Fall 2014 Vol. 12 No.2 Alpha Eta Mu Beta Issue Editors Dr. Marcia Pool NATIONAL BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING HONOR SOCIETY Rachel Hanks Rupak Dua 2012-2014 National Officers MMMEEESSSSSSAAAGGGEEE FFFRRROOOMMM TTTHHHEEE Executive Director NNNAAATTTIIIOOONNNAAALLL PPPRRREEESSSIIIDDDEEENNNTTT Marcia A. Pool, PhD National President Anthony McGoron, PhD s I approach the end of my tenure as the National Florida International University A President I look back at the changes in the Society in these National Vice President 4 years. We adopted a new constitution and are on the verge Dominic E. Nathan, PhD of finally establishing our new Board of Directors and a National Treasurer Teresa Murray, PhD new National Treasurer position to compliment the Louisiana Tech University National Vice President position that was added two years National Student President ago. The Society has grown in the number of new chapters Rupak Dua, MS and in the exposure and stature of the Society. We became a Florida International University member of the Association of College Honor Societies and National Student Vice President Rachel Hanks have had great success with attendance and exposure at the Louisiana Tech University Biomedical Engineering Society meetings each year. I want National Student Treasurer to thank all of the officers, board members, individual Rafeed Chaudhury, BS Arizona State University chapters, and faculty advisors that have spent so much time and energy in continuing to build the Society. We are National Student Secretary Stephanie Naufel, MS becoming more and more recognized each year. I want to Northwestern University especially thank Dominic Nathan, PhD, Past National Student President and Current National Vice President for National Advisory Board his tireless efforts in planning the AEMB National meetings Melodie Benford, BS Texas A&M and putting together this newsletter. I can honestly say that Jerry C. Collins, PhD if not for him, we would not have been able to accomplish Alabama A&M University what we have over the past four years and I would not be Alicia Fernandez-Fernandez, PhD, DPT able to appear as though I have done a good job. I also want Nova Southeastern University to especially thank Rupak Dua, PhD, current National Jeffrey LaMack, PhD Milwaukee School of Engineering Student President and past president of the Florida Walter Lee Murfee, PhD International University Chapter and Marcia Pool, PhD, Tulane University current Executive Director for their terrific efforts. While Dean C. Jeutter, PhD there are several projects that are still ongoing I am sure the Marquette University next administration will be able to bring them completion. Brent Vernon, PhD Arizona State University We have a terrific program planned for the upcoming Herbert F. Voigt, PhD National Convention at BMES in San Antonio that you will Boston University learn more about in this newsletter and on our website. I Ken Webb, PhD Clemson University look forward to seeing everyone at the conference in October. Alpha Eta Mu Beta 1304 W. Springfield Avenue, M/C 278 Anthony McGoron, PhD Urbana, IL 61801 National President Please visit us on the web at Fall 2014 www.alphaetamubeta.org AEMB NATIONAL NEWSLETTER Volume 12, Issue 2 Page 1 AADVISOR FFOCUS UNDERGRAD STUDENT FOCUS Name : Arthur B. Ritter Name : Lisa N. Miller Distinguished Service BS Biomedical Engineering Professor and Director of Position : Education : (anticipated graduation Biomedical Engineering Program May 2015) Stevens Institute of Technology School : Ohio State University BS Chemical Engineering, City University of Education : New York PhD Chemical Engineering, University of L Isa Miller is currently a senior in biomedical Rochester engineering at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. As a student at OSU, Lisa has maintained an A s Distinguished Service Professor of Biomedical excellent track record in both academics and co‐ Engineering, Dr. Arthur Ritter contributes a very rich and curricular activities. Lisa has been a Maximus scholarship diverse background in pioneering engineering at The US Navy recipient since 2011. This is a highly competitive, merit Propellant Plant, United Aircraft, The Dupont Co. and the based scholarship. In addition, she has also been on the Mixing Equipment Co. College of Engineering Dean’s list since 2011 and is a His passion for the field of biomedical engineering saw Dr. recipient of the Kettering Biomedical Engineering Ritter pursue research in the areas of microcirculatory and Scholarship since 2013. cardio‐respiratory physiology, in addition to collaborative Apart from academics, Lisa has been an active member research in pulmonary transport and metabolism in‐vivo. Dr. of the Alpha Eta Mu Beta chapter at OSU since 2013. Ritter has extensive