News Archives 2009
Dec. 15, 2009 | Life Sciences Discovery Fund
Giachelli awarded Life Sciences Discovery Fund grant
The University of Washington will receive a $150,000 grant to support commercial development of a new drug for vascular calcification, the Washington State Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) announced today.
Vascular calcification—the deposition of calcium phosphate in blood vessels—is a major risk factor for mortality in cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. There are no drugs that directly treat this condition. While a naturally occurring molecule called osteopontin can block calcification, it also promotes inflammation.
Dec. 14, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
New assistant professor, Kim Woodrow, arrives
Woodrow's research interests include mucosal pathogen transport and drug delivery, protein engineered viral mimics for mucosal immunity, topical microbicides and contraception, and catalytic nucleic acids for diagnostics.
Dec. 4, 2009 | AIMBE
Giachelli elected to College of Fellows, AIMBE; Induction Feb. 22
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) announced the election of 55 new members of the College of Fellows. The newly elected Fellows were nominated and approved by current Fellows of the College, consisting of over 900 engineers and scientists.
Recipients of this honor are recognized for their outstanding achievements in medical and biological engineering. A formal induction ceremony will be held during the Institute’s Annual Event at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 22, 2010.
Nov. 19, 2009 |University Week
Undergrads score high in first iGEM competition
Three BioE undergraduate students along with four other UW students won bronze medals with UW’s first entry in the annual international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Jamboree at MIT. The team also was named runner-up for Best Presentation. Jeff Nivala, Alec Nielsen, and Faifan Tantakitti represented UW Bioengineering undergraduates on the team.
Nov. 3, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
How to succeed in grad school? Play more tennis.
Academic success depends on time in the gym? Maybe.
John Medina offers more exercise as one of five take-home points for new UW Bioengineering graduate students.
Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and affiliate professor in UW Bioengineering, is author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. At the new graduate student orientation he morphed the rules into five surprises — maxims previous graduate students didn’t anticipate, but found invaluable.
Nov. 2, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Stimulus funds spur many Bioengineering projects
Ten Bioengineering core faculty members have received more than $3 million in economic stimulus grants.
Recipients are Don Martyn, Daniel Ratner, Xiaohu Gao, Valerie Daggett, Joan Sanders, James Bryers, Patrick Stayton, Paul Yager, Mei Speer, and Larry Crum.
Adjunct faculty with challenge grant awards include Eric Seibel, Mechanical Engineering; Deborah Nickerson, Genome Sciences; David Marcinek, Radiology; Nathan Sniadecki, Mechanical Engineering; David Baker, Biochemistry; Stephen R. Dager, Radiology; and Thomas A. Reh, Biological Structure.
Oct. 30, 2009 | AARP The Magazine
Special report on biologics features Stayton
Currently approved biologic drugs target protein receptors on the outside of cells, but Stayton is designing protein and nucleic acid biologics that would work against the large universe of disease targets inside the cell. "If we can achieve better delivery of biologic drugs to intracellular targets, I think there's little doubt they'll have a big impact on the pharmaceutical world."
Oct. 8, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Pollack, B. Ratner rewarded for innovation
Two Bioengineering faculty members have received grants for high-risk, innovative research. Gerald Pollack was awarded $3.8 million to study the role of water in medicine and biology; Buddy Ratner is on a team that was awarded $2 million to design, build, and test a functional contact lenses that continuously monitors biomarkers on the surface of the eye.
Sept. 15, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Cell phone health risks draw Specter's attention
For decades Henry Lai, professor of Bioengineering, has been trying to identify the dangers, if any, posed by radiation from cell phones. When funding for the research dried up 10 years ago he turned his attention toward studying medical applications of electromagnetic fields, but the cell phone health questions remain.
Sept. 15, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Chudler: Ways to improve pre-college math & science scores
Discoveries in math and science will likely hold the answer to some of our most pressing social challenges: energy shortage, global warming, health and health-care distribution. Yet precollege students ― those kids we see on neighborhood sidewalks carrying textbook-heavy backpacks — may be ill prepared to bring science to the workbench in tackling the problems they’ll face as adults.
Sept. 14, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Lutz, Woodrow join faculty
Two outstanding new faculty members joined the department this year: Barry Lutz and Kim A. Woodrow
Sept. 11, 2009 | UW Hall Health
Hall Health triage nurses maintain a Web site on the latest H1N1 Influenza information and guidelines.
August 31, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Undergraduate moves into US News top 10
The University of Washington’s undergraduate program in bioengineering moved into the top 10 such programs in the country, according to new rankings of bachelor’s degree programs by U.S. News & World Report.
August 31, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Suzie Pun named Rushmer Professor
Suzie H. Pun was named holder of the Robert F. Rushmer Term Professorship effective Sept. 16, according to an announcement by Matthew O’Donnell, Dean of the College of Engineering.
August 5, 2009 | UW Bioengineering
Two Undergraduate Lecturers join department
Chris Neils and Alyssa Taylor will join our faculty as Undergraduate Lecturers, Bioengineering Chair Paul Yager announced.
