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Media mention: ‘Biological Clocks Have Been 'Rewired' to Increase Lifespan by 80 Percent’

4/27/2023

Howard Salis, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, of chemical engineering, and of biomedical engineering, offered perspective on a University of California study focused on cellular aging.

College of Engineering names student marshals for spring 2023 commencement

4/25/2023

The Penn State College of Engineering has named its student marshals for the spring 2023 commencement ceremony. One student is selected to represent each of the 14 majors associated with the college and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Cunjiang Yu honored with young investigator award

4/14/2023

Cunjiang Yu, the Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, was selected by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Applied Mechanics Division to receive the 2023 Thomas J. R. Hughes Young Investigator Award.

Neuron movements caused by push, pull of motor proteins, study finds

4/11/2023

A Penn State-led team of researchers investigated how three classes of one type of motor protein, known as kinesins, engage with another type of motor, dynein, during cargo transport. Their discoveries, published in eLife, can help scientists better understand the normal cargo transport process, and, in future work, inform how it is disrupted in the case of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

Seven graduate students recognized with University awards

4/6/2023

Forty Penn State graduate students, seven of whom are students in the College of Engineering, were named recipients of Penn State’s annual graduate student awards, administered by the Graduate School in collaboration with several Penn State units.

Biomedical engineering researchers receive best paper runner-up award

3/28/2023

A team of Penn State biomedical engineering researchers recently received a best paper runner-up award for their paper in IEEE Sensors Letters, one of 18 journals published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Dipanjan Pan elected fellow of national medical and biological engineering society

3/27/2023

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) inducted Penn State engineer Dipanjan Pan to its College of Fellows on March 27 in Washington, D.C.

Penn State scientist plays key role in $46M artificial blood research program

3/27/2023

Dipanjan Pan, Dorothy Foehr Huck & J. Lloyd Huck Chair Professor in Nanomedicine and professor of nuclear engineering and of materials science and engineering at Penn State, will serve as a co-investigator on a $46 DARPA consortium to develop artificial blood.

Five student startups win funding in Inc.U Competition

3/24/2023

Undergraduate students from the College of Engineering at Penn State were among the winners of the 2023 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition.

2023 University-wide student awards announced for Penn State

3/22/2023

Sydney Gibbard, a fourth-year student majoring in biomedical engineering at Penn State, was awarded this year’s Eric A. Walker Award by the University.

Gibbard named recipient of 2023 Eric A. Walker Award

3/22/2023

Sydney Gibbard, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Eric A. Walker Award.

2023 NSF CAREER Award: Sri-Rajasekhar Kothapalli

3/10/2023

Sri-Rajasekhar "Raj" Kothapalli, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, earned a five year, $528,667 NSF CAREER Award for a project titled “Smart and scalable approaches for developing multimodal optical and acoustic imaging technologies.”  

Social Science Research Institute introduces faculty fellows for 2023-24

3/10/2023

Nina Lauharatanahirum, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and of biobehavioral health, was selected as a faculty fellow by the Social Science Research Institute.

Two engineering graduate students honored with Alumni Association Dissertation Award

3/10/2023

Thirteen graduate students received the Alumni Association Dissertation Award, one of the most prestigious awards given to doctoral candidates at the University, including two from the College of Engineering.

Eleven alumni to receive College of Engineering's highest honor

3/8/2023

Eleven Penn State engineering graduates have been selected to receive the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards. The ceremony will take place on March 13 at The Penn Stater.

Engineers awarded NIH grant to heal tendon injuries with ultrasound

3/8/2023

With a four-year, $2,276,850 National Institutes of Health grant, Penn State researchers aim to create a completely non-invasive, tunable method for treating tendinopathies with focused ultrasound.

Five engineers recognized with NSF early career awards

3/6/2023

Five faculty members in Penn State’s College of Engineering were recognized with National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards. Each project ranges in duration from three and a half to five years, funded by grants worth roughly $500,000.

2023 NSF CAREER Award: Aida Ebrahimi

3/3/2023

Aida Ebrahimi, Thomas and Sheila Roell Early Career Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, earned a five-year, $500,000 NSF CAREER Award for a project titled “Tunable Graphene Microdevices for Multiplexed Detection of Biomolecules Beyond Diffusion Limit.”

Researchers earn $2.3M grant to enhance understanding of rotator cuff injury

3/3/2023

With a five-year, $2.3 million Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, researchers from Penn State and the University of Oregon are collaborating to better understand how both rotator cuff injury and surgical repair affect the muscle’s composition.

Engineer receives Acoustical Society of America award for ultrasound work

3/2/2023

Julianna Simon, assistant professor of acoustics and of biomedical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been awarded the R. Bruce Lindsay Award by the Acoustical Society of America.

