Category: Newsletters

BMES Picnic Newsletter (September 10th, 2021)

On Friday, September 10, 2021, BMES hosted in conjunction with the Department of Biomedical Engineering a picnic to kick off the start of the school year. Members of all undergraduate classes, graduate students, professors, and their families attended for food, fun, and general connection building. After a long year with minimal in-person interactions due to the pandemic, this picnic allowed the BME department to come together and celebrate being in person once again. Students were able to connect with their professors and peers alike feeling supported at the beginning of this new school year. This picnic acted as a lovely way to transition back to in-person classes and social events in our department and BMES cannot wait for more events like this in the future. 

By Katie Broun

 

CMTI Graduate Information Session (September 29th, 2021)

The CMTI Graduate Information Session this year took place on September 29th, 2021.  The Center for Medical Technology and Innovation (CMTI) offers a Master’s program with an emphasis on Medical Device Design within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. The event was held as an in-person and remote hybrid event. During the information session, Professor Amy Lerner described the clinical immersion program, its curriculum, design projects, and the career paths of some of the alumni within the program. The session included a presentation, followed by general and individual questions. Many interested students attended the session and many good questions were answered.

By Lauren (Ruyi) Li

 

BMES Mentoring Event (September 29th, 2021)

BMES hosted its first in-person mentoring event since the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 in Morey 321. BME students from all class years met in person with upperclassmen BME students to get advice on classes, research opportunities, and general life as a BME student at the University of Rochester. A majority of the students who attended are intending to declare a cell and tissue concentration or a biomechanics concentration. BMES hopes that those who attended this event enjoyed spending time with other BME students who understand the struggles and rewards of being in this major, and that the connections made will be useful for all students going forward in their careers and undergraduate lives.

By Judy Monickaraj

Fall Activities Fair (August 27th, 2021)

The fall Activities Fair took place on August 27th on the beautiful Wilson Quad. Current E-Board members showed up to man the BMES table and recruit new members. We had many first-years, as well as upperclassmen, sign up to receive email notifications about our upcoming events. We had a great time chatting with BME students and can’t wait to see what this school year brings for our chapter!

By Cassidy Christie

 

General Interest Meeting (August 30, 2021)

BMES had our general interest meeting on Monday August 30th from 7-8 pm. Our E-Board told a bit about themselves, their concentrations, and their other involvement on campus. Then a student asked about research experience and how to approach undergraduate research. Each E-Board member gave a short speech on how they got into their labs, and general advice for the first-year students. We also announced the date of our first event of the semester, the annual BME picnic. After answering a few more logistical questions about BMES, we concluded our GIM. BMES hopes that everyone who attended had a great time and will choose to join us at our weekly E-Board meetings.

By Anna Hazelwood

Health Professions Panel (March 9, 2021)

BMES had a Healthcare professions panel on Tuesday, March 9th on zoom. At this event, we had BME alumni who pursued careers in healthcare speak about their journey from UR BME to their current profession, and what their role is like now.  Our panelists were Louisa Bauer ‘14, a medical student at Tufts, Stephanie Rigot ‘15, a DPT and PhD candidate at University of Pittsburgh, Frances Bell ‘11, A Nurse Practitioner at Mount Sinai, and Ramzi El Hassan ‘10, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation resident at URMC. Dr. Dalecki and Dr. Lerner gave brief introductions in the beginning, and Dr. Lerner also moderated discussion with the panelists. There were many questions and discussions, including preparing for medical school applications, advice on getting practical experience in healthcare fields, and how BME has shaped the panelists’ path. The event was a great way for students interested in this field to connect with alumni in the field and hear about several options in the healthcare field.

By Caroline Stockwell

BMES Game Night (February 10th, 2021)

On February 10th, 2021, the Biomedical Engineering Society hosted a game night for our members and friends.  Approximately 12 people attended our game night and we played BMES style Jeopardy.  This entertaining game was created by our social co-chairs, Alex Rivera and Riya Shah, and included game sections about teachers, members, and general trivia about the University of Rochester campus.  This event took place completely virtually over Zoom.

By Loralai Crawford

 

General Interest Meeting (February 15th, 2021)

On Feb 15th, 2021, BMES held our virtual Spring General Interest Meeting. We saw lots of new faces, which we hope will stick with us. We introduced BMES and our goals, as well as our current E-board and other active members. We also got to know the new members and their interests. Then we spent the last few minutes running the GIM as a normal E-Board meeting. We hope our GIM was enjoyable to new members and look forward to seeing them in our next meetings.

By Priscilla Passerotti

 

Research Panel (February 16th, 2021)

BMES had a Research panel on February 16th, 2021 on zoom. This event aimed to inform BME students about undergraduate research opportunities in BME and related fields. At this event, we had five upperclassmen BME students as panelists, and they were able to share their experiences with undergraduate research at U of R, other institutions in the US, and even abroad. Our panelists were Dylan Manuele, Befikadu Mekonnen, Sereen Assi, and Leonor Teles. They spoke about how they got involved in their research, what they do on a daily basis, and how this research has informed their future plans. Attendees were also able to ask questions and gain insight into what kind of opportunities there are for undergraduates. Laura Jones from the Greene Center also attended the event and was able to answer questions and provide insight on finding research opportunities from the perspective of the career center. This event was recorded to share with students in different time zones or those who had a scheduling conflict.