July 27, 2009 |UW News
Nanoparticles are being developed to perform a wide range of medical uses -- imaging tumors, carrying drugs, delivering pulses of heat. Rather than settling for just one of these, researchers at the University of Washington have combined two nanoparticles in one tiny package.
The result is the first structure that creates a multipurpose nanotechnology tool for medical imaging and therapy. The structure is described in a paper published online this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
July 7, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Grad student trains with best thanks to global health fellowship
Jeff Chamberlain, a doctoral student in Dr. Dan Ratner’s lab, will be in Mexico City this fall learning intricate microbiology research skills and gaining medical perspective from an internationally renowned expert in infectious diseases. Jeff will bring the insight back to Ratner’s lab and, with his engineering skills, build a platform for studying the molecular basis of how oligosaccharides (glycans) in mothers’ breast milk protects infants from gastrointestinal (enteric) pathogens.
Chamberlain will work with Dr. G. Ruiz-Palacios thanks to a 2009 Thomas Francis, Jr., Global Health Fellowship he received from the UW Department of Global Health.
July 5, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Four BioE students tapped for Phi Beta Kappa
Four BioE students were invited to join Phi Beta Kappa in the 2008-2009 academic year. The invitation is based upon the students’ excellent academic record and interest in the liberal arts. Invitations were extended to Karin Asplund, Pranoti Hiremath, Adrienne Rothschilds, and Andrew Shubin.
July 5, 2009 |New York Times
John Medina's Brian Rules makes NYT best sellers list
His book explores 12 priniciples on how the brain functions and its effects on the way we work.
June 1, 2009 |UW College of Engineering
Shivang, Stayton receive Innovator awards
Recognized for outstanding contribution to engineering teaching and research
June 1, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Chad A. Mirkin: 21st Rushmer Lecturer
Nanostructures in Biology & Medicine: Transitioning Novel Diagnostic & Therapeutic Tools from the Bench to the Clinic
June 4, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Seminar: Womb to Tomb Metabolic Assessment
Streaming video of David Burns' seminar
May 29, 2009 |Xconomy
PhD student enters UW's Business Plan Competition
Anthony Rodriguez shares competition experience as Shockmetrics team makes finalists list.
May 29, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Five undergrads win Mary Gates Scholarships
Five UW Bioengineering undergraduate students receive Mary Gates Endowment Scholarships spring quarter, bringing the total number of awards this year to bioengineering students to 18 — a record number for any department since the endowment was established in 1995. The scholarship provides tuition and books for two years so students can pursue individual interests and work closely with a faculty mentor. Students are selected through the Honors Program application process. Learn more about the Mary Gates Endowment.
May 28, 2009 |UW News
UW researchers vying for economic stimulus money
BioE faculty collaborate with College of Engineering, School of Medicine and College of Arts & Sciences for research facility funds.
May 28, 2009 |UW News
Senior wins Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence
BioE senior Kathy Wei was awarded the Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence for 2009. She is one of two College of Engineering students to receive the honor. Brian Pepin, Electrical Engineering, also received a medal.
May 15, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Bioengineering offers student design fund
The department will support groups of students to work on design projects outside class and capstone efforts. Awards are expected to be in the range of $250-$300 and are meant to support materials costs. Recipients will have access to the special projects lab (N119) for funded projects.
April 23, 2009 |UW News
Hiremath wins Goldwater Scholarship
It's the time of year when major scholarships are announced and student futures are planned. The Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, part of the Center for Experiential Learning in Undergraduate Academic Affairs, has announced student winners of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater, Morris K. Udall and Beinecke scholarships. The Goldwater Scholarship, established in 1986, honors longtime Arizona senator Barry Goldwater with a permanent trust fund endowment designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in math, the natural sciences and engineering. In a competitive year with fewer scholarships to award, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation selected UW sophomore Pranoti Hiremath of Seattle as a Goldwater Scholar.
April 22, 2009 |UW News
Bioengineering ranked fifth by US News & World Reports
BioE senior Kathy Wei was awarded the Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence for 2009. She is one of two College of Engineering students to receive the honor. Brian Pepin, Electrical Engineering, also received a medal.
April 22, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Five faculty now members of National Academy of Engineering
UW Bioengineering ranks third in the number of members elected to the National Academy of Engineering's bioengineering section. Only MIT and Standford have more members.
April 22, 2009 |Newsweek
Singh: Male biological clock ticks too
In season two of Bravo's wildly popular television series "Millionaire Matchmaker," host Patti Stanger rants against older men who perpetually search for 20-somethings to date. What Stanger knows intuitively and what researchers are illustrating empirically, is that men 50 and older, no matter their financial stability, aren't always the greatest catch.
April 21, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
12 UW BioE students win NSF/NDSEG Fellowships
Twelve PhD students UW Department of Bioengineeering were awarded National Science Foundation (NSF), National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships (NDSEG), or Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) this month. The department ranks second in the nation for the number of these prestigious fellowships awarded to its students in 2009.
