September/October 2019
Three opportunities to join our faculty! 

Open Penn State BME faculty positions 

Be part of a department on the rise in a new, state-of-the-art facility with cutting-edge facilities. 

We have openings in:
  • Cancer Research - Open Rank Faculty Position in Biomedical Engineering
  • Cell Therapies and Biomanufacturing - Faculty Position in Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering Faculty Position
Learn more and apply at: bit.ly/bmejobs19. 
The great work happening in our department 
Bioengineered cell walls open new medical, research possibilities

Biomedical engineers at Penn State have developed a process to build protective, synthetic plant cell walls around animal cells. The work, published in Nature Communications, could hold significant potential for a variety of medical and biomanufacturing applications for human health.  >>
Medina to use NSF CAREER Award for improved precision medicine

Supported by a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career (CAREER) award, Scott Medina, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is developing new bio-nanomaterial technologies that can be guided and activated by ultrasound to deliver proteins into cells with high precision.  >>
Researchers look to unlock PTSD puzzle

A team of Penn State BME and University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine researchers is attempting to answer a question that has long puzzled experts: Why do some individuals suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing trauma, and others do not?  >>
Penn State researchers receive grant to explore novel method of anticoagulation

Two Penn State biomedical engineering faculty members have received a grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to explore potential solutions to thrombosis, or blood clot formation, a prevalent issue with blood-contacting medical devices such as heart valves, blood pumps and cardiac stents.  >>
Mechanical and biomedical engineering faculty member receives presidential award

Tak-Sing Wong has been named a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by President Donald Trump.  >>
Grant recipients work to improve reconstructive ACL surgeries

Spencer Szczesny, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Aman Dhawan, sports medicine orthopedic surgeon and associate professor with the Penn State College of Medicine, have been awarded one of two annual Grace Woodward Grants for Collaborative Research in Engineering and 
Medicine.  >>

Three biomedical engineering faculty receive  NIBIB Trailblazer Awards 

Justin Pritchard, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, award title: "Model Driven Construction of Dual-switch Selection Gene Drives to Combat Drug Resistance"
 
"Our award focuses on a technology that we are calling 'dual switch selection drives.' The goal is to fight drug resistance by using existing drugs, and a novel synthetic control module to sculpt a tumor into a genetic composition that is more curable."
 
Meghan Vidt, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, award title: "Histotripsy for Collagenous Tissues: a Novel Therapeutic Approach to Tendon Injury"
 
"This project will develop an ultrasound therapy to treat tendon injury and verify this method using mechanical testing and a computer model. Outcomes of this work will lead to development of a new clinical treatment for patients with a tendon injury."
 
Lance Lian, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, award title: "Stem cell Immunoengineering for Universal Cardiac Therapy Via CRISPR-Cas9"
 
"My award focuses on engineering universal stem cell lines, which could be used for cell-based therapies for treating cardiovascular diseases. We will remove some immune related genes from stem cells and also add some other engineered genes into the cells."
Penn State BME at the 2019 BMES

We hope to see you there!  Click here for details
Global student impact

Watch BME students talk about their  global capstone experience in Hong Kong

Kevin Godzik and Julia Minakowski, recent Penn State biomedical engineering graduates, discuss their visit to Hong Kong in November 2018 for the Global Capstone Project and what they saw and experienced during their trip. This includes doing research with their Hong Kong Polytechnic University counterparts, travel stories, and a Hong Kong slogan of encouragement that they adopted as their own.
Student's love of research brings him to Penn State BME

Atip Lawanprasert's high school experience in Thailand sparked a strong interest in research. Penn State BME's emphasis on undergraduate research brought him to Penn State, and he's continuing his research as a Penn State BME graduate student .  >>
Artificial heart lab demonstrates the impact of undergraduate research

While graduate students and faculty are known for their research work, undergraduates also make significant contributions to the Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering's research portfolio.  >>
Engineers Without Borders partners with Namutamba community in Uganda

Jacob Halle, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, is part of a group of undergraduate students from the Penn State chapter of Engineers Without Borders who have launched a collaboration with the Namutamba community in Uganda to improve the community's access to potable water.  >>
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