November 2023
Message from Department Head
Dear Students and Colleagues,
Florida Tech's Department of Biomedical Engineering and Science (BES) started this past summer and I am honored to serve as the inaugural department head. Combining biomedical engineering (BME) and biomedical science (BMS) within the same department presents both new challenges and exciting opportunities.
Our mission is clear: to foster excellence in education, advance cutting-edge research, and engage with the community, all with the overarching goal of enhancing human health and well-being. The brand-new Gordon L. Nelson Health Sciences Building serves as the official home of our department. The state-of-the-art facility, designed for excellence in both teaching and research, has become a focal point, attracting increased attention from collaborators and visitors alike.
The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is opening a branch on our campus and welcoming its first class of medical students in Fall 2024. BES is working closely with Burrell in creating a premedical pathway for our students.
BES has experienced an 11% increase in enrollment over the past year, reaching a current total of 329 students, including 101 graduate students. According to the 2023 rankings released by US News & World Report, our Engineering undergraduate program was ranked at #150, and the BMS and BME Graduate programs were ranked at #251 and #130, respectively. As we approach the end of 2023, I am pleased to bring you positive updates from our department.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, joyful Holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
Best Regards,
Linxia Gu, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
Professor and Department Head
BES has identified four research clusters: Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics, Molecular Biology, and Health Digital Twins. These clusters include research areas such as: Neural engineering and Biology, Medical devices, Cardiovascular system, Imaging/machine learning, Biomaterials and Tissue engineering, Traumatic injury, Dental implants, Joint functions, and Molecular/Genetic markers.
BES Welcomes New Faculty and Staff Members
Dr. Sujoy Ghosh Hajra joins the Biomedical Engineering Program as an assistant professor. Dr. Hajra focuses on creating non-invasive, portable technologies that provide robust information about brain and body systems. This involves electromagnetic, optical and mechanical sensors; advanced signal processing; and artificial intelligence and data integration.
Dr. Jianhui Li joins the Biomedical Science Program as an assistant professor. He earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, and conducted postdoctoral research at Yale University. The Li lab utilizes budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a major experimental system with an integrated mix of genetic, biochemical, structural, cell and molecular biological approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of proteasome regulation by cell signaling and autophagy. The knowledge his group learned will provide insights into therapeutic targets for drug development in human disease treatment.
Ms. Beste Caner has assumed the role of laboratory manager, overseeing the management of our state-of-the-art equipment housed in the Golden Nelson Building.
Ms. Teresa Mantz served as our departmental administrative assistant, contributing significantly to the smooth operation of the department and facilitating effective communication and coordination.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Karen Kim Guisbert received an NIH Research Enhancement Award titled "The Role of Calcium Transients in Fertilization and Early Embryogenesis in C. elegans." Disruptions to the oocyte-to-embryo transition contribute to infertility and miscarriage in humans. To explore regulation of these events, we developed a reporter to visualize the universally conserved calcium wave that occurs at the moment of fertilization in a living organism. Now, we propose to use this tool to investigate the underlying signaling pathways that coordinate this critical period of development.
Dr. Kunal Mitra received an NSF Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award titled "Eager: 3D Bioprinted Organoids for Studying the Mechanism of Cerebrovascular Aging." The goal of this project is developing novel, highly efficient, and reproducible 3D bioprinted organoids for cerebrovascular models which will allow producing of specific organoids with precisely controlled proportions and different types of senescent cells.
Celebrating Our Students
Undergraduate researchers Caylin Leak and Lillian Beavers won the first-place award for their poster presentation at the 2023 Tri-Beta Biological Society Convention.
Graduate student Mohamad Ahmed received the Richard and Teresa McNeight Endowed Fellowship.
Graduate student Nashaita Patrawalla won the Women Inspiring Success & Excellence (WISE) 2023 Student Catalyst Award.
Graduate student Jose Colmenarez Moreno won the Graduate Student Paper Competition Award from the ASME 2023 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition Biomedical and Biotechnology Track.
Senior student Karly Liebendorfer was named a 2023 Astronaut Scholar. Liebendorfer is one of the 68 recipients nationwide.