August 22, 2022
Azmeer Sharipol, PhD student in biomedical engineering, and Ben Frisch, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and biomedical engineering, with a modular bone-marrow-on-chip device developed in Frisch’s lab.
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
A new academic year is upon us! Students begin moving onto campus today and tomorrow. I will greet our Hajim School first year and transfer students at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Hubbell Auditorium. Classes begin Aug. 31. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to all of our students!
RESEARCH NEWS
Azmeer Sharipol, a biomedical engineering PhD student, is first author of a paper in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology describing a remarkable modular bone-marrow-on-chip device that can reliably model changes in the marrow as leukemia takes root and spreads.
The device, created in the lab of Ben Frisch, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and biomedical engineering, recapitulates the entire human bone marrow microenvironment and includes two key features lacking in other devices: osteoblast cells, which are crucial to fuel leukemia, and a readily available platform.
Ultimately, researchers plan to use the chip to quickly evaluate how human leukemia cells respond to drug treatment.
Azmeer, who has taken charge of the project, will receive a Young Investigator Award at the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting next month, where he has been invited to make an oral presentation. Congratulations to Azmeer, Ben, and all their collaborators for this exciting achievement. Learn more.
ECO STUDENTS BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY
Each summer, our University’s Early Connections Opportunity program brings first-year, underrepresented minority engineering students to our campus for four weeks. These students, many of whom are the first from their families to attend college, learn about our majors and the Grand Challenges Scholars program, get hands on experience in engineering- and computer science-related workshops, and learn about the campus resources that will be available to help them succeed when they return for the start of the fall semester.
I was impressed recently as I listened to this year’s 16 incoming engineering and computer science ECO students give oral presentations. They described how the discussion of majors and the NAE grand challenges helped them define their aspirations and connect those aspirations with a major—or at least narrow the number of options they still want to explore.
For example, John Conduah from the Bronx says he “was never sold on biomedical engineering” as a major until learning about the grand challenge of engineering better medicines. He realized that’s how he wants to help future generations. “For me, biomedical engineering is stepping into the unknown,” John says. However, he’s willing to take that step. “I want to be a game changer,” he says.
Sherlyn Frausto from Dallas enjoyed working side by side with her father at construction sites during high school. After learning about the engineering sciences major, she can now envision herself working in construction management and even starting her own company. “Because of my dad, I have chosen to go further on the engineering path” she says, “which gives me the opportunity to help rebuild and improve my community.” Moreover, as a Hispanic woman in a male-dominated industry, she will be “someone my community can look up to.”
Last fall, while filling out college application forms, Sherkeem Duprey of Brooklyn, decided he wanted to improve access to educational programs to help overcome global inequality. ECO showed him a major—computer science—and a grand challenge—advancing personalized learning—that will go “hand in hand” in helping him tackle that challenge. He envisions using human computer interaction to create online educational programs so “people in low-income countries can teach children and gauge their progress,” Sherkeem says. “Everybody will have access to a quality education and then have the opportunity to go on to higher education.”
Thanks to Richard Colon, who recently joined our Dean’s Office team as an academic counselor and did an outstanding job of guiding the students day by day. Many of the students praised their workshop experiences with Jim Alkins, who directs the Rettner Hall Fabrication Shop, and Adam Purtee, assistant professor of computer science. Thanks as well to Marc Porosoff (chemical engineering), Sarah Smith (AME), John Lambropoulos (ME), Andrew Berger (optics), Adam Purtee (CS), Kanika Vats (BME), and Marvin Doyley (ECE), who introduced the students to our various majors. Thanks to the Office of Minority Student Affairs for hosting this valuable program.
FOR STUDENTS: INNOVATION BOOTCAMP
Here’s a great opportunity for our new students, Grand Challenges Scholars, and students interested in entrepreneurship. The Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Barbara J. Burger iZone are inviting all creative and curious minds on campus to join them for a new Innovation Bootcamp, held in person on August 29-30 in the iZone. You will learn from mentors, network with peers, and pitch an idea while learning concepts and skills relating to entrepreneurship and innovation. Come with an idea of your own, or join in on someone else’s idea. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students of any academic disciplines. No business experience necessary. Learn more and register by this Wednesday, August 24.
ALUMNA IN THE NEWS
Chemical engineering alumna Monica Burdick ’98, now an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Ohio University, has been named the 2022 Tau Beta Pi Outstanding Advisor. TBP, the engineering honorary society, has 251 collegiate chapters and 47 active alumni chapters.
The award recognizes her exemplary service since 2012 as chief advisor to the Ohio Delta Chapter, which has received outstanding chapter awards the last three years. Monica’s involvement with TBP began when she joined the NY Kappa Chapter as an undergraduate here, serving as president her senior year.
Monica’s research group at Ohio University focuses on identifying biochemical and biophysical regulators of cancer cell adhesion during blood-borne metastasis, with the ultimate goal of developing new diagnostic or prognostic tools for cancer. Learn more.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
