(since our last newsletter in Fall 2014)
Student awards and Honorable Mentions
Martin J. Strama, Summa cum Laude Tim Y. Tang, Cum Laude Justin K. Thomas, Cum Laude Grant David Thompson Rostislav Tikhonov Julio C. Villalta Melissa Tremaine Wardlow Victoria M. Way
Cover Page Research Image
Department of Bioengineering BS graduates in Spring 2015 semester (continued)
Top Left: 3D-Printed oxygen control insert for a 24-well plate. The device, complete with micro-channels and hose barbs, is formed from UV curable resin via stereolithography and completed with the addition of a gas-permeable membranes to facilitate diffusion of oxygen for cell culture studies. An inlet and outlet barb allows perfusion of gas to control a 6-well unit with up to 4 conditions per 24 well plate. The device pictured is filled with dye for visualization. Martin D Brennan and David T Eddington. Biological Microsystem Lab. Bottom Left: This picture shows the error probability density when a single individual repeatedly attempts to reach to a target. Systematic errors are mapped out, and then a training force actually amplifies the errors people tend to make most. The resulting “error field” is representative customized therapies that Dr. James Patton’s lab is researching right now. Right Picture: The intrinsic topology of the brain is visualized using the new BRAINtrinsic software by Dr. Alex Leow’s group. This shows the underlying geometry of brain connection patterns formed by cortical/subcortical gray matter regions plus the brain stem (A), cortical/ subcortical gray matter regions without the brain stem (B) and the cortical gray matter regions after removing subcortical structures (C). Results suggesting that in the absence of subcortical regions the topology remains minimally altered, likely thanks to alternative routing via corticocortical connections. This work was recently presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry conference held in Toronto, Canada.
Elise Debruyn won the UIC Honors College Undergraduate Research Grant for her EWH project and also received an honorable mention for the Goldwater Scholarship. (Advisor: Kotche)
Ahmed Metwally received a travel award to attend the 2015 Pjylogenomics Symposium & Software School. (Advisor: Dai)
Gregory Roytman received the UIC Honors College Undergraduate Research Grant. (Advisor: Esmailbeigi)
Kevin Tangen was the recipient of the 2015 – 24th European Stroke Conference Award as well as placing 3rd place in the 2015 UIC Student Research Forum. (Advisor: Linninger)
Tiana Wong was awarded a $7500 Goldwater Scholarship by the Goldwater Scholars for researchfocused careers in math, science and engineering.
Yazan Abdel Majeed was accepted to the COSMO summer school on computational motor control in the Netherlands. (Advisor: Patton)
Michael Mkrtschjan won the Spring 15 Provost Deiss Award for his project titled ‘Training in Micromagnet Fabrication for use in Cardiomyocyte Mechanical load studies.” Advisor: Dai)
Vidyani Suryadevara won the Spring 15 Provost Deiss Award for her project titled ‘Imaging techniques (MRI) and nanomedicine for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.’ She also won 2015 UIC Chancellor’s Student Service Award.
Daniela Velez-Rendon received an all paid invitation to the 2015 Industrial Math/State Modeling Workshop. She also received the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference Diversity Travel Award (Advisor: Valdez-Jasso) Allen Ye was invited for an oral presentation at the upcoming Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting. (Advisors: Leow and Magin)
UIC in top 20 on list of world’s 100 young universities For the fourth consecutive year, UIC is one of four U.S. universities listed in the top 20 of an international ranking of the top 100 universities in the world that were founded less than 50 years ago. Only seven U.S. universities are included on the entire list. The Times Higher Education‘s 100 Under 50 list has included UIC in the top 20 among universities worldwide since it began the rankings in 2012. Only two other U.S. universities have been listed consistently in the top 20 — University of California, Irvine, and University of California, Santa Cruz. University of Texas at Dallas has made the top 20 for the last three years. UIC’s place on the list has varied: No. 11 in 2012, No. 19 in 2013, No. 13 in 2014 and No. 18 this year. Times Higher Education, published in the United Kingdom, said the 100 Under 50 list “provides a glimpse into the future, showcasing not those institutions with centuries of history, but the rising stars which show great potential.” According to the publication, which also produces the annual World University Rankings, the institutions in the 100 Under 50 rankings are evaluated more for objective performance indicators such as teaching, research, citations, international outlook and innovation, and less for subjective indicators of academic reputation. Young universities are “more responsive to societal and economic developments nationally and globally, ensuring the relevance of their teaching and research to students, scholars and partners,” wrote Brian MacCraith, president of Dublin City University, in an accompanying Times Higher Education analysis. ”They tend to be innovative and more willing to engage with enterprise and civic society.” The other U.S. institutions on this year’s 100 Under 50 list are George Mason (59), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (73) and Florida International University (79).
UIC Bioengineering Student Journal (UBSj) Written by co-editors Cierra Hall and Brynne Nicolsen The UBSJ was founded by former department head and University Distinguished Professor Richard Magin in Fall 2008 and has been published in six subsequent issues with the goal of providing students with more opportunities to practice all aspects of the technical writing, reviewing, and editing process. The journal has succeeded in bringing together students at different levels of education, from freshman undergraduates to the graduate members of the editorial board. Students submit articles that discuss original research or review research published elsewhere. This allows students to hone their writing skills without being limited by a lack of data. The journal also provides students with an opportunity to be involved as editors and reviewers, giving students an overall appreciation of the processes involved in disseminating scientific findings. Additionally, the journal finally serves to expose the authors, reviewers, and readers to current trends in the bioengineering field. Completed research projects are not necessary for publication, nor does publication in the UBSJ preclude later publication of the results in a more complete presentation. Articles are intended to document research accomplishments to date, and it is expected that many of the articles that appear in the journal will later be expanded to full-length studies and published elsewhere. Submissions can range from original research articles and technical reviews to book reviews relevant to bioengineering. Students often publish papers which were written to fulfill a class assignment, and a few of the issues have focused primarily on a single course, such as Biomedical Imaging (BioE 421) or Biological Systems Analysis (BioE 310). By using a previously written paper, students are able to further experience the process of reviewing and revising their written work, an opportunity which is not often presented within the context of a class. After submitting an article, authors work closely with a number of students to improve their work through a number of review processes. Authors, reviewers, and editors meet at biweekly meetings to review the progress of the articles and discuss any suggestions about which reviewers and authors disagree. After this process is completed, the editorial board performs the final review of the articles and composes the official document which is sent to the printing company. The editorial board also works together to locate and work with a graphic designer for the unique cover art of each issue. At the end of the year, the authors, reviewers, and editors celebrate another successful issue at the publication party, where students and professors alike can discuss the articles over refreshments. A number of professors also vote on the recipient of the Best Author award, which is presented at the party. Through peer review, personal authorship, and management of the publication by the board, students are able to hone a wide degree of the type of skills needed by professional engineers and scientists post-graduation. These include learning to incorporate constructive feedback during article review, learning to manage one’s time well, developing attention to detail during the review process, and working well together in groups, among many others. We hope that the UBSJ continues to flourish in the years to come through the hard work and dedication of UIC bioengineering students. Download the Spring issue at: http://www.bioe.uic.edu/pub/BIOE/BioeUbsj/ubsj_61_sp15.pdf