Amir Sheikhi to participate in National Academy of Engineering symposium in Japan

3/1/2023

Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering and of biomedical engineering at Penn State, was invited to participate in the 2023 National Academy of Engineering Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering (JAFOE) symposium.

Guarding the genome: Researchers uncover full 3D structure of p53 protein

3/1/2023

The tumor suppressor protein p53, known as the guardian of the genome, protects the body’s DNA from daily stress or long-term damage by triggering the cells to make repairs or to self-destruct. For the first time, a Penn State-led team of researchers uncovered the complete structure of the p53 protein using patient samples. They also investigated how mutation-induced changes in the p53 structure can impact different cancers.

17 new faculty members join the College of Engineering

2/14/2023

Seventeen new faculty members have joined the Penn State College of Engineering since early fall 2022. The 12 tenured or tenure-line faculty and six professional track faculty represent 11 units and departments and include one new department head.

The eye is the window to the brain activity and arousal state

2/14/2023

Researchers from Penn State recently have found that just the pupil diameter of a mouse's eye can determine the mouse's arousal state with high accuracy, which is important for interpreting research results.

Justin Pritchard named Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator

1/30/2023

Justin Pritchard, Penn State Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Entrepreneurial Assistant Professor and assistant professor of biomedical engineering, recently received the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator award from the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Revolutionizing health care through 3D bioprinting

1/27/2023

In the not-so-distant future, doctors could use machines that directly repair tissues by depositing new layers of muscle or skin or create and install new organs. Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, professor of engineering science and mechanics, biomedical engineering and neurosurgery, is using 3D bioprinting to create a range of materials for potential use in human health, including printable bone, skin and tumor cell models.

Novel microneedle bandage could save lives by stopping blood loss from wounds

1/20/2023

Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the Penn State College of Engineering, developed a prototype of a microneedle patch to immediately stop bleeding after an injury. It will be featured on the cover of the May issue of Bioactive Materials.

Media mention: ‘New neuroscience research identifies a respiration-related brain network’

1/19/2023

A neuroimaging study by Nanyin Zhang, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Brain Imaging, was recently featured by PsyPost. The study identified a link between respiration and neural activity changes in rats, suggesting that breathing might modulate neural responses across the brain.

Crowley receives Huck Early Career Chair appointment

1/17/2023

Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology who is affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

Event lifts curtain on a bright future for materials research

1/6/2023

The Penn State Materials Research Institute held their annual Materials Day in October, with the theme "Materials Impacting Society." Several engineering faculty participated.

Controlled, localized delivery of blood thinner may improve blood clot treatment

1/5/2023

Heparin has long been used as a blood thinner, or anticoagulant, for patients with blood clotting disorders or after surgery to prevent complications. But the medication remains difficult to dose correctly, leading to overdosing or underdosing. A team of Penn State researchers combined heparin with a protein fragment, peptide, to slow down the release of the drug and convey the medication directly to the site of a clot.

'Life From All Angles' video highlights Lance Lian’s stem cell research

12/19/2022

An episode of "Life From All Angles," a YouTube series from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, features Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Xiaojun "Lance" Lian and his efforts to produce new cardiomyocytes to advance the effectiveness of stem cell differentiation.

Model shows how intelligent-like behavior can emerge from non-living agents

12/12/2022

A new model by a team of researchers led by Penn State and inspired by Michael Crichton’s novel “Prey” describes how biological or technical systems form complex structures equipped with signal-processing capabilities that allow the systems to respond to stimulus and perform functional tasks without external guidance.

Xiaogang Hu to lead Penn State assistive device efforts for stroke survivors at new center

12/7/2022

Xiaogang Hu, associate professor of mechanical engineering and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Neurorehabilitation, will lead Penn State’s efforts in the newly funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center in Assisting Stroke Survivors with Engineering Technology.

Stretchable rubber diode opens possibilities for medical, electronic devices

11/30/2022

If you are reading this article on your computer or phone, it is in part thanks to diodes. Diodes are used for a variety of critical electronic functions and are typically rigid. Electronic devices, such as robotics or medical devices, are becoming more flexible as technology advances, so Penn State researchers have developed a fully rubbery stretchable diode that maintains performance.

New method can scale, simplify manufacture of stretchy semiconductors

11/29/2022

Penn State researchers developed a method to manufacture soft, elastic semiconductors and circuits more efficiently.

Engineers improve electrochemical sensing by incorporating machine learning

11/23/2022

Combining machine learning with multimodal electrochemical sensing can significantly improve the analytical performance of biosensors, according to new findings from a Penn State research team. These improvements may benefit non-invasive health monitoring, such as testing that involves saliva or sweat.