By Caroline Stockwell

 

Alumni Mentoring Event (February 25th, 2021)

Thursday evening was BMES’ alumni mentoring event to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the program, consisting of a Zoom panel of eleven accomplished alumni speaking on their careers in a variety of fields. The event kicked off with a brief welcome from Dr. Lerner and Dr. Dalecki, as well as a few words from alumnus Benjamin Freedman, and then the attendees split off into various breakout rooms.

The types of careers covered included those in startups, industry, academics, medicine, FDA, and science writing, with a couple BME alumni speaking from each category. The speakers gave insight on their careers so far, answered student questions, and served as friendly and approachable mentors for the undergrads in attendance. The alumni covered topics such as applying to internships, staying motivated through medical school, and planning for future careers.

After the conclusion of many insightful conversations, everyone returned to the main Zoom for closing remarks from BMEs president Priscila along with comments from the professors in attendance. The alumni enjoyed the chance to reconnect with familiar faces from their alma mater, and us students received valuable insights from our conversations. Overall, the event was a success and we’re looking forward to hosting similar panels in the future! Thanks again to all who attended and made it such a great experience.

By Amanda Adams

 

BMES Fall 2020 Mentoring Event (December 3rd, 2020)

During this mentoring event, experienced BME upperclassmen mentors gave advice to their BME peer mentees about how to get the most out of their major. Everyone who attended the event first gathered in one zoom room, then split into separate breakout rooms based on concentration. Mentees were free to move between breakout rooms and ask questions about research opportunities, courses, and professors specific to each concentration. Students newer to the major were able to get their questions answered by students who had gone through the same process as them not too long ago, and become more familiar with the BME department as a whole! BMES hopes everyone enjoyed their time and made some new friends as well!

By: Judy Monickaraj

UR Splash Day Class (November 7th, 2020)

Lauren and Noah taught an ‘Intro to BME’ class to prospective high school students. Seven students came and were fairly attentive to the questions asked. The students attended the meeting because they were interested in biomedical engineering and wanted to learn more about what careers existed within the field. Lauren and Noah effectively explained the wonders of biomedical engineering through a carefully curated slide show made by Edward Brown. With Lauren and Noah’s wonderful teamwork and academic expertise, the students learned all about biomedical engineering through real-life applications and example career paths. We hope everyone had a great time and learned something new!

By: Noah Freedman

LinkedIn Panel (October 6th, 2020)

On Tuesday, October 6th, BMES held a LinkedIn Panel via Zoom. The event was essentially LinkedIn 101 – how to use it, when to use it, etc. Firstly, Laura Jones from the Career Center gave a short presentation on networking and how to make a good profile, detailing the do’s and don’ts. She showed a short video, explaining how to use LinkedIn to communicate with associates and peers. Following Laura’s presentation, Dr. Gdowski of the BME department explained networking in greater detail, specifically how to use LinkedIn to that end. Gdowski showed a few example LinkedIn accounts (including his own and Laura’s), and discussed the many specificities and nuances that separate a good LinkedIn profile from a great one. The event was great, and I feel as though I have a much better understanding of LinkedIn, and I now know that my profile definitely needs some work.

By: Alexander Rivera

BMES GIM (September 8, 2020)

The General Interest Meeting took place on September 8th in virtual format. Even with the new format, everything worked out perfectly – BMES had a very large meeting with more than 20 new members. We spent time sharing our missions and how each of us caught our interest in BME. It was really great to meet new people and introduce to them how we play our roles in contributing to UofR BMES and the BMES Chapter in general. We hope our GIM was enjoying to each of you as it was to us and we would be looking forward to seeing you in our next meeting. Stay safe!     

by Duy Doan

Graduate School Panel (September 10, 2020)

The Graduate School Panel, hosted by Department of Biomedical Engineering and BMES, took place Sep.10th, 2020. This panel was completely virtual this year but was very successful.

The panel started by Professor Learner included Professor Maddox talking about the graduate and PhD programs and differences between them. This year, we also had additional BME alumni and graduate students from UR attend the panel as well. They shared a lot of information and insight into choosing appropriate graduate programs. Great questions were asked and answered at the end of the panel and students found this event very helpful.

P.S. For those that are interested but weren’t able to attend the panel, recordings of this panel will be posted on our website soon.

 by Lauren (Ruyi) Li

Internship Panel (September 22, 2020)

The Biomedical Engineering Society’s Internship Panel took place on September 22, 2020 via Zoom. There were several seniors who shared their experiences with internships either through the university with the REU program, or by finding their own with local companies. Many students asked questions regarding how to go about applications, what companies they had positive experiences with, and other helpful information. Career advisor Dave Cota-Buckhout also attended to offer information about the resources available through the Greene Center for finding internships. The internship panel was helpful and enjoyable to aspiring students and BMES hopes to continue to offer it for students in the future.

