meet and greet with Dr. Brennan will be held on Feb. 7 from 4:30 to 5:30pm in the Reading Room (rm 1060) of the Honors College and Residences south building. Some additional opportunities for meeting with Dr. Brennan may be available, please contact Adam Watkins (aewatkin@purdue.edu) if interested.

This talk is sponsored by the John Martinson Honors College in conjunction with Extension – 4H Youth Development and Agricultural Sciences, Education & Communication. Register at:

Thurs., Feb. 29: Purdue University 3^rd Annual Health Equity Summit, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, PMU North and South Ballrooms. Hosted by Dr. Jerome Adams and Purdue’s Health Equity Initiatives Team with Indiana CTSI. The event will feature Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, Senior Investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute and former Director of the National Institutes of Health. What to expect: Lunch and collaborative opportunities at NO cost, innovative health equity topics, and poster session with awards ceremony. Register for the event today at https://web.cvent.com/event/aa2fe096-8206-4093-85f2-6c22e8baad1c/summary

BME Distinguished Seminar Series, 9:30 a.m., MRGN 121 (NOTE LOCATION CHANGE) or via Zoom.

Zoom link: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/5593290378?pwd=eFBOZFlNTU50ZDA2S2gwcnpyOWIwUT09

Note: Students registered for the seminar are expected to attend in-person.

Week #	Date	Speaker	Title	Host	Website
3	1/24/2024	Fiona Kolbinger	Research Assistant Professor, Purdue BME	Young Kim	https://engineering.purdue.edu/BME/People/ptProfile?resource_id=286131
4	1/31/2024	Cheri Stabler	Professor and Chair of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering	Taimoor Qazi	https://www.bme.ufl.edu/labs/stabler/personnel-2/cherie-stabler/
5	2/7/2024	Jennifer Wayne	Professor and Head, Virginia Tech BEAM	Deva Chan	https://beam.vt.edu/people/faculty/wayne.html
6	2/14/2024	Donny Hanjaya-Putra	Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, U of Notre Dame	Taimoor Qazi	https://dhplab.nd.edu/
7	2/21/2024	Anne Robertson	Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh	Vitaliy Rayz	https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/people/faculty/anne-robertson/
8	2/28/2024	John Oshinsk	Professor in the Emory/Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine	Vitaliy Rayz	https://www.cores.emory.edu/csic/about/faculty-staff/oshinski-john.html
9	3/6/2024	Melissa Kemp	Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Professor, Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Georgia Tech	Elsje Pienaar	https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/faculty/Melissa-Kemp
10	3/20/2024	Jerome Mertz	Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Boston University	Krishna Jayant	https://www.bu.edu/csn/profile/jerome-mertz/
11	3/27/2024	Mikhail G. Shaprio	Professor of Chemical Engineering, Caltech	Krishna Jayant	https://cce.caltech.edu/people/mikhail-g-shapiro
12	4/3/2024	Jennifer Linderman	Pamela Raymond Collegiate Professor of Engineering, University of Michigan	Kinzer-Ursem Pienaar	https://che.engin.umich.edu/people/linderman-jennifer/
13	4/10/2024	Victor Barocas	Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota	Deva Chan	https://cse.umn.edu/bme/victor-barocas
14	4/17/2024	Kim “Avrama” Blackwell	Professor and DEO of Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering	Kinzer-Ursem	https://ibi.gmu.edu/faculty-directory/kim-avrama-blackwell/
15	4/24/2024	Stacey Finley	Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and Quantitative and Computational Biology, USC	Kinzer-Ursem Pienaar	https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/Finley/Stacey

A close-up of a register

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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