Student Success
BIOENGINEERING STUDENT AWARDS
Undergraduate Poster Competition
1st#: Varun Gunda
2nd#: Manish Samson
3rd#: Mihai Bendea
Outstanding Graduate Award at the PhD Level
Andrea Ruiz
Inveet Banga
Outstanding Graduate Award at the MS Level
Julia Mach
Outstanding Graduate Award at the BS Level
Roshni Gandhi
2022 Convergence Grant Recipients
Bhuvana Lakkasetter Chandrashekar
Chanda Bhandari
Jeremy Leon Warren
Hossein Razmi Bagtash
Antra Ganguly
Ryan Margolis
Fall 2022 BE Researchers
Dara Chanthavisay
Jaideep Kaur
Roshni Gandhi
Quynh Nhu Tran
Nicole Huning
Varun Gunda
Sohail Hassan
Tasha Rustandi
Ivneet Banga
Defense Advanced Research Project (DARPA) Riser
Joe Epperson
International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) Fellowship
Divya Subramanian
Dissertation Research Award
Antra Ganguly
Vikram Narayanan Dhamu
Undergraduate Research Award (at university level)
Varun Gunda
Zachary Lee
Daniel George
Manish Samson
Valentine Cespedes
Bioengineering Best TA
Lindy Patterson
2023 Metrohm USA Young Chemist Award
Manish Samson
Spring 2023 BE Researcher
Ryan Faris
Zachary Lee
Nicole Huning
Jenna Krueger
Miguel Figueroa Hernandez
Varun Gunda
Sohail Hassan
Dara Chanthavisay
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Biomedical Engineering Society Officers
President: Stacey Velazquez
Vice President: Zaina Rida
Treasurer: Priyanka Almark
Secretary: Sohail Hassan
Education: Angela Li
Marketing: Kaye Mabbun and Jackie Goshorn
Tutoring: Abirami Krishnamurthy and Onyedi Ololo
Research: Talia Alhammoud
Industry Director: Neeha Alam
Industry Chairs: Akhila Srinivas and Arwa Zakaria
Philanthropy: Sugkirthy Gown Sridhar
Biomedical Engineering Society Graduate Student Association
President: Heriter Adam
Treasurer: Niharika Pandala
Alumni Outreach: Christopher Nguyen
Public Relations: Sugandha Chaudhary
Alpha Eta Mu Beta – Biomedical Engineering Honor
Society Officers
Roshni Gandhi
Roderick Ahrens
Likhitha Polepalli
Aiman Rahman
BMEN Graduate Student Association
In its fourth year of operation, the BMEN Graduate Student Association hosted great events to engage with our graduate students and community. One event featured Dr. Yasser Khan from the University of Southern California. He presented his innovative wearable for mental health and a the results of a multipart study combining user-centered design and engineering-centered data collection. This breakthrough technology can provide remote care and discreet monitoring while helping to alleviate the stigma associated with mental health treatment. Khan also discussed the engineering innovations in medical devices that address one of the most pressing global health burdens.
Additionally, the BMEN GSA organized a Qualifying Exam Prep Session for students preparing for the qualifying exam. These events demonstrate the group’s commitment to supporting students’ academic pursuits.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
AT A GLANCE
Summer/fall 2022 winners and information
AMY Resuscitation, Asterion AI, Spangler Consulting Group, Gemini IT Labs, Retina Foundation of the Southwest, UT Dallas Qin Lab,
UT Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical Center
1st Place: Biofeedback Bleeding Control Training Tool by UT Southwestern Medical Center
The team created a bleeding-control training aid for the government program STOP THE BLEED. The prototype features a mess-free closed fluidic system with custom feedback systems, including programmed audio buzzers and visual LEDs. The system is powered via an AC/DC adapter, and testing was conducted to ensure it met specifications. An Institutional Review Board-approved study was also conducted on volunteers to assess the emotional and educational response to using the prototype during a simulated STOP THE BLEED course. Future recommendations include adding multiple wound sites and additional feedback systems, such as the amount of blood loss and pressure applied to a wound site.
2nd Place: AMY Resuscitation ARBU 2.0 by AMY Resuscitation
The Automatic Resuscitation Breathing Unit (ARBU) is an easy-to-use device that quickly and effectively resuscitates patients experiencing breathing difficulties. It uses 100% oxygen and has four different breath profiles for adult, child, infant and constant flow. Once triggered, the device delivers a constant flow of oxygen to ensure the patient is receiving enough oxygen to their lungs. This device can save time and resources in emergency situations and requires minimal training to operate, making it accessible to individuals with minimal medical training.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
At A Glance
Fall 2022 winners and information
AMY Resuscitation, Asterion AI, Spangler Consulting Group, Gemini IT Labs, Retina Foundation of the Southwest, UT Dallas Qin Lab, UT Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical Center
3rd Place: Eye Movement During Walking in Children with
Eye Conditions by Retina Foundation of the Southwest
The tool that was developed for this project is a staircase consisting of three independently and continuously adjustable steps which lead to a two meter-long platform. The staircase must be able to accurately detect footfalls as a patient walks up the stairs and across the platform, then sync this data with the data received from both the client’s existing Tobii Pro 2 Glasses and new inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors worn on the ankles.