By Anna Hazelwood

Q&A Panel (September 25, 2020)

The BME Q&A session was held on September 25th with three panelists: Ignacio Rodriguez from the sophomore class, Lam Nguyen (Medical Optics concentration) from the junior class, and Mohammed Abumuaileq (Biosignals and Systems concentration) from the senior class. The panelists gave a brief introduction about themselves and their experiences in BME. Then, questions were asked about their favorite classes, their research experience, how to decide on concentrations, how to make the best out of the BME major, and more. Overall the panel offered helpful and informative insight for our BME students.

By: Lam Nguyen

DR WAUGH’S RED CELL CONFERENCE (October 11th, 2019) 

On October 11th, 2019, various members of BMES had the opportunity to volunteer at the Red Cell Conference, a meeting that fosters the exchange of novel research information about various aspects of erythrocyte biology. The meeting happened in Saunders Research Building and included a poster session as well as a few sets of presentations by researchers coming from different institutions across the United States. We had the pleasure to contribute towards this very informative event and learn more about new discoveries and innovations in the field.

by Priscila Passerotti

SPOOKY SCIENCE DAY (26th October, 2019)

Spooky Science Day, hosted by the Society of Physics Students on October 26, was a fun time for all ages. Many young families  in a variety of creative costumes showed up to our BMES table, where they enjoyed learning how blood flows through the heart with our  interactive model. The themed candy was also a hit among the kids, and many struggled to decide between gummy brains, feet, or eyeballs. Other tables staffed by undergraduate organizations included demonstrations of electrical phenomena, building with marshmallows, and creating slime.

by Amanda Adams

ACTIVITIES FAIR (August 30th, 2019) 

The activities fair was not only a blast, but a huge success. We all showed up to our shifts in front of Wilson Commons (we had a great table, by the way) and got plenty of first-years and even upperclassmen sign up to receive our emails, which means a lot of people are interested in BMES! I, as well as some other E-board members, had a great time getting to know some of the first-year and other undergraduate BME students, and are really excited for what this means about the near future of BMES.

by Alexander Rivera 

BMES GENERAL INTEREST MEETING  (September 3rd, 2019) 

BMEs had a general interest meeting on Tuesday, September 3rd in Goergen 101. New members to the club were introduced to the executive board and they learned about what kind of events BMEs holds throughout the semester, Including the picnic, study breaks, and professional events.  Pizza and drinks were served.

by Caroline Stockwell

LINKEDIN WORKSHOP (September 18th, 2019)

On September 18th, Dr. Amy Learner led an advisory LinkedIn workshop for UR students. Throughout the hour, she explained effective techniques for navigating through LinkedIn and answered questions students had about how to connect with alumni, companies, and opportunities. During the workshop, Dr. Learner led us through her personal experiences and connections and explained how we can utilize LinkedIn to make meaningful connections and keep our profiles as useful to employers as possible. Overall, the workshop was a very insightful and informative experience.

by Riya Shah

BMES PICNIC (September 20th, 2019) 

The BMES Picnic held on 20th September, 2019 was fantastic! I got a chance to talk to people, make new friends in BME and receive some great advice from upperclassmen. The food was amazing and I will definitely come to the BBQ next year!

by Tracy Le

EMPLOYER/STUDENT DIVERSITY RECEPTION (September 23rd, 2019) – 

BMES tabled at the Employer/Student Diversity Reception on 23rd September, 2019. This event was held preceding the Fall Career Expo to give student organizations a chance to demonstrate their skills and abilities to various companies. The twist was that companies came to our table to talk to us, instead of us reaching out to them! We had organizations like the Peace Corps and other great companies come up to us. We got to learn a lot by conversing with the recruiters and got a chance to put our name out there! Overall, I think it was a very successful event and I am looking forward to it next year! (The food was great by the way!)

by Reshul Narhari

BMES MENTORING GAME NIGHT (September 27th, 2019)

BMES mentoring program is on! The first event this semester was in form of a game night and took place Sep.27th in Wilson Commons 507. Students had a great time during the event: about 20 mentors and mentees showed up in total and had fun with the Monopoly and UNO during the event. Mentees came with questions and were able to leave with their questions answered by upperclassmen present at the time.

by Ruyi Li

EXPLORE ENGINEERING EVENT: 

A very spirited event involving lots of first-years and upperclassman, the Explore Engineering Event was extremely fun. Incoming engineering students were invited to meet and greet with upperclassmen from many disciplines, including biomedical, chemical, mechanical, and optical engineering. Many students filled out the bingo sheet of fun facts and won themselves a free t-shirt!

AiCHE PANEL:

The Academia vs. Industry panel was a great success! A panel of 6 professionals, including the BME department’s very own Dr. Brown and Dr. Maddox, shared their insight on deciding if they wanted to work in a lab or if they wanted to work outside of that. Roughly 60 people attended, coming from chemical, mechanical, and biomedical engineering disciplines. Thanks to its success, this will probably be a yearly event, so look for it in next year in the Fall of 2020!