Daily Update: BMES Annual Meeting
Governor Kicks Off BMES Annual Meeting
Before a full house of attendees, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy welcomed BMES to his state for the first plenary session of the week. According to meeting co-chair Donald Peterson, he has pushed through over $850 million in investment in the state’s Biosciences community.
“When I met personally with him recently Governor Malloy recognized that Hartford is the epicenter of the Biomedical Engineering community this week,” Peterson said. “And this is the right place to make it happen: we have 800 Biosciences companies in the corridor between New Haven and Northampton with combined sales of $3.5 billion.”
“I’m reminded on a daily basis that the U.S. is the leader in innovation, including Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering,” the Governor said.
The research will not only improve the health of patients, it will create jobs in Connecticut and throughout the country, he said.
New modeling technology could aid drug development
Sophisticated models of human cells, organs and bodies could revolution the development of lifesaving drugs and other technology, according to Michael L. Shuler, PhD, the 2011 Pritzker Distinguished Lecturer at the BMES Annual Meeting.
Shuler’s research at Cornell University explores the question: “What does it mean to be alive?”
And, “How can we capture that in a mode?”
The goal is to create surrogates that can aid drug development, Shuler said at the Hartford meeting.
Shuler’s team developed “Body-on-a-Chip,” a microfabricated, microfluidic system with cells or tissue constructs representing various organs in the body. It can be constructed from human or animal cells and used in drug discovery development.
Today, only about 1 out of 10 drugs that proceed to human trial emerge as an FDA approved drug, he said. The goal is to reduce that to about 1 out of 4 using new modeling techniques.
Dr. Pettigrew Shares Personal Journey at Thursday Luncheon
This year’s Celebration of Minorities in BME Luncheon featured Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
He shared his journey from a segregated school in rural Georgia to the highest rungs of Biomedical Engineering. Speaking before a diverse audience of students, professors, and researchers, he focused on the disparity in achievement for minority students and scientists.
According to data he referenced, the minority population--30% of people living in the U.S. -- holds only 9% of the jobs in the country’s STEM labor force. Pettigrew addressed possible solutions: a natural love for science; mentoring; and breaking down social isolation.
Mentors he mentioned included his 6th grade teacher, the President of Morehouse University, and his own father as major influences in his successful career.
7th Graders Get Taste of Biomedical Engineering
Twenty seventh-grade students from St. Mark School in Stratford CT visited the exhibition hall at the BMES Annual Meeting this morning to learn about the Biomedical Engineering profession.
Accompanied by Principal Gene Holmes and a few faculty members they talked with exhibitors, saw a demonstration of Hartford Hospital’s practice dummy, and walked away with bags full of giveaways.
At sponsor Covidian’s booth Al Garcia, a school parent and research development technician for the company explained how Covidian’s staple technology works and demonstrated the product’s advantages on a model stomach.
“This is great,” Garcia said. “We see more and more young people today interested in science careers.”
Principal Holmes agreed. “I almost cried when one of my students said ‘I want to go to college now.’” Holmes said he wished that BMES would come to Hartford every year.
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Thursday's Schedule
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Plenary Session
Distinguished Achievement Lecture
The Critical Roles of Convergence Science and Technological Innovation in Tomorrow ’s Healthcare
Roderic Pettigrew, PhD, MD
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
NIH – NBIB Lecture
Robotics and Sensory Motor Restoration
David Reinskensmeyer, PhD
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open
9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Poster Session
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
BMES Student Chapter Development Meeting
10:30 a.m. to noon
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Platform Sessions
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Women in BMES Luncheon
1:30 to 2:30
BMES Student Chapter Leadership Meeting
Marriott, Ballroom C
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Special Event
Connecticut Science Museum
5:45 p.m. to 7:15
Resume Writing Workshop
Ballroom C, Convention Center