Regarding the physical construction of the staircase, a scissor-lift mechanism was chosen because the lifting mechanism must be completely beneath the step and cannot rely on a frame that extends above the minimum height of the step. Each step along with the two platform sections use a scissor mechanism to continuously adjust the step height.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
At A Glance
Fall/spring 2023 winners and information
Abbott, Candora LLC, HoboLoco Inc., Koya Medical, Max-IR Labs, Orthofix, Phantom Neuro, Ronawk, UT Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical Center
1st Place: Project Mantis by Koya Medical
The team worked with Koya Medical to create a handheld, non-invasive imaging device to aid patients with lymphatic and venous disorders. Specifically, the device must map veins in the affected limbs, highlight areas of potential venous hot spots or ulcers, identify areas of venous pooling and provide a limb area calculation to allow for the management of lymphedema swelling over time.
After working through several design iterations over the course of two semesters, the Project Mantis team settled on a final design that met the specifications for the project and presented a sleek, easy-to-use device for health care providers in the vascular and lymphatic health specialties. The final device had three modes for use, each corresponding to one area of the specifications, namely, vein mapping, area calculation and ulcer detection. The team’s final design utilized a Raspberry Pi 4 with a 7-inch touchscreen tablet display. The team 3D printed their own custom backing for the tablet which had the capacity to house all the components for the device. The principal component for the Mantis Vision Device is a FLIR Lepton 3.5 infrared camera with its Lepton breakout board connection to the Raspberry Pi.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
At A Glance
Fall/spring 2023 winners and information
Team sponsors Included:
Abbott, Candora LLC, HoboLoco Inc., Koya Medical, Max-IR Labs, Orthofix, Phantom Neuro, Ronawk, UT Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Award Winners
Runner Up: Arterial and Venous Arm Blood Sampling Trainer by UT Southwestern Medical Center
Trained medical technicians who specialize in drawing blood from patients for blood tests remain vital for diagnostic science. As one example, blood is drawn from the arteries using arterial puncture to measure oxygen blood gases, while blood drawn from the veins using venipuncture is used to measure sugar and iron levels. Currently, these techniques can be simulated using arm training models to teach students the procedure.
However, these models have significant constraints such as separate models for arterial and venous access, absence of wrist dorsiflexion and a need for high arterial pressure to generate a palpable pulse, which can lead to leaks. Furthermore, arm training models currently in use are unfunctional and expensive. Team AVAST’s solution includes an all-in-one venous and arterial model to streamline medical training. The newly designed arm trainer combines the arterial and venous systems in one model, in addition to providing wrist dorsiflexion ability and a non-pressure dependent palpable pulse. In addition, this device calls for simple maintenance using nonproprietary, readily available parts.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
At A Glance
Fall/spring 2023 winners and information
Abbott, Candora LLC, HoboLoco Inc, Koya Medical, Max-IR Labs, Orthofix, Phantom Neuro, Ronawk, UT Dallas UT Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention #1: Full Body Mannequin with Articulating Head by UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern currently has training devices that include holes in the ears and eyes that allow for screens to be seen from inside the head. These screens display images related to different pathologies that can affect the ears and eyes and can be seen when using medical scopes. An otoscope is used in the ears, while an ophthalmoscope is used in the eyes. These systems only include a body above the neck or shoulder line and have a fixed position during examination. This means that important aspects of ear and eye examinations cannot be simulated with the current models. This includes neck and body articulation, which are important for both examinations to get a better angle of the ears and eyes.
The new device therefore includes a full body from a modified CPR mannequin, with the internals removed and replaced with a custom electronics system. This electronic system is located in the head and consists of four screens, one for each eye and ear, two microcontrollers, MicroSD card readers and USB ports. The system is split into two parts, one for ears and one for eyes, and allows for independent use of each with separate power systems running off three AA batteries. Users can interface with the system via an interface located under a flap in the head.
UTDESIGN CAPSTONE
At A Glance
Fall/spring 2023 winners and information
Abbott, Candora LLC, HoboLoco Inc., Koya Medical, Max-IR Labs, Orthofix, Phantom Neuro, Ronawk, UT Dallas UT Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention #2: Garments with Surface Electromyogram by UT Southwestern Medical Center
The team created a method to make virtual physical therapy more useful for both the patient as well as the physician. Currently, physical therapy takes place in person with exercises assigned for patients to do at home in between sessions. Being physically away from a patient’s physical therapist can make it difficult for the patient to know if they are activating the correct muscles during their provided exercises. This device allows for the patient and as well as the physician to know what muscles are being activated and if the exercises are being completed properly.
The final design Is a system consisting of a garment incorporating conductive fabric that utilizes electromyogram (EMG) sensors to wirelessly transmit data to two receivers that are wired to an Arduino microcontroller. The Arduino processes the analog inputs from the two receivers and sends the data to a custom Python application that the team has created. The app then provides a visual to both the patient and physician what muscles are being activated during exercise. The app also allows physicians to create a workout plan for the patient and allows a patient to see the curated plan.