UMD-led Study on How Cells Get Signals From Physical Senses … – Maryland Today

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesby a University of Maryland-led team has opened the door to seeing how cells respond to physical signals.

We elucidated a cell's sense of touch, said Wolfgang Losert, a professor of physics at UMD and a team leader of the study. We think how cells sense the physical environment may be quite distinct from how they sense the chemical environment. This may help us develop new treatment options for conditions that involve altered physical cellular environments, such as tumors, immune disease and wound healing.

A major difference between chemical signals, which are more fully understood, and physical signals is size. Chemical signals are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Physical cues are the heavyweights in the ring.

Were really answering a kind of long-standing mystery of how cells react to cues in their environment that are on a physical rather than chemical-size scale, said paper co-author John T. Fourkas, a professor in UMDs Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who, like Losert has a joint appointment in the Institute for Physical Science and Technology.

The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, includes researchers in physics, chemistry, biology, bioengineering and dermatology from UMD and several other institutions. The team studied the major players in a cells interaction with its physical environment: the cytoskeleton, a network of proteins that surround a cell and acts as a direct sensor of the physical environment; actin, the protein that keeps cells connected; and the cells signaling pathway. They found that the networks that guide cell migration are upstream for chemical sensing and downstream for physical, topographic sensing; and that actin is the direct sensor for both types of signals.

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Discovery Yields New Hope in Preventing Chronic Opioid Use – Massachusetts General Hospital

Studying patients in the safety of the operating room, an innovative researcher unlocks some secrets of fentanyl, one of the worlds most used and misused opioids.

With the pandemic exacerbating an already devastating opioid epidemic, efforts to stop it have taken on new urgency. Now, an innovative study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital is providing new hope in this ongoing battle.

The research, led by Patrick L. Purdon, PhD, the Nathaniel M. Sims Endowed Chair in Anesthesia Innovation and Bioengineering at Mass General, suggests that fine-tuning or titrating the dosing of fentanyl (an opioid widely used during surgery) to a patients specific drug requirements can help prevent chronic opioid use afterwards a tragic, unintended result for some patients.

Many people who chronically use opioids trace their usage to narcotics prescribed for pain after surgery. While most people stop taking their medication as their pain eases, others dont, either because their pain persists, and/or they have developed a dependence on their medication.

Some become addicted, experiencing physical cravings and a compulsion to take opioids even when it interferes with work, family, and other life responsibilities. Indeed, between 9 and 13 percent of surgical patients chronically use opioids after surgery, says Dr. Purdon.

It turns out if patients arent sufficiently medicated during surgery, they are more likely to experience increased pain afterwards. They also are more likely to take pain-dulling opioids and for a longer period than patients with less post-surgical pain. Their risk for chronic use rises.

If we can do a better job of controlling pain in surgery, we can reduce post-operative pain and the chance of addiction, Dr. Purdon says. Every percentage point matters, he says, referring to the people behind the grim statistic.

Working across multiple brain circuits, opioids such as fentanyl provide powerful pain relief and sedation. In the event of surgery or placement on a ventilator, they help patients tolerate intubation and surgical procedures.

With fentanyl, its a challenge to determine the best dose for each patient, says Dr. Purdon. Too much fentanyl may cause over-sedation and labored breathing; too little may fail to control the bodys response to the scalpel.

To monitor fentanyls impact, anesthesiologists look in real-time at each patients blood pressure and heart rate. But this, too, can prove difficult. Changes can be subtle, driven by blood loss and other factors. Unconscious patients cant communicate.

Finding an objective clinical biomarker could help health care professionals in these settings properly adjust doses to each patients body chemistry.

As part of their study, Dr. Purdon and his team also scrutinized each patients respiration rate. To their surprise, when patients received their first dose of fentanyl 1,700 times lower than needed for sedation their breathing became more shallow and less frequent. After four minutes, their respiration rate plummeted even though their hearing remained intact. This was a surprise secondary finding of their study, and one that has major public health implications.

When people unknowingly ingest fentanyl, commonly laced into heroin, cocaine and other illicit street substances, their breathing can become quickly compromised.

This explains why fentanyl is so deadly. You stop breathing even before you realize it, says Dr. Purdon. There is no amount of fentanyl in street drugs that can possibly be safe.

Inspired by the life-saving potential of these findings, Dr. Purdon is now working to share them and encourage support for more research, which was initially funded through the Nathaniel M. Sims Endowed Chair and later the National Institutes of Healths National Institute on Drug Abuse.

His other goal is to develop software that will help medical professionals accurately track and titrate fentanyl administration for all patients.

With that technology, we think we can reduce the number of surgical patients who end up chronically using opioids. Ultimately, we hope to prevent addiction and the risk of dying from opioids, bought on the street and tainted with fentanyl.

This story was originally published on giving.massgeneral.org. View it here

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Two extraordinary students are graduating with 2023 Provost Awards – CSUMB

By BZ Zuniga

There will be two CSUMB Provost Award winners at graduation this year. Spencer Hart Winter has been chosen for the Provosts Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement, and Ana Maria Treadwell-Delgado is receiving the Provosts Graduate Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement.

Ana Maria Treadwell-Delgado

Treadwell-Delgado is a multilingual and culturally competent instructional designer with experience in project analysis, development, and implementation. She is passionate about instructional theory, learning design, adult learning, performance improvement, and educational technology.

She has earned a masters in instructional science and technology, and a bachelor of art in world languages and cultures from CSUMB. As an instructional designer, Treadwell-Delgado says her mission is to design and implement solutions that lead to improvement and change.

She considers her greatest accomplishment, being a mother of two: As I see them grow and become their own [people], my heart swells with pride. I hope to have served them well.

During her undergrad time at CSUMB, one of her favorite professors was Maria Zielina. She enjoyed analyzing Latin-American literature in Zielinas courses, especially deciphering symbolism.

Literature has been beyond fascinating ever since, Treadwell-Delgado said.

During her grad school years she enjoyed learning and working with all of the MIST faculty.

After graduation, she is going on a trip with her husband and children to Spain, Italy and, finally, to Colombia to visit her family.

Spencer Hart Winter

Spencer Hart Winter is graduating with a dual major in molecular biology and human development and family science.

He was a WAVE Fellow at the Qian Lab at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena this past summer, where he worked on projects which improved the function and behavior of catalytic DNA-based logic circuits and designed and implemented DNA-based circuitry.

He was a Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center, Barry Goldwater, and Sally Casanova scholar. He was the Vodopia-Hasson poster competition winner at Caltech, and won the CSU Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement.

He used his Bunkyo Gakuin travel scholarship from Cabrillo College to work in a cultural development internship in Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. And his NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program will help fund his PhD program in bioengineering at Caltech.

In his career, he hopes to advance intelligent behavior in DNA-based soft robots. Winter encourages students to not be afraid of exploring new subjects.