experience in research and teaching in Since her junior year, Lisa has served as the secretary of the area of cardiovascular and respiratory physiology and OSU's BMES chapter and Engineering Council (E‐Council) physical chemistry. His biomedical engineering research at The Departments of Medicine and Physiology at The New Representative, where she worked on organizing Jersey Medical School has been funded by NSF, NIH, AHA, and volunteer opportunities for AEMB members and worked New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. on securing funding from E‐Council for these activities. At Dr. Ritter is the founding director of the biomedical present, Lisa is the president of the OSU AEMB chapter, engineering program (ABET accredited in 2009) at Stevens and she has worked hard to grow the chapter through Institute of Technology. It was during this time that Dr. Ritter, various initiatives such as regular meetings, chapter together with a group of dedicated students established the activities, and programs. One of the corner stone’s of Alpha Eta Mu Beta chapter atStevens. Dr. Ritter has served as Lisa’s office is having established a contract with The a tremendous role model for new students in the biomedical Princeton Review to provide chapter members with free engineering field and also to new AEMB inductees. He has graduate school and medical school preparation been instrumental in ensuring that the chapter is active and is materials and study tools. well represented at the national conventions. During her time at OSU, Lisa has also been actively Dr. Ritter has mentored 14 PhD and over 45 Masters involved in research through various roles from volunteer students in Biomedical Engineering. He is the co‐author of to research assistant and research intern in various labs over 40 publications in peer reviewed journals and numerous ranging from bioinformatics to nanotechnology. She has abstracts and presentations. He is the primary author of a also served as a teaching assistant for the anatomy and recent undergraduate textbook in Biomedical Engineering physiology course. (Biomedical Engineering Principles, 2nd Ed., 2011). In 2010, he Lisa’s long‐term goals are to attend graduate school to was elected to the College of Fellows of the American pursue a doctorate in neuroscience. Her specific interests Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. are the applications of adult neurogenesis to treat Dr. Ritter’s current research interests are in mathematical modeling of physiological systems, can a bipedal robot climb neurodegenerative diseases and mood disorders. stairs?, gait analysis (3‐D motion capture), brain‐computer Ultimately, Lisa hopes to focus her career on biomedical interface, cardio‐respiratory dynamics, scale‐up in research. physiological systems and haptics in robotic surgery. AEMB NATIONAL NEWSLETTER Volume 12, Issue 2 Page 2 G RADUATE STUDENT FOCUS AALUMNI FFOCUS s Name : Emily Growney Kalaf Name : Christopher Flounders BE Biomedical Engineering, BS Biomedical Engineering Catholic University of America Education : (concentration in neuroengineering) Education : MS Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University St. Louis University Employer : PhD (in progress) St. Louis High Point Solutions University un, charismatic and energetic, are three words that F mily received her BE in Biomedical Engineering from the best describe Christopher Flounders. Christopher joined E Catholic University of America. Following her passion for AEMB in 2012 and subsequently held the positions of the field, Emily moved to St. Louis to pursue a Masters secretary and IT manager in 2013. As secretary, he degree in biomedical engineering, which she successfully designed the Drexel chapter’s website and completed in 2013 under the mentorship of Dr. Gary created/maintained the chapter’s Twitter and Facebook Bledsoe. At present, Emily is pursuing her doctorate degree pages. In 2014, Christopher was elected as president and under the guidance of Drs. Scott Sell and Gary Bledsoe. under his leadership the chapter doubled its size and grew Emily’s research is focused on studying intervertebral disc into a well recognized organization on campus and in the degeneration and specifically the regeneration of a local community. Together with his fellow officers, the degenerated disc with an injectable tissue-engineered AEMB chapter at Drexel University led several other construct. student organizations to host the first ever Biomedical Emily is the department research technician, a position Engineering Week with themes of startup companies and which entails not only maintaining the faculty lab equipment, translational research which was attended by over 300 but also running the atomic force microscope and the people. scanning electron microscope.