Materials Research Institute names 2022 Roy Award Winners

11/21/2022

Seven Penn State materials researchers have received the 2022 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award, including five in the College of Engineering.

Fruit flies use corrective movements to maintain stability after injury

11/18/2022

Fruit flies can quickly compensate for catastrophic wing injuries, researchers found, maintaining the same stability after losing up to 40% of a wing. This finding could inform the design of versatile robots, which face the similar challenge of having to quickly adapt to mishaps in the field.

FDA-approved cholesterol medicine may help prevent antibiotic resistance

11/15/2022

A Penn State-led multidisciplinary collaboration may have found a solution for antibiotic resistance in cholestyramine, an oral drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce cholesterol levels and remove bile acids associated with liver diseases.

Breathing may measurably modulate neural responses across brain, study finds

11/10/2022

Using functional MRI and electrophysiology, researchers in the Penn State College of Engineering identified a link between respiration and neural activity changes in the brain. This means taking a deep breath can actually impact one's emotional state — long acknowledged to be effective by mental health practitioners, but never before proven by science.

New research on effects of binge drinking earns Nikki Crowley early career award

11/10/2022

Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering at Penn State, is the 2022 recipient of the Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP) Editor’s Early Career Award.

Media Mention: ‘Freezing Cancer: How Cryo-EM is advancing oncology research’

10/31/2022

Deb Kelly, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Penn State Center for Structural Oncology, was featured on an episode of Science with a Twist, a ThermoFisher Scientific podcast.

Penn State biomedical engineers attend Biomedical Engineering Society meeting

10/31/2022

Nearly 40 students and faculty members from the Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering attended the 2022 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting in San Antonio on Oct. 12-15.

Tiny magnetic particles fight lung cancer cells on command in lab test

10/28/2022

Traditional treatments for lung cancers can have serious side effects throughout the body, but newly developed, highly targeted treatments could reduce damage, according to Penn State researchers. A team led by Dan Hayes, biomedical engineering department head and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Nanotherapeutics and Regenerative Medicine at Penn State, developed a method that could lead to one such treatment with magnetic nanoparticles that can release a therapeutic payload when stimulated using a magnetic field.

Q&A with Meghan Vidt: Advancing recovery, decision-making for breast cancer surgery

10/25/2022

Meghan Vidt, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation at Penn State, discusses her research in furthering the understanding of mastectomy and reconstruction surgery for breast cancer and the effects these surgeries have on patients.

Researchers 3D bioprint breast cancer tumors, treat them in groundbreaking study

10/18/2022

Researchers at Penn State have successfully 3D bioprinted breast cancer tumors and treated them in a breakthrough study to better understand the disease that is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide.

28 new faculty members join the College of Engineering

10/6/2022

Twenty-eight new faculty members have joined the Penn State College of Engineering since the end of the spring semester. The 17 tenured or tenure-line members and 11 non-tenure-line members represent 12 units and departments and include two new department heads.

Stretchy, bio-inspired synaptic transistor can enhance, weaken device memories

9/29/2022

Using the human brain as a model, Penn State engineering researchers developed a synaptic transistor, which uses artificial neurotransmitters to optimize functions. The transistor can be used to enhance the performance of wearable devices and robots.

Research review proposes alternative brain blood flow theories

9/19/2022

In the brain, neural activity usually is followed by increases in blood flow to the active region, a process known as neurovascular coupling. Scientists know that this process is important for brain health, as the breakdown of this process precedes many neurodegenerative diseases, according to Patrick Drew, Penn State professor of engineering science and mechanics and of biomedical engineering. What scientists don’t know is why neurovascular coupling exists at all. Drew proposed possible answers to this question in a review article, “Neurovascular coupling: Motive unknown,” published in Trends of Neuroscience.

Xiaojun 'Lance' Lian featured on Huck Institutes live podcast

9/19/2022

On Sept. 28 at noon, Xiaojun (Lance) Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering, will be featured on The Symbiotic Podcast.

Media mention: ‘Thinking Cap’

9/16/2022

Yun Jing, associate professor of acoustics and of biomedical engineering, and Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, were featured in the January/Februrary issue Radiology Today.

Media mention: ‘Novel hydrogel bioink improves 3D-printed biomaterials’

9/7/2022

Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering, and his team's research were recently featured in a BioTechniques article.

New approach more than doubles stem cell editing efficiency, researchers report

9/7/2022

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed techniques to improve the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technique that earned the Nobel Prize in 2020.

Students engineer solutions to airport aggravations

8/29/2022

Students taking a leadership course in Penn State’s School of Engineering Design Technology, and Professional Programs placed in the Airport Cooperative Research Program, a national engineering competition that aims to solve problems and inconveniences common to airports.

