Spring 2009 NewsletterWelcome from the Chair
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, I would like to welcome you to our Spring 2009 e-newsletter. The fact that the sentence above includes the word "spring" is a bit of a misnomer. As I draft this message, snow is falling, the temperature is below 32° F, and people are bundled up as they walk around campus. 2009 BMES MeetingLast week, however, we had a one day respite from this long winter, and everyone on campus seemed to find excuses to be outside as much as possible. I heard faculty and students alike planning for the upcoming spring. On the other hand, the nice weather reminded me that not only is spring just around the corner, but so also is the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), which this year is being held in Pittsburgh, October 7-10. The theme for the meeting is, "BMES: Bridging the 3 Rivers of Biology, Engineering and Medicine." You will find in this e-newsletter a summary from Professor David Vorp, Technical Program Chair for BMES 2009, highlighting the terrific meeting program that is being developed. There will be exciting, state-of-the art bioengineering science and technology on display which span the professional interests of bioengineers across the spectrum of our profession. A full day of pre-meeting workshops will be held which will be attractive to students and faculty alike. And of course, the weather in Pittsburgh during BMES 2009 is sure to be sunny and warm! NSF Engineering Research Center ProgramAlso in this issue of our e-newsletter, we highlight the exciting collaboration our department has launched with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of Cincinnati in the area of metallic biomaterials. Professor William Wagner is leading the Pitt efforts in this 5-year NSF Engineering Research Center Program that also involves international collaborators in Europe and Asia. The research programs of our three recent faculty hires, Tamer Ibrahim, Pat Loughlin and Yadong Wang, are also highlighted in this e-newsletter. Graduate scholarships and awardsThis current academic year (2008-2009), one of our graduate students was awarded a prestigious F31 Ruth L Kirschstein Pre-doctoral Fellowship. A second graduate student will receive the inaugural University / Post-Secondary Student Award at the 13th Annual Carnegie Science Awards. Both students share their backgrounds, dissertation research and professional goals in this e-newsletter. We wish all our friends and colleagues a quick end to winter and a glorious spring! Sincerely, Professor and Chair of Bioengineering, |
Department of Bioengineering
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