I came to CSUMB as a preschool teacher doing a bachelors degree late in order to improve my job prospects, he said. I'm leaving as a scientist heading to one of the top engineering schools in the world for my PhD.

He is getting married in June and will be starting his PhD program in bioengineering at Caltech this fall.

The two winners of this year's Provost Award both plan to remain in California.

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Wagner pole vaults her way into track and field post-season – Elk Grove Citizen

The pole vault must be one of the most difficult events in track and field. Imagine running down a long path with a 10- to 17-foot-long pole made out of fiberglass or carbon fiber stuck out in front. Then at the right time its placed into a slot in the ground, called the box, and youre sprung heavenward with the goal of having enough coordination to stick your feet straight up in the air, pushing off the pole enough to bend your body over a small metal bar, release the pole and fall downward into a big cushion. Hopefully, you never touched that horizontal bar suspended more than 10 feet in the air.

It takes strength and coordination to do this. Few can accomplish the goal. Most are likely too chicken to try.

Not Abigail Wagner. The Pleasant Grove High School senior not only pole vaults well, but shes the favorite to win the event in this weeks Sac-Joaquin Section Master Track and Field Meet in Davis.

This spring Wagners best vault of 12 feet, three inches has been the best in the Section. Now, the Boston University signee thinks if she can repeat that jump she may punch her ticket to the CIF State Track and Field Championships, May 26-27 at Buchanan High School. That mark is the minimum vault needed to be at least an at-large entrant into the State meet.

Her coach, Tony Gates, called Wagner a type of a trailblazer for his excellent track program at Pleasant Grove because there are now several underclassmen following in her footsteps at the pole vault pit.

She is a fixture on the team, Gates said during Thursdays Letter of Intent ceremony for all Pleasant Grove athletes. When kids look to her, they react, Well, I better do it, too. Weve been able to build a strong pole vault program with Abby at the center. Our pole vault program has become the top of the Section. We have a phalanx of younger pole vaulters in the program that are younger Abbys.

Wagners leap of five feet, 3.25 inches in the high jump this spring has been one of the best in the Section in that event, too. She had to scratch from that event in this weeks Division I meet because it conflicted with an AP Physics exam. Its one of the hazards of a spring sports athlete. Those kind of exams cannot be postponed nor made up.

A former basketball player, she says the pandemic almost forced her to change sports and go out for the track team.

COVID shut down all indoor sports and I was originally a basketball player and basketball got shut down and I decided to join track and field, Wagner said. I went to high jump to improve my vertical for basketball and I ended up doing pole vault, almost as a joke.

Her parents said shes so long and lanky, she should try it. Wagner did and has had success.

I ended up loving it so much I didnt go back to basketball, she said.

Whether she wins a medal or not this season at either the Masters or the State meet, Wagner has her career goals set she wants to get into bioengineering as a student at B.U.

I want to get into synthetic organs, she explained. Instead of an organ transplant, I want to create technology that can 3D-print organs that can be used in a transplant.

But, before she heads into that burgeoning field of medicine, there are a few more sprints down the runway carrying her pole. If she can equal or even top her best vault at the Masters, she thinks shell win the event.

I think could win it with low 12s (feet), as long as I have a clean slate and no misses, Wagner said. But, if I jump mid- to high-12s Ill for sure get it.

Division I Track and Field Championships - Results

(local athletes)

Boys Triple Jump - Jordan Redmond (Franklin) 3rd, 39-6.5

Girls Discus - Amanda Javellana (Pleasant Grove) 1st, 109-06; Elizabeth Byars (Cosumnes Oaks) 3rd, 98-03.

Boys High Jump - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 6-02.

Girls Pole Vault - Abigail Wagner (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 11-11.

Girls 4x100m relay - Franklin 2nd, 49.03

Girls 100m hurdles - Addy Velasco (Pleasant Grove) 4th, 15.66

Boys 400 meters - Elias Weathers (Cosumnes Oaks) 2nd, 49.41

Girls 100 meters - Aniaya Bishop (Cosumnes Oaks) 2nd, 12.12; Favour Iyasere (Pleasant Grove) 5th, 12.36

Boys 100 meters - Ian Dossman (Franklin) 1st, 10.52; Kalil Powers (Cosumnes Oaks) 3rd, 10.85

Girls 800 meters - Lilly Escorcia (Elk Grove) 1st, 2:15.15; Theone Divinagracia (Franklin) 4th 2:17.87

Boys 300m hurdles - Stephen Dahdouh (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 39.71; Matthew McHale (Pleasant Grove) 4th 41.18

Boys 200m - Ian Dossman (Franklin) 1st 21.42; Andrew Bishop (Cosumnes Oaks) 4th 22.35

Boys 3200m - Matthew McDonald (Cosumnes Oaks) 7th, 9:44.96

Girls 4x400m relay - Franklin, 3rd 4:02.06

Boys 4x400m relay - Cosumnes Oaks, 1st 3:22.05

Boys Pole Vault - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 7th, 13-00

Girls High Jump - Favour Iyasere (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 5-04

Boys Discus - Luke Stuckey (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 127-08

Boys Long Jump - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 5th, 19-05

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IIT Jodhpur inaugurates AyurTech, the Center of Excellence (CoE … – NE India Broadcast

Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur inaugurated AyurTech, the Center of Excellence (CoE) sponsored by the Ministry of Ayush on 12th May 2023. The CoE AyurTech is part of the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Precision Healthcare at the school of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AIDE) at IIT Jodhpur. The aim of this center is to establish an AI-driven integrative framework for population and individual risk stratification and early actionable precision health interventions.

The AyurTech CoE was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Honble Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director, IIT Jodhpur in the presence of faculty and staff of the institute. The Centre for AyurTech is being proposed as the first-of-its-kind initiative in the precision health and medicine space that would combine Electronics, Digital health and AI and multi-omics technologies for realising Evidence-based Ayurveda solutions in a transdisciplinary framework.

Speaking during the inauguration event, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Honble Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, said, I am honored to inaugurate the AyurTech Center of Excellence sponsored by the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, at IIT Jodhpur. Ayurveda Vigyaan is the future of healthcare system. I congratulate IIT Jodhpur for taking this initiative and hope this will help researchers in developing indigenous technologies. I am sure in the upcoming years this center will translate various research projects into successful outcomes for the betterment of the public at large.

A built-up space of approximately 3760 sq.ft. for an AyurTech facility for Phenotyping, Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Device development fabrication and characterization area has been provided by IIT Jodhpur. This space for technological immersion will enable capacity building in different domains of Ayurveda, increase employability in transdisciplinary domain, provide innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities and help in trans-disciplinary research programs.

