Biomedical Engineering Department celebrates spring 2026 successes

The spring semester at Binghamton University is nearly over, with Commencement just a couple of weeks away. The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science is looking back at its student, faculty, and research accomplishments.

Remembering Professor Ye

We continue to mourn the loss of SUNY Distinguished Professor Kaiming Ye, the chair of the BME Department from 2013-25, who died Nov. 16. At Binghamton, Ye was instrumental in altering the focus of the previous Bioengineering Department to biomedical engineering.

Ye’s scholarly contributions included the development of advanced biomanufacturing and his leadership role in promoting and growing it. His research in bioprinting and tissue biofabrication received support from the NSF, the National Institutes of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (now Breakthrough T1D), and several industrial partners. He collaborated on six patents and dozens of research papers.

BME Expo

The department hosted the fifth annual Biomedical Research Expo on March 20, with more than 25 posters and presentations from undergraduate and graduate students. Sponsors were Regeneron, Fisher Scientific, VWR, and Krackeler.

Here are this year’s winners:

• First Place Graduate Oral Presentation: Eunji Hong (PIs Siyuan Rao, Qianbin Wang) - “Single-Virus Particle Tracking to Visualize Transport Across Biological Barriers”
• First Place Undergraduate Oral Presentation: Sydney M. Nierstedt (PI Gretchen Mahler) - “Fibrin hydrogels increase bacterial biofilm resistance to antibiotic treatment in a cell culture model of a recurrent urinary tract infection”
• First Place Graduate Poster: Zachary Krassin (PI Gretchen Mahler) - “A Gravity-Driven Microphysiological System for Modeling the Human Nephron”
• Second Place Graduate Poster: Katherine Peters (PI Gretchen Mahler) - “A Biomimetic Fibrin in vitro Model to Investigate Treatment Resistance Mechanisms in Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (RUTIs)”
• First Place Undergraduate Poster: Lauren Carnevale (PI Tao Zhang) - “Assessing Antidepressant Permeability in an in vitro Transwell Model to Support PBPK-Based Assessment of Transfer into Breast Milk”
• Second Place Undergraduate Poster: Justin Vy (PI Ahyeon Koh) - “Systematic Study for Developing High-Precision Flexible Biosensors Upcycled from Compact Discs”

New AI center

A record-setting $55 million commitment from a Binghamton University alumnus and New York state will establish the Center for AI Responsibility and Research, the first-ever independent AI research center at a public university in the U.S.

Part of the Empire AI project, the center will be supported by a $30 million commitment from Tom Secunda ’76, MA ’79, co-founder of Bloomberg LP, who is a key private sector partner and philanthropist involved in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Empire AI consortium. This will be coupled with a $25 million capital investment from Gov. Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

Research news

Professor Sha Jin will lead a $2.5 million project to develop a next-generation avian flu vaccine from yeast designed to be easier to manufacture, store, and transport than current options.

Associate Professor Yuan Wan published research in the academic journal Theranostics about better ways to target mRNA cancer vaccines. It builds on Wan’s work over the past five years to develop a better delivery method for chemotherapy medications.

Several biomedical engineering faculty members were among those who received funding through the Watson College Seed Grant Program for Major Research Proposal Development, which is designed as a catalyst for accelerating interdisciplinary research, and addressing pressing scientific and technological challenges while demonstrating a path to major research funding from external sponsors.

Student news

Isabelle Saint ’26 will be this year’s student speaker at the Watson College Commencement ceremony on May 15. While she explored different engineering paths, she found she was most excited about the human body’s electrical system. She has also been involved with the Powerlifting and Olympic Weight Training Club, Alpha Omega Epsilon, the Student Association, and Watson Career and Alumni Connections.

Manar Mabrouk ’26 will also graduate this month. At Binghamton, she served as vice president of the Biomedical Engineering Society and did hands-on research in Professor Gretchen Mahler’s lab. She plans to attend Boston University to pursue a master’s in biomedical engineering to work in research and development (R&D).

Doctoral student Eunji Hong received Binghamton University’s Award for Excellence in Service and Outreach for translating cutting-edge research into engaging educational outreach programs, including entrepreneurship initiatives and workshops to encourage K-12 students to pursue careers in science and technology.

Graduating BME students were among those at Watson College who were welcomed into the Order of the Engineer during Engineers Week in February. Students who take the Obligation of an Engineer receive a stainless-steel ring to wear on the pinky finger of the receiver’s working hand as a reminder of their promises.

Alumni news

Clare Biging ’16 received a BOLD (Bearcats of the Last Decade) 10 Under 10 Award from the Binghamton University Alumni Association. She is an epidemiologist and public health advocate at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, who focuses on increasing health education and knowledge of HIV prevention tools in underserved communities.