Outreach and Community Engagement

The Department of Bioengineering has been active in the DFW community and beyond? This academic year has been filled with many events that have brought our community together; here is a little slice of what has been happening in UTD Bioengineering!

Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Dr. Yeichen Ding volunteered to judge for the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair in February at Fair Park, Dallas. This is a regional competition for 6th – 12th grade students focused on scientific and engineering projects.

Lab Tours – Girl Scout STEM Camp

During the summer, a Girl Scout Summer group visited the Jonnson School to explore the exciting opportunities in bioengineering! The ladies had the chance to meet with Dean Adams, who shared her inspiring journey in STEM and emphasized the