April 2, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Murry sees promise in heart regenerations study
Twelve PhD students UW Department of Bioengineeering were awarded National Science Foundation (NSF), National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships (NDSEG), or Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) this month. The department ranks second in the nation for the number of these prestigious fellowships awarded to its students in 2009.
March. 16, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Chemical and Engineering News contacted Prof. Paul Yager recently to get his take on making diagnostic tests available in developing countries where where lab facilities are limited. While some researchers are exploring an instrument-free approach, Yager does not expect all assays for use in developing countries to be insturment free.
March. 19, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Shivang Dave's nanotechnology presentation earns top rank
Shivang Dave's presentation, "Quantum Dot Nanobarcodes for Multiplexed Cancer Detection" was judged the best presentation at the Center for Nanotechnology's Winter Student Symposium. Dave will receive complementary registration to this year's Micro Nano Breakthrough Conference and travel support to attend the event. Student presentations are judged on content, accessibility, organization, visuals, and engagement.
March. 16, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
BioE student on venture capital winning team
Bernard Brady, a Bioengineering graduate student, and MBA team members recently took first place in a regional venture capital investment competition. The team evaluated real business plans and made investment allocation decisions, then defended those decisions to a panel of venture capatilists.>
March. 16, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Nanobiophotonics lecture by Dr. Luke P. Lee (wmv file/1 hour)
Chemical and Engineering News contacted Prof. Paul Yager recently to get his take on making diagnostic tests available in developing countries where where lab facilities are limited. While some researchers are exploring an instrument-free approach, Yager does not expect all assays for use in developing countries to be insturment free.
March. 15, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Eric Chudler, associate research professor, was cited in the Thursday, March 12 Seattle Times as well as University Week for his work with Brain Awareness Week, which brought elementary and middle school students to campus Wednesday, March 11 to learn about the brain and the benefits of neuroscience research. The event included a lecture by Chudler and 50 hands-on stations where students could explore the brain. Herbert Sauro, associate professor, was quoted in two articles in the February issue of The Scientist. In the article, “Standardize What?” voices optimism that the BioBricks Foundations Registry of Standard Biological Parts and Provisional BioBricks Language (PoBoL) systems can be made compatible to create a standardized computer-based language for exchanging parts.
March. 11, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Buddy Ratner awarded Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal
Buddy Ratner was recently selected as the 2009 recipient of the Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal , which recognizes excellence and leadership in biomaterials research and practical applications.
March. 5, 2009 |UW News
Two new UW TechTransfer programs bring local entrepreneurs to campus
UW TechTransfer is offering two new services to support researchers who want to start companies, or have other people start companies using their technologies. The Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program brings to campus local entrepreneurs who are looking for a hot new idea. The LaunchPad Entrepreneur Advisers program establishes a larger pool of business people available to mentor UW researchers who may be thinking about forming a company.
Feb. 26, 2009 |University Week
Art under the microscope: Bioengineering lab images on exhibit at Harborview
The bottle of Chanel No. 5 shimmers behind a swerving rainbow. Closer inspection shows that the letters spell "channel"--the image is a visual and word play, created from superimposing a perfume bottle and a scientific photograph. This picture, and other imaginative takes on UW bioengineering research, will be on display tomorrow through April 3 at the Harborview Medical Center cafeteria.
Feb. 19, 2009 |University Week
New biologics center to advance personalized drug delivery
A new interdisciplinary center based in the UW Department of Bioengineering will work on guiding biologically based drugs to targets inside the cell. Patrick Stayton, UW professor of bioengineering, has been awarded $7.2 million over four years from Washington's Life Science Discovery Fund to establish a center that will address one of the biggest challenges facing drug development today: delivering biological molecules -- proteins, DNA, RNA -- inside diseased cells so they can attack intracellular targets. Being able to do this successfully could enable new classes of drugs for treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Feb. 19, 2009 |University Week
O'Donnell, Auth elected to National Academy of Engineering
Matthew O'Donnell, dean of the University of Washington's College of Engineering and professor in the department of bioengineering, and David Auth, a UW affiliate professor in bioengineering and consultant based in Kirkland, Wash., have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. They are among 65 new members and nine foreign associates announced by the academy Friday, making a total of nine active UW faculty who are academy members. Election to the academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer.
Feb. 10, 2009 |Boston College Chronicle
Amgen fellow gets kudos for summer research in Yager lab
As a sophomore, Camille Petri,'09, was looking for that spark to guide her down a career path with her degree in biology. She wound up in a lab at the University of Washington via one of the most competitive summer research programs in the country. Two years later, Petri's contributions in the biotechnology lab of UW Professor Paul Yager landed her as a co-author of an internationally acclaimed research project that may give public health workers an edge against malaria, which kills one million people annually.
Feb. 5, 2009 |UW Bioengineering
Yager's prototype malaria test doesn't need refrigeration
UPI.com and Technology Review featured the work of Professor Paul Yager and colleagues in developing a prototype malaria test printed on a small disposable Mylar card that is useful in regions without reliable electricity. The research appeared in the December issue of the journal Lab on a Chip.