New granular hydrogel bioink could expand possibilities for tissue bioprinting

8/24/2022

Penn State researchers have developed a novel nanoengineered granular hydrogel bioink that could be used to to develop biomaterials that can be three-dimensionally (3D) printed as complex organ shapes, capable of hosting cells and forming tissues.

Compost to computer: Bio-based materials used to salvage rare earth elements

8/18/2022

Penn State chemical engineering researchers used micro- and nanoparticles created from the organic materials like corncobs and tomato peels to capture rare earth elements from aqueous solutions.

Researchers to develop scaffolding for nerve regeneration with $2.14M NIH grant

8/16/2022

Peripheral nerves are responsible for moving muscles, sensing temperatures and even inhaling and exhaling; yet they comprise fragile fibers vulnerable to disease and injury. To maximize healing for the easily damaged nerves, Penn State researchers are using a five-year, $2.14 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Nation Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop a biodegradable nerve scaffold that aims to employ folate and citrate in novel ways.

Researchers explore nanomaterials for imaging, medicine delivery for arterial disease

8/12/2022

A team of multiple principal investigators that includes Jian Yang, professor of biomedical engineering at Penn State, received a four-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop biodegradable nanomaterials that will take pictures and deliver medicine to combat peripheral arterial disease.

At-home, saliva-based COVID-19 test as effective as PCR in preliminary analysis

8/5/2022

Penn State researchers have developed a take-home, saliva-based test with the same level of sensitivity as the PCR, with results that send to a smart phone within 45 minutes.

National society recognizes biomedical engineering graduate student

7/13/2022

Sailahari V. Ponnaluri, a doctoral candidate in the Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering, earned a 2022 Oral Abstract Award from the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO). She was recognized at the annual conference in Chicago on June 9.

Biomedical engineer receives NIH grant to help unlock biology of binge drinking

7/11/2022

Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Penn State, has been awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the neurobiology of binge alcohol drinking.

Engineer to study gut-brain axis with Scialog grant

7/5/2022

Aida Ebrahimi, assistant professor of electrical engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and of biomedical engineering, has been selected as one of 13 researchers from seven multidisciplinary teams to receive a 2022 Scialog: Microbiome, Neurobiology and Disease Award. The $55,000 grant will allow Ebrahimi to conduct research to expand the understanding of the gut-brain axis.

Media mention: ‘The future is soft’

7/5/2022

Cunjiang Yu, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics and associate professor of biomedical engineering, recently was featured in a Happy Valley Industry Q&A

Professor named to 25 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing list

7/1/2022

Hui Yang, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering and of biomedical engineering, was named to the annual SME 25 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing list.

Laser writing may enable ‘electronic nose’ for multi-gas sensor

6/30/2022

Sensors are a step closer to sniffing out various gases that could indicate disease or pollution, thanks to a Penn State collaboration. Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics in the College of Engineering, and Lauren Zarzar, assistant professor of chemistry in Eberly College of Science, and their teams combined laser writing and responsive sensor technologies to fabricate the first highly customizable microscale gas sensing devices.

Eight Penn State engineering students receive Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowships

6/24/2022

Eight Penn State engineering graduate students received the Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowship in Entrepreneurship for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Alumnus and professor named new head of biomedical engineering

6/22/2022

Dan Hayes, Penn State alumnus, professor of biomedical engineering, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Nanotherapeutics and Regenerative Medicine and director for the Center of Excellence in Industrial Biotechnology, named new head of the Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Biomedical engineering student explains how Invent Penn State helped fund her nonprofit

6/13/2022

Sydney Gibbard, a biomedical engineering student, explains how Invent Penn State has helped fund her nonprofit, Girls Code the World.

Rubbery camouflage skin exhibits smart and stretchy behaviors

6/13/2022

A Penn State-led collaboration has created artificial skin that mimics both the elasticity and neurologic functions of cephalopod skin. Made entirely of rubber, this material has potential applications for neurorobotics, skin prosthetics, artificial organs and more.

Real-time, accurate virus detection method could help fight next pandemic

6/7/2022

A method of highly accurate and sensitive virus identification using Raman spectroscopy, a portable virus capture device and machine learning could enable real-time virus detection and identification to help battle future pandemics, according to a team led by Penn State.

Scientists devise method to help prevent hospital infections

6/6/2022

A research team led by Penn State and the University of California, Los Angeles, developed a novel surface treatment for medical devices such as catheters to help prevent hospital infections from bacterial films that can form on these devices.

Toxic protein ‘variant’ may be the next target for ALS therapies

6/1/2022

A new study by Penn State researchers shows that ‘variant’ complexes of a protein implicated in ALS pathology form in separate pathways, a discovery which may make it easier for drug developers to design therapies to target the more harmful variant.

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