Speaking about AyurTech CoE, Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director, IIT Jodhpur, said, I thank Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha ji for gracing the inauguration event with his esteemed presence. The collaboration of Ayurveda and Technology can bring a new medical field of integrated medicines into the mainstream. The philosophy of this center is to work on individual-centric medicine at an affordable cost using artificial intelligence and data science. The Ayurtech CoE will prioritize research on how to make sure people do not get a disease, than, treating a disease.

Key research areas that the centre will focus are as follows:

Digital devices integrated with IoT, AI and computer vision for rapid, objective, and accurate assessments of Ayurveda parameters and tailoring interventions

Blockchain powered highly secure and privacy preserving smart phone platforms, for large scale Ayurveda parameter screening, health, and intervention monitoring

Laboratory and Point-of-Care (PoC) deployable sensors/ devices, systems and frameworks will be developed for Ayurveda drug standardization

Open-source platforms of drug-disease networks using a compendium of molecular signatures of drugs, medicinal plants and Ayurveda based formulations for discoveries, poly-pharmacology and repurposing

Ontological frameworks based on Natural Language Processing for integration of knowledge base of Ayurveda with contemporary terminologies and description

Implementation of integrative medicine in different clinical settings

Investigators from the Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Department of Chemistry at IIT Jodhpur, will collaborate with doctors at Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University, University College of Ayurved, and AIIMS Jodhpur as part of the CoE AyurTech.

Dr. Mitali Mukerji, Professor, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT Jodhpur and Dr. Ajay Agarwal, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, are jointly coordinating the project. Additionally, accomplished faculties from different departments of IIT Jodhpur including the School of Artificial Intelligence and Data science (AIDE) who have expertise in the field will be available for the project.

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IIT Jodhpur inaugurates AyurTech, the Center of Excellence (CoE ... - NE India Broadcast

Novel Wound Dressing Monitors For Infection In Real Time – Bio-IT World

May 10, 2023 | Researchers in Sweden who previously introduced a hydrogel wound dressing constructed of nanocellulose that requires no changing have further improved on their innovation with the integration of a pH sensor to passively monitor for early signs of infection. In parallel, theyre working on antimicrobial substances based on lipopeptides that are showing potency against multiple types of bacteria, according to Daniel Aili, professor in the division of biophysics and bioengineering at Linkping University.

The agenda here is to transform wound care by creating efficiencies for caregivers and better outcomes for patients while reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics. In a study published recently in Materials Today Bio (DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100574), the nanocomposites demonstrated excellent wound dressing properties and the sensor was shown to rapidly produce a naked-eye readout of wound pH. Infection typically results in a change in wound pH, which is indicated by a color shift in the dressing from yellow to blue. The elevated pH value in the wound can be detected long before common signs of infection such as pus, soreness, and redness.

The tight-knit nanocellulose prevents bacteria and other microbes from getting in, but allows gases and liquid through, Aili explains. S2Medical, a Swedish wound care company, invented the dressing and is enabling academic investigators to have direct contact with patients to better translate products to the clinic.

Detection and management of infection in chronic woundsthose that have not healed within six weeks to three months or are recurringis particularly important, as they are taking a heavy and growing toll on healthcare systems and patients the world over, he says. These hard-to-heal wounds represent about half of all costs in outpatient care.

Most people know someone who has a chronic wound, says Aili. It is way bigger than cancer when it comes to how many people are affected by wounds. In the U.S., between 3% and 4% of the population 65 and older have open wounds and many of them have underlying conditions such as diabetes and vascular disease. Prolonged hospital stays, and the required wound dressing changes, also exacerbate patient suffering.

The way chronic wounds are treated, which hasnt changed in any significant way for decades, is part of the problem, he says. The focus has been on managing wounds to ensure they dont get worse, rather than on healing them, which requires a holistic approach that includes improved wound diagnostic strategies.

Many different scientific fields have come together for the research underway at Linkping University, says Aili, which is being done in collaboration with colleagues from rebro and Lule Universities. These include molecular materials, nanotechnology, disaster and cardiovascular medicine.

Antibiotics are used extensively in wound care and the targeted pathogens typically are (or become) resistant to treatment, often with catastrophic consequences, Aili shares. Regular wound debridement, to remove dead tissue, is commonly done to prevent infection. Irrigation with antiseptics is also done to prevent or treat emerging infections.

Of course, the earlier you detect and treat an infection .. the better possibilities you have to reduce infection and get rid of it, says Aili. But to do so the conventional way requires a trip to the doctors office about every two days for a dressing change, and an assessment of the wound, which is both painful and inconvenient for patients. The dressing change process itself disturbs wound healing, and the risk of infection also increases every time the wound is exposed.

The nanocellulose-based dressings are essentially integrated into the tissue during the healing phase and spontaneously fall off with the scab, he continues, but this only works if you dont get an infection during this process. The new dressing is designed to stay in place during the entire healing process and report suspicions of infection. It doesnt break down because the body has no endogenous enzymes that degrade cellulose.

A dye known as bromothymol blue is used to make the wound dressing change color when the pH value exceeds 7. It gets loaded onto a silica material with nanometer-sized pores before being combined with the dressing material.

Biomarker-wise, the device is quite simple as instruments for measuring pH have been around for nearly a century. In fact, wound pH can in principle be measured using litmus paper strips at the same time dressings are being changed, Aili points out.

But even with optimized treatment, he adds, chronic wounds heal very slowlya median of more than 40 days, based on a previous case study. The pH-responsive nanocomposites can stay on as long as needed.

Wound care in general is an enormously complex field, Aili says. All wounds are unique, and should patients develop an infection despite seemingly perfect care, they are automatically at risk of it not healing. Physicians, understandably, also need evidence that a medical device has been properly evaluated according to regulatory guidelines before they adopt it in their clinical practice.

Among other projects underway are further development of the wound dressing from a different source of cellulose, reports Aili. Researchers have also synthesized a promising anti-microbial substance in the lab that they are currently working to integrate into the device but can be used on its own. The small, protein-like peptides have been lipidated with a tiny hydrophobic moiety to ramp up their potency, he says.

Regulatory obligations for bringing a medical device to market can take five to 10 years, Aili notes. The research team is currently testing all the components of its newfangled wound dressing, alone and in combination, with the first clinical trials expected to begin within the next two years.

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Pitt’s School of Medicine awarded its highest honor to a Princeton … – University of Pittsburgh

Clifford P. Brangwynne, a Princeton University researcher who launched the biomolecular condensates cell biology field, will receive the 2023 Dickson Prize in Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicines highest honor.

The prize is awarded annually to an American biomedical researcher who has made significant, progressive contributions to medicine. The award consists of a specially commissioned medal, a $50,000 honorarium and an invitation to present a keynote lecture at the University.

Cliffs incredibly influential work has opened a new window into biology that could help us better understand diseases affected by changes in protein states, like Alzheimers, said Anantha Shekhar, Pitts senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of Medicine.

Brangwynne, who directs the Princeton Bioengineering Initiative, created a new field in cell biology when he and colleagues found that biomolecules within cells undergo phase transitions and can organize themselves in liquid-like forms. Alongside this discovery, the researchers helped demonstrate that malfunctions in fusion and separation during phase transitions of these liquid-like condensates lead to the formation of solid structures. These solid structures resemble the tangles and fibers observed in neurological disorders, such as Alzheimers disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Brangwynne will accept the award during a research symposium sponsored by the Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University joint molecular biophysics and structural biology graduate program. Brangwynne will deliver the Dickson Prize in Medicine Lecture at 3 p.m.May 12 in the Frick Fine Arts Building auditorium and via livestream. Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

I am absolutely thrilled to be honored with the Dickson Prize in Medicine, with so many luminaries among the previous awardees. It is particularly gratifying to receive this recognition from the medical community, which I think is a testament to the translational impacts that fundamental research can ultimately have on society, said Brangwynne, the June K. Wu 92 Professor in Engineering at Princeton.

Brangwynne earned his undergraduate degree in material science and engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001 and his PhD in applied physics from Harvard University in 2007. He then completed his postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems. Brangwynne joined the faculty at Princeton University in 2011, where he has an integrative research team with backgrounds in engineering, physics, molecular biology and chemistry.

Brangwynne continues to receive recognition for his contributions to the study of living cells and has recently received the 2023 Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Biophysics and the 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

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Pitt's School of Medicine awarded its highest honor to a Princeton ... - University of Pittsburgh

Small steps to giant leaps: Celebration of 2023 Purdue graduates … – Purdue University

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University began its annual spring rite Friday morning (May 12) with the first of nine commencement ceremonies that will take place throughout the weekend. All ceremonies are in Elliott Hall of Music on Purdues campus.

Purdues 2023 spring class had 9,776 candidates eligible for graduation. The list includes 7,398 undergraduates, 1,750 master's candidates, 390 doctoral candidates and 238 professional degree-seekers.

Mung Chiang, who in January became Purdues 13th president, is addressing graduates for the first time at this years spring ceremonies.

Kathleen Howell,Purdues Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will provide the keynote for the graduate student ceremony at 7 p.m. Sunday (May 14). Howell has received national and international acclaim for her work in orbit mechanics, spacecraft dynamics and trajectory optimization. She has contributed to the success of multiple NASA missions, including Genesis, Artemis and Cassini, and was recognized with the Morrill Award in 2019, Purdues highest faculty honor.

Commencement division dates and times are as follow:

The ceremonies are being livestreamed from thePurdue News YouTubechannel and linked on the Purduecommencement website before each ceremony begins.

Honorary doctorates

Thomas Shelby, executive vice president of Peter Kiewit and Sons Inc. and president of Kiewit Energy Group, will receive an honorary doctorate from Purdue Polytechnic Institute during the Division VI ceremony.

During Shelbys tenure as president and board member of Kiewit Energy, the company has expanded its engineering and energy business from less than $100 million in 1991 to over $6 billion today. He led initiatives to open Kiewit Energy offices in Canada and Mexico and form engineering hubs in North America, growing the companys engineering capabilities from 100 employees in 2000 to almost 3,000 employees. Kiewit is the third largest engineering and construction company in North America, designing and building $13 billion of work annually and employing more than 40,000 people.

Shelby is a member of the National Academy of Construction, an honorary group of engineering and construction industry leaders. He is a member of the Purdue Polytechnic Advisory Council and a past Purdue Distinguished Alumni. Shelby earned a bachelors degree in construction management from Purdue in 1981 and his Master of Science and MBA from Arizona State University in 1989.

Student responders at each ceremony

Each undergraduate division feature a student responder:

Top student awards

Purdues Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross awards are the universitys most prestigious honors for two outstanding seniors.

Lara B. Chuppe of South Bend, Indiana, is the winner of the 2023 G.A. Ross Award. Chuppe graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the College of Science. She has had several leadership roles in Global House, a learning community in the John Martinson Honors College and has been recognized with Pillar Awards for community and global engagement in 2021 and 2022. Chuppe has been involved in College Mentors for Kids, Global Science Partners, English Language Learners In-Home Program and several volunteer tutoring programs. Chuppe also completed a summer internship with Advocates for Human Rights, where she worked directly on U.S. immigration policies for Afghan evacuees.

Frances Ann Fu OLeary of Claremont, California, is the winner of the 2023 Flora Roberts Award. OLeary graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the College of Science. She has been a part of a U.S. Army-sponsored research group to build a self-correcting 3D printer and served as information technology lead on the Purdue Space Program High Altitude subteam. OLeary has held internships with SpaceX and Microsoft and served as an officer in several organizations, including the Purdue 3D Printing Club, Computer Science Womens Network and Purdue Space Program. OLeary has also served as a teaching assistant and has completed training to be a licensed pilot.

These awards are made possible through bequests from Flora Roberts, Purdue Class of 1887, and G.A. Ross, Purdue Class of 1916. Each recipient receives a $2,000 award and medallion and has their name permanently inscribed on the award marker on the Purdue Engineering Mall.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap athttps://stories.purdue.edu.

Writer/Media contact:Ellie Acra,eacra@purdue.edu

Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu

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Master of Engineering in Bioengineering

You are here: Home / Master of Engineering in BioengineeringChoose from 7 cutting-edge technical concentrations: .rt-md-content-holder .rt-md-content, .rt-popup-wrap-1785209550.rt-popup-wrap .rt-popup-navigation-wrap, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .carousel9 .rt-holder .overlay .post-info{background-color:#0367bf;}#rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .layout5 .rt-holder .overlay, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .isotope2 .rt-holder .overlay, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .carousel2 .rt-holder .overlay,#rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .layout15 .rt-holder h3, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .isotope11 .rt-holder h3, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .carousel11 .rt-holder h3, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .layout16 .rt-holder h3,#rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .isotope12 .rt-holder h3, #rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .carousel12 .rt-holder h3 {background-color:rgba(3,103,191,0.1);}#rt-tpg-container-1785209550 [class*='rt-col-'] {padding-left : 10px;padding-right : 10px;margin-top : 10px;margin-bottom : 10px;}#rt-tpg-container-1785209550 .rt-row{margin-left : -10px;margin-right : -10px;}#rt-tpg-container-1785209550.rt-container-fluid,#rt-tpg-container-1785209550.rt-container{padding-left : 10px;padding-right : 10px;}]]>General Bioengineering

Introduces you to major problems addressed by bioengineers today, along with the modern methods used to solve them. Exposes you to bioengineering research through hands-on projects in faculty labs and to entrepreneurship practices through classes and research.

Exposes you to unmet clinical need areas directly from subject matter experts. Help you analyze and correlate engineering principles to existing medical, pharmaceutical products. Prepares you for engineering careers in industries with the full spectrum knowledge of technology-to-product pathway, including applied technical skills and commercialization steps.

Prepare for a range of career options within industries developing and/or applying multi-modal imaging modalities. Course work emphasizes fundamental mathematics and physics alongside engineering principles for design innovation. Career options range from application of pre-clinical imaging in pharmaceutical testing, to engineering of novel imaging devices and modalities, to clinical research and application of emerging methodologies.

Prepares you for careers in industries that apply fundamental biomaterials science and device design to markets for clinical product manufacturing, medical implants, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, wearable technology, and other related fields.

Teaches you how living systems sense, process, and respond to mechanical forces. Prepares you for a wide variety of career paths, including biomaterials, stem cell engineering, and medical devices such as orthopedic implants and cardiovascular grafts.

Prepares you for a career managing and analyzing genomic and molecular data, applying techniques like statistical modeling, machine learning, databases, scripting, and bioinformatics tool development/deployment in fields such as precision molecular medicine, genetic engineering, and biotechnology.

Prepares you to design and build novel biological functions and systems by applying engineering design principles and computational tools to biology to produce materials more cheaply and sustainably, and to design and construct better-performing genetic systems quickly, reliably, and safely.

If you have specific questions about the UC Berkeley Bioengineering MEng program, please contact bioe-meng@berkeley.edu.

Please note: Berkeley also offers a Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) degree, which is sponsored jointly by UCSF. We urge applicants to consider both masters programs and choose the one that is right for them. If you have specific questions about the MTM program, please contact the MTM program at mtm@berkeley.edu.

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Master of Engineering in Bioengineering

Conversations for Tomorrow #7 | Research & insight – Capgemini

Through our quarterly journal,Conversations for Tomorrow, the Capgemini Research Institute enables leaders to identify the strategic imperatives for the future of business, and the society in which it operates.

We dedicated this edition to what is widely considered to be todays most pressing issue for not only businesses, but humanity as a whole climate change and the actions we must take to reduce its effects.

The time to accelerate on sustainability initiatives was yesterday, and we will now have to act with extreme urgency to prevent irreversible changes that would have disastrous consequences for the planet. Achieving the UNs Sustainable Development Goals will entail multifaceted sustainability efforts in every area, by all stakeholders.

In this edition of our journal, we specifically looked at the role of climate technology looking at ways to transform the way we live and do business through adopting and adapting, innovating, inventing, and embracing technology and sustainable practices.

To this end, we spoke with leaders across industry, start-ups, science, design, academia, and more.

Key contributors include:

In what is a critical time for climate change mitigation efforts, we invite you to join us in our conversations with these thought leaders, who provide insights from their diverse perspectives on what is required for us to move forward towards a sustainable future.

Download the report to find out more about how organizations, individuals, and society can come together in the fight against climate change, and how climate tech can be leveraged for this purpose.

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Conversations for Tomorrow #7 | Research & insight - Capgemini

Meet the bioengineering graduate now working as a tech consultant – SiliconRepublic.com

Deloittes Ornaith OReilly shares her experience of the companys graduate programme, including the importance of a buddy and a coach.

Ornaith OReilly is a recent bioengineering graduate who now works as an analyst in the robotics and intelligent automation department of Deloitte.

While she wasnt completely sure what she wanted to do when she came out of college, she was keen to gain exposure to different technologies.

Talking to graduates from Deloitte and other companies ultimately helped me to decide on the role. The emphasis that Deloitte puts on training and development appealed to me as someone coming from a bioengineering background, who expected a steep learning curve starting out, she told SiliconRepublic.com.

Coming from a healthcare background, Ive always wanted to work in an industry that is having a positive impact on the world. Since joining Deloitte, Ive had the opportunity to work on projects with a strong social impact, she said.

From working on public health projects to more recently joining a team contributing to Irelands response to the invasion of Ukraine, I feel a great sense of fulfilment in my work.

While shes still making up her mind about the type of job she wants to do for the rest of her life, she said Deloitte has plenty of avenues to explore. Luckily, I can say that Ive spent my first year on the graduate programme in an environment where Im constantly learning and growing.

Your opinion is valued no matter what level you are ORNAITH OREILLY

I currently work across two projects which gives me a lot of variety in my day.

Firstly, I work as a solution developer on an internal project using robotic process automation software a low-code software package to build, deploy and manage software robots that simulate human actions. Typically, I spend half my day working behind the scenes building and managing automation solutions.

Secondly, I work with a public client in a project management role. This is very client-facing and allows me to build my communication skills. A typical day could include creating and delivering presentations to senior team members or clients and reporting project progress and issues to stakeholders.

While the two projects appear very different, I really like the variety they give me and how they allow me to grow both technical and soft skills.

Absolutely. I work with senior members of staff across different departments in Deloitte and very senior clients daily (almost hourly). There really is a flat structure in the firm, where your opinion is valued no matter what level you are.

In the last year, my responsibilities have increased hugely. From taking initiative in client meetings to having more ownership over project deliverables, I feel constantly challenged. While this can sometimes feel daunting, there is so much support available at Deloitte that Ive never felt overwhelmed.

Since (almost) day one Ive worked on client projects, so in lots of ways I feel like I was thrown into working life! Im a strong believer in immersion being the best way to learn and this has certainly been the case at Deloitte.

However, the graduate programme comes with support at all levels. Firstly, I was assigned a buddy someone junior in the company to help me settle in.

Secondly, I was assigned a coach someone senior in the company, outside of my immediate team, to help guide me in my career at Deloitte. Combining this with the formal training I have received since joining Deloitte, I think that the graduate programme is setting me up for professional success.

Id recommend the graduate programme at Deloitte to anyone. Coming from an engineering background, I was initially hesitant that I would feel out of depth in a consulting role or that I wouldnt find a role that suited me.

After joining the graduate programme, the variety of backgrounds were clear from history to medical degrees, our graduate intake was definitely interesting! Which made sense to me as soon as I started and saw that no two roles in Deloitte are the same.

This is great for somebody like me who still isnt sure what they want to do. Thankfully, Deloitte are keen to let you explore and upskill according to your interests.

In terms of social life, coming out of lockdown and starting in Deloittes graduate programme was a complete shock to the system. From karaoke to escape rooms and many Thursday night outs, Ive definitely made friends for life.

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet so many lovely people and for all the memories weve made over the last year.

10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for theDaily Brief, Silicon Republics digest of essential sci-tech news.

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Meet the bioengineering graduate now working as a tech consultant - SiliconRepublic.com

PhD Program | Bioengineering

PhD Program in Bioengineering

Study for the PhD in Bioengineering combines rigorous coursework with novel research mentored by Stanford faculty, enabling students to develop as independent intellectual leaders working at the interfaces between biology, medicine, engineering, and the physical sciences. Our mission is to train students at the intersection of biomedicine and engineering in both academia and the burgeoning biomedical and biotechnology industries. Applicants should have a commitment to learning and a passion for research.

On average, the program is completed in five to six years, depending on the students research and progress.First-year students have the opportunity to rotate in three different labs before selecting their dissertation advisor (PI). Many students choose to join labs in the Bioengineering department, but we also have several students who join labs within the Schools of Engineering, Medicine, and Humanities & Sciences.

The Bioengineering Department also believes that teaching is an important part of graduate-level education in Bioengineering. Consequently, serving as a teaching assistant for two courses is a requirement for the PhD in Bioengineering. Current BioE and Stanford graduate students can learn more about our TAopportunitiesvia our BioE intranet.

Along the way to the PhD degree, students have clear anddefined milestones that help guide them to the successful completion of their dissertation andoral defense. More information regarding our PhD degree requirements and milestones can be found in the Stanford Bulletin.

BioE PhD students come from a wide variety of personal, educational, and professional backgrounds. We welcome applicants with undergraduate degrees in diverse STEM disciplines including Bioengineering, Biophysics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biochemistry, Physics, and Chemistry. There are no specific course requirements for applicants, but a competitive candidate will have strong quantitative training in mathematics and the physical sciences, along with a background in biology acquired through coursework or prior research. All admitted graduate students should be prepared to take the core coursesin the first year.

We welcome students entering directly from undergraduate programs, as well as applicants with MS degrees and/or substantial work experience in areas ranging from biotechnology to robotics. Our admissions committee will look for evidence that an applicant has demonstrated qualities of successful PhD students such as creativity, self-initiative, dedication, and perseverance. We also aim to admit bioengineering students who can thrive at Stanford because their specific interests and aspirations are well-matched with the research of our faculty and the educational environment of our department

The Bioengineering community is home to over 165 PhD students who come from a variety of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Below is a snapshot of our BioE PhD cohort that started in Fall 2020.

Originally posted here:
PhD Program | Bioengineering

NC Farm School: Is it for You? – The Robesonian

Have you ever considered starting your own agricultural business? Do you have land and want to finally do something with it to start making money? Do you need a well-thought-out business plan to help you make that dream a reality?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, has something for you called NC Farm School (NCFS).

Agricultural business is a complex industry requiring many skills in order to become successful. According to learn.org, As farmers learn to compete and remain viable in a global marketplace, they draw upon business principles and a complex network of agriculture and business professionals. This includes taking advantage of new advances in farming, such as bioengineering, mechanization, and new breeding practices, deciding how to sell crops, whether locally or on a commodities exchange, and managing and insuring land in the most profitable manner.

N.C. Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, is pleased to offer a structured training opportunity to help individuals create a road map for success for new and beginning farmers by delivering an introductory-level program that will provide basic business principles used in any agricultural enterprise, whether it be crops, livestock, or some other specialty.

Extension will be working with a larger cluster of southeastern counties to offer an NC Farm School program beginning in February and ending in May of 2023. Classroom sessions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 6, Feb. 20, March 6, March 20, April 3, April 17, May 1, and May 15 at Cooperative Extension, Bladen County Center, 450 Smith Circle, Elizabethtown, NC 28337.

Snacks, drinks, course material, and online resources will be provided.

Four field days will be offered on March 15, April 12, May 10, and May 31, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Field day attendance is not required as a part of the graduation requirement, but attendance will be in person only.

Registration is now live for both in-person and online (virtual) opportunities. The cost is $399 per person or $599 per pair.

Our program is subsidized thanks to sponsors and state funding made available to help start and support farms in NC.

Students who apply must declare their method of attendance as a part of their application. We encourage in-person attendance to get the most from NCFS, but we respect preferences and schedule requirements for all students. Applications are reviewed and accepted monthly from September-January or until all program spots are full. The maximum class size is 30 participants to ensure we have the capacity to serve each student well. We expect students to attend 6 of the 8 sessions and complete a minimum business plan required to receive a graduation certificate.

We will use internet technology and we have a student-based website as well as an online/interactive business planning tool. This program also includes an on-farm consultation visit of each participants farm with NCFS staff to help make your dreams become a reality. More information about this exciting opportunity can be found at https://ncfarmschool.ces.ncsu.edu/2023-nc-farm-school/.

Mac Malloy is the County Extension director and Field Crop agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center. Contact him calling 910-671-3276, by email at [emailprotected], or by visiting the Robeson County Center website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.

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NC Farm School: Is it for You? - The Robesonian

The Office of the Vice President for Research announces inaugural Ovation Award winners – UNM Newsroom

Eight Lobo researchers from disciplines spanning across The University of New Mexico have been selected as recipients of the inaugural OVPR Ovation Award for Research and Scholarship.

The new Ovation awards recognize full-time faculty for recent cutting-edge research accomplishments that address local or global challenges, while elevating the Universitys reputation on a national and international stage.

Our faculty are continuously working to find solutions to some of the greatest challenges we face as New Mexicans, often without much fanfare, said Ellen Fisher, UNM vice president for research. The Ovation Awards really highlight the diversity of the Universitys research, scholarship, and creativity that strengthens our commitment to improving the lives of New Mexicans and others who live beyond our state.

2022 Ovation Award for Research and Scholarship recipients:

Professor Subhankar Banerjee | ArtAssistant Professor Diana Dragomir | Physics & AstronomyProfessor Heather Edgar | AnthropologyAssociate Professor Tiffany Florvil | HistoryProfessor Marjori Krebs | Elementary EducationAssociate Professor Christina Salas | Chemical and Biological EngineeringProfessor Irene Salinas | BiologyProfessor Richard White | Music

Each researcher will receive $1,000 distributed into their research account. Recipients will also be honored during Research & Discovery Week, Nov.5-11.

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The Office of the Vice President for Research announces inaugural Ovation Award winners - UNM Newsroom

SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: ‘They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency’ – FoodNavigator-USA.com

The NationalBioengineeredFood Disclosure Standard(NBFDS) which narrowlydefines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency,"observes Nate Ensrud, VP, US technical services, certification, and food safety solutionsatFoodChain ID, which helps firms to comply with the standard.

For some stakeholders in the natural foods industry, he says,it missed the mark,both in scope (the definition fails to capture thousands of products that have been produced with genetic engineering) and application (many objected to bioengineered vs GMO as the chosen terminology and the option to use digital disclosures on food labels).

For other stakeholders who believeslapping a blanket statement about bioengineering (which has thousands of different applications) on a jar of pasta sauce is about as useful as saying 'science was used to make this product," the NBFDS in its current form is just acostlybureaucratic headachewithout any obvious consumer benefit.

A major sticking point is the definitionof bioengineered, which excludes meat and dairy from animals fed GM feed, incidental additives, and highly refined oils and sweeteners made from GM crops such as soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup if they contain no detectable modified DNA.

Gene-edited foods, in turn, occupy something of a grey area. They may not contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through traditional rDNA techniques, but how easy is it for a third party to determine if gene-edited material meets the definition ofcannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature?

Back in the day, says Ensrud, We were mostly talking about a series of crops that very obviously had genes inserted to express different traits.

"But since then, theres been a substantial proliferation of gene-edited products, products made using synthetic biology and so on, and while the [alternative meat, egg, and dairy]movement used to be pretty aligned, this is not the case anymore [as anyone following the social media debate about whether 'biotech' companies should be allowed to exhibit at Natural Products Expo West can see].

For example, under the NBFDS, firms deployingsynthetic biologyto re-tool the DNA of microbes to produce everything from flavors, sweeteners, and colors to animal-free collagen, egg, or dairy proteins are not required to label their ingredients as 'bioengineered' if there is no detectable level of the genetically modified host micro-organism in the final product.

This means that milk, ice cream, or cream cheese containing Perfect Days animal-free whey protein, which is expressed by a genetically engineered strain of fungi in a fermentation tank; or beverages containing Cargills EverSweet Reb M sweetener, made by GM bakers yeast, will not trigger a bioengineered label, if no GM material is detectable in the final ingredient.

However, burgers containing Motif FoodWorks 'meaty' animal-free heme protein myoglobin which is also made in a fermentation tank using a pichia pastoris yeast strain probably will trigger a bioengineered disclosure under the NBFDS, as trace amounts of the host microbe may be in the final product, says the company.

But even for exactly the same ingredient - myoglobin - no two companies producing this via fermentation are necessarily subject to the same labeling requirements when it comes to bioengineered food, saysBelgian startup Paleo, which has engineered a strain of pichia pastoristo express myoglobin in an extra-cellular fashion (it's secreted outside the cell).

This means its easier to separate myoglobin from the yeast cells during downstream processing and purification, such that Paleo'smyoglobin would not trigger bioengineered labeling in the US and would not be subject to EU GMO regulations, argues co-founder Hermes Sanctorum.

"Weve tested our heme proteins through PCR and there is no recombinant DNA whatsoever in our products.

The difficulty for companies trying to navigate this minefield is that the NBFDS doesn't really talk much about microbes"or much less explain how you label them with the exception of something like certain probiotics where genetically engineered bacteria might be the end product itself [rather than a production platform for something else], notes Ensrud.

To further complicate matters, he says:Then theres a really vague section of the of NBFDS that says if a company has actual knowledge its using something bioengineered, even if a food is not on the BE list, it is supposed to make a disclosure, which feels like a throwaway line, but how do you determine that?

He adds:We don't know a lot about how this will be enforced because the USDA has been clear that they're not going to be proactively enforcing this, but will be reliant on complaints. And so far, we havent seen very many well-structured complaints that can help us say, these are the areas that companies are going to challenge, and I don't know that it's going to be one of the first areas people think about because microbes are not included in the list of bioengineered foods.

(FoodNavigator-USA has asked USDA how manywritten complaints have been filed with the AMS Administrator alleging violations of the NBFDS and will update this article when we hear back.)

The detectability factor makes practical sense, argue many stakeholders: if there's noGMOactually in the food, why should you have to label it?

But for organizations such as the Non-GMO Project that take issue withgenetic engineering in the food supply chain per se, whether there's actually any 'modified genetic material' left in soybean oil or a natural flavor is hardly the point, notes Ensrud.

Their goal is to establish a GMO-free supply chain, and so the gap between their definition of what should be labeled GMO and the NBFDS is an ocean wide.

Having said that, the Non-GMO Project has arguably gained traction as a result of all this confusion, given that foods without bioengineered labels are not necessarily Non-GMO given the narrow scope of the federal law, prompting shoppers that care about avoiding genetic engineering to seek outthe butterfly logo while shopping if they want to be sure.

So what about disclosure options, which like everything else in theNBFDS, have generated a lot of controversy? The standardpermits multiple options:

Aspects of the digital disclosure options have just been successfully challenged in a lawsuitbrought by the Center for Food Safety and others, with a court sending USDA back to the drawing board to make revisions consistent with Congressional requirements around consumer access.

So what does this mean for companies currently using the QR code or text message option? According to Ensrud, We did see some companies choose to use the QR code, but not a large majority by any means. The ones that were choosing QR codes told us they liked the flexibility, as perhaps they were still trying to remove some bioengineered foods from their supply chain and would move from having to disclose to not having to disclose, which would require a change in labels, which can be costly and laborious.

The opposite is also possible. If a company has to make an emergency shift from a non-GMO source to a GMO source for an ingredient [not that unusual given current supply chain volatility], it would likely change the labeling requirements. For companies that have less settled supply chains, this change in requirements could make things more difficult.

Sam Jockel, a senior associate at law firm Alston & Bird, noted that There is still an opportunity for either USDA or the plaintiffs in this case to appeal theruling, which I am watching for.

According to George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, which filed the lawsuit challenging many aspects of the NBFDS, The Court did not set a deadline, but under law agencies cannot unduly delay such action and must complete it in a reasonable time.

Should the order ultimately stand, said Jockel,it appears that USDA would have discretion in terms of timing as the court did not set any deadlines for USDA to conduct its post-remand proceedings.

For those who think this means that the QR code will go away, added Jockel, The statute passed by Congress requires an electronic/digital link disclosure as one of the options along with the text and symbol, so the QR code option is not going away.

The Consumer Brands Association said it is still reviewing the court order, but added:"We plan to stay engaged during the forthcoming rulemaking and legal process, especially considering the potential impact on the companies using QR codes or texts. Consumer Brands will also continue supporting the valuable role digital disclosures play in boosting consumer transparency through programs like SmartLabel.

Jockel also noted that the scope of the products that require mandatory disclosure is actually subject to change.

Companies will want to watch for any updates to thelist of BE Foodsas AMS is required to review and consider updates on an annual basis. As the judges order put it in reference to the agencys regular updates to the List of BE Foods, AMS did not ignore the likelihood of progress. As evidence of that, the agency is currently proposing to expand the list to include insect-resistant sugarcane.

Greg Jaffe, biotechnology project director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), told us that an informal surveyconducted in his local Giant grocery store earlier in the year found that almost no companies use the symbol on the package with most seeming to opt for the bioengineered food or contains a bioengineered food ingredient option, although several brands had adopted QR codes.

My informal survey also found many foods disclose even though they probably only have highly refined ingredients, so companies are clearly erring on the side of giving more information to the consumer than might be required.

So has the law helped consumers make informed choices? Or are blanket references to bioengineered foods just wallpaper to busy shoppers?

I think that the law has provided consumers who want to know this information, more information than they would receive without the law, said Jaffe, who described it as a step in the right direction in terms of transparency, in part because companies were not providing this information voluntarily anywhere for the consumer who wanted it.

He added:I dont think many consumers look for this information or make purchasing choices based on it. With that said, for many consumers, knowing that there is transparency and information is available is important (i.e. knowing that information that some people might want is not hidden or inaccessible).

Asked about the growing number of ingredients produced by genetically engineered microbes, he said:Many ingredients made with engineered organisms also will not require disclosure, but I think it is important that those companies are transparent and provide information to consumers about the origin of the ingredients in their products, whether or not it has to be disclosed as bioengineered.

Being transparent with consumers will build trust, educate consumers about the use of biotechnology in foods, and allow for consumer choice.

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SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: 'They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency' - FoodNavigator-USA.com

RIT program to help underrepresented prospective faculty kick-start career searches returns in-person | RIT – Rochester Institute of Technology

African American, Latino/a American, and Native American scholars and artists from across the U.S. are coming to Rochester Institute of Technology this week to learn how to successfully navigate their career search process while getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into life as an RIT faculty member. RITs Future Faculty Career Exploration Program (FFCEP) will welcome its 19th cohort from Sept. 21 to 24, inviting 14 scholars from universities varying from Stanford University to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

The program focuses on recruiting prospective candidates nearing the completion of the highest academic degree in their field, as well as junior faculty and those on post-doctoral assignments. Participants get an opportunity to engage with RITs diverse administration, faculty, and students while on campus. The program offers additional opportunities to enhance interview skills, practice job-talk presentations, and explore the research, teaching, and service expectations of RIT faculty members.

To date, the program has welcomed nearly 400 participants since its inception in 2003, and RIT has hired dozens of program participants to faculty positions. Most recently, Dennis Delgado joined RIT as a visiting lecturer in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences after participating in the virtual FFCEP event last year.

This program represents a longstanding commitment to inclusive excellence here at RIT that is dedicated to recruiting the best talent in America, said Donathan Brown, assistant provost and assistant vice president for faculty diversity and recruitment. These scholars were chosen through an exhaustive and rigorous nationwide search and represent the best minds in higher education, as represented by their research, art, expertise, and skillsets. We look forward to learning about their work and career aspirations.

Each participant will present their research to the campus and all interested RIT community members are invited to attend. The schedule is posted to the Office of Faculty Diversity and Recruitment website.

This years participants include:

To learn more about FFCEP, go to the Office of Faculty Diversity and Recruitment website.

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RIT program to help underrepresented prospective faculty kick-start career searches returns in-person | RIT - Rochester Institute of Technology

A scientist uses radar technology to map the insides of ice sheets – Stanford University

To better understand the inner workings of glacier which are often many kilometers in depth researchers are using ice-penetrating radar, which sends radio waves through the ice, to create maps of what it looks like inside.

In this episode of Stanford Engineerings The Future of Everything, Stanford radio glaciologist Dustin (Dusty) Schroeder explains how this technique works and how the data it generates can help us understand the implications of climate change here on Earth. Together with host, bioengineer Russ Altman, Schroeder also discusses how he and his team are using this technology to investigate the habitability of moons and planets in our solar system and whether there might be life already there.

Listen and subscribe here

Related:Dustin Schroeder, associate professor of electrical engineering and of geophysics.

Related:Russ Altman, the Kenneth Fong Professor of Bioengineering, of genetics, of medicine (general medical discipline), of biomedical data science and, by courtesy, of computer science.

Excerpt from:
A scientist uses radar technology to map the insides of ice sheets - Stanford University

Researchers Developing AI-Based Technology to Improve Cardiac … – UMass Lowell

05/12/2023 By Edwin L. Aguirre

One person dies every 34 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease, the CDC reports, and this costs the country about $229 billion each year in health care services, medicines and lost productivity due to disability or death.

Cardiac CT scans are an important tool that doctors use to diagnose cardiovascular diseases in patients.

Yu and his co-investigators are developing a new image-reconstruction algorithm based on artificial intelligence (AI) that would effectively freeze the beating heart in CT images within a brief, 60-millisecond time window (one twentieth of a heartbeat).

This would eliminate the blurring movement of the coronary arteries in X-ray images and help doctors analyze plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries, which is the main cause of heart attacks, Yu says.

Moreover, our method will not require patients to hold their breath during the CT exam and will eliminate the need to use beta-blocker drugs to slow down the patients heart rates, he says.

According to Yu, the teams AI-based computational framework would radically improve the image quality of existing CT scanners and would benefit patients who suffer from tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) that commonly occur in older adults, many of whom experience atrial fibrillation (rapid, irregular heart rhythm).

Our project will combine two innovative image-processing algorithms compressed sensing and deep learning to reconstruct cardiac CT images at very high resolution and with lower radiation exposure to patients compared to traditional CT scans, Yu notes.

He says their technique could allow them to help build powerful, low-cost cardiac CT scanners, and possibly retrofit older models to perform cardiac CT exams.

Our algorithm could dramatically expand the capability of these systems, allowing higher-quality cardiac CT scans in many underprivileged communities worldwide.

Assisting Yu in the lab research is Yongshun Xu, a fourth-year electrical engineering doctorate student.

Im actively recruiting more postdocs and graduate students, says Yu. I hope to get two postdocs and two Ph.D. students to join the project this fall.

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Researchers Developing AI-Based Technology to Improve Cardiac ... - UMass Lowell

Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum (SCIRTS … – Yale School of Medicine

The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is inviting applications for its Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum (SCIRTS) grants program. Through the program, grants will be awarded to novel approaches to improving function and developing curative therapies after SCI. SCIRTS Grants support research projects that include but are not limited to the following areas:

Three types of grants will be awarded:

Postdoctoral Fellowships: Grants of $100,00 per year for up to two years will be awarded to encourage early-career training and specialization in spinal cord injury research.

Pilot Research Grants: Grants of up to $200,000 per year for up to two years will be awarded to establish new investigators in spinal cord injury research and assume the risk inherent when established investigators undertake new directions in their work.

Senior Research Grants: Grants of up to $800,000 over up to three years will be awarded to encourage senior-level investigators to expand the scope of their work into new directions through targeted studies with high potential to move the field forward.

Eligible candidates must have a doctoral or equivalent terminal degree such as an MD, DVM, or PhD and conduct research at a nonprofit academic and/or research institution or rehabilitation facility in the United States or Canada.

Letters of intent must be received by June 9, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application, due November 10, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

For complete program instructions and application instructions, see the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation website. Link to complete RFP

Please contact Melissa Hey (melissa.cobleigh@yale.edu) in the Office of Development if you are interested in applying.

Submitted by Isabella Backman on May 10, 2023

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Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum (SCIRTS ... - Yale School of Medicine