UT DALLAS BIOENGINEERING DEPARTMENT ATTENDS BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING IN SAN ANTONIO
This fall, UT Dallas’ Department of Bioengineering participated in the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting (BMES) in San Antonio, Texas. The Department of Bioengineering, a gold sponsor at the event, sent 19 PhD students, six undergraduate students, seven faculty and four staff as representatives at the conference.
These representatives networked and learned about research happening throughout other bioengineering departments. Our graduate and undergraduate students presented their research in podium and poster presentations.
Third-year PhD student Bhuvana Lakkasetter Chandrashekar participated at BMES for the first time. Chandrashekar presented a poster highlighting her research entitled “Impact of Dental Cements on Early Osseointegrations: A Preliminary Study in Lewis Rats”. “The presentation was a great opportunity to present my research to a larger BMEN audience,” Chandrashekar said. “In fact, it was my first podium presentation at a conference for my PhD work!”
Along with research presentations and a booth, the department also co-sponsored a Gender Equity Luncheon with a discussion panel featuring Dr. Kristin Miller. Dean Stephanie G. Adams kicked off the luncheon with a small talk giving her insight about women in engineering. The event had over 200 attendees, with UTD students, faculty, and staff attending. “The gender equity luncheon brought me so much closer to my research,” Chandrashekar said, “We’ve always been advised at our lab to include gender as a biological variable in animal work. It was wonderful to see the scientific community coming together for such a great discussion.”
The department wrapped up the conference with a small reception, hosted at Little Rhein Prost Haus in San Antonio off the riverwalk. Students, faculty candidates and alumni enjoyed fantastic food, networking and a few games of giant Jenga. Dr. David Schmidtke kicked off the event and introduced Dean Adams, who shared the wonderful things happening in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. “I enjoyed every second of the reception,” Chandrashekar said, “Not only did I meet many dear alums, but I also had a chance to talk to the dean, Dr. Adams. Her words and dedication inspired me to aspire and aim higher, both academically and personally. I want to thank the department for organizing it and making it a fun event.”
The Department of Bioengineering looks forward to next year’s conference and encourages more students to participate. “BMES is a wonderful opportunity not only to meet bioengineers all around the U.S. but also to learn up-close about your peers’ work, not to mention collect all the goodies you can!” Chandrashekar said. “It was amazing to socialize with all my fellow bioengineering graduate students and spend time with them. Please don’t miss it if you ever get a chance to go.”