VCU professors join elite bioengineering institute

floor is a massive wall featuring a series of individual screen prints.

The piece is the work of Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and was created with the collaboration of local barbershops and salons. Each print is a quote from a conversation overheard in the shops, capturing the role these spaces play in the city’s black neighborhoods.

The diversity of “Declaration” reflects VCU President Michael Rao’s hope that the ICA will make the city an international destination.

“We hope to become through VCUs Institute of Contemporary Art a world-class cultural hub,”

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Rao said. He said the ICA will help “advance the arts and invoke human senses like they have never been invoked before.”

ANYA SCZERZENIE

Contributing Writer

Three professors were inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) at a formal ceremony on April 9.

Those chosen are recognized for their contributions in teaching, research and innovation in the field.

Dr. Gregory Buck of the VCU School of Medicine and Lukasz Kurgan and Frank Gupton of the School of Engineering, were accepted after a months-long application process, which starts with a nomination by one of the institute’s current fellows.

Buck was nominated for “contributions to advancement in the areas of genomics and bioinformatics” according to an AIMBE press release. His research focuses on the microbiome of bacteria within the human body.

“It’s a real honor,” Buck said.

“My second career would have been as an engineer. I’ve enjoyed collaborating with my engineering friends. VCU is trying to focus its engineering school more on issues within the human body.”

Gupton, chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Sciences Engineering, was nominated for developments in pharmaceutical processing, which are designed to make different medicines more accessible around the world.

Kurgan was nominated for his work in structural bioinformatics, using computer programs to study the structures of proteins and DNA.

“You have to work for many years to develop the skills and expertise and credentials to be selected and voted on,” Kurgan said. “It’s something special that we will probably remember for the rest of our lives.”

The group is made up of the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers nationally. With these inductions, VCU has 12 total AIMBE Fellows.

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Lacrosse junior Blaire Langeler was named the Virginia Lottery Student-Athlete of the Week after scoring four goals in two games.