Biomedical Engineering Department celebrates spring 2022 research, student achievements
The spring semester at Binghamton University has only a few weeks left, and the students, faculty and staff from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering have been busy with classes, research projects and more.
Research news
Research led by BME Chair and Distinguished Professor Kaiming Ye and Associate Professor Guy German proves what dosages of ultraviolet radiation kill the SARS-CoV-19 virus that causes COVID-19. The study, published in Scientific Reports, lays the foundation for health standards about what offers true disinfection.
German and two former students from his lab, Christopher Maiorana, PhD ’21, and Rajeshwari Jotawar, MS ’21, also published research in the journal Soft Matter that gives new insight into the structure of human skin and the amount of damage it can sustain.
Faculty news
Congratulations to BME Chair Kaiming Ye, who was one of three professors from Watson College promoted to the ranks of distinguished faculty. Ye was hailed for pioneering human islet organoid development from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). He has secured more than $42.67 million in grants (as PI or co-PI), and as BME chair, he has led the department’s growth in rankings, research expenditures, and undergraduate and graduate programs.
“This is an honor to the University, Watson and our department,” Ye said. “I am lucky to be a professor surrounded by talented students and excellent staff, faculty and visionary academic leaders here at Binghamton.”
Professor Emeritus George Catalano has been awarded the Constellation Prize for his work throughout his career, particularly promoting bringing peace and social justice through engineering education.
Student news
At the Biomedical Engineering Research Expo in April, undergraduate and graduate students displayed and explained their research projects from 2021-22. Industry partners were on hand to meet students and judge their work, potentially leading to internships or jobs after graduation.
Binghamton University’s Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) hosted the 15th annual “I’m a Complex Kid!” (ICK!) science fair, inviting dozens of local children from kindergarten to fifth grade to interact with science experiments run by student volunteers. The event, held in the Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC) Rotunda, marked the first ICK! Fair held in person since 2019.
Senior Flynn Anderson was awarded both the Chancellor’s and President’s Awards. Outstanding students at Binghamton may be nominated for two awards as recognition of their achievements: the Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence and the President’s Awards for Undergraduate Student Excellence. Congratulations to Anderson on his achievement!
At Binghamton University’s sixth annual Art of Science competition, PhD student Niranjana Dhandapani won first place in the Visualizing the Unseen category as well as Best in Show. Her photo, titled “Strength of Our Skin,” looks to be an abstract sea of red waves but is actually a microscopic image of proteinaceous collagen fiber bundles within human skin’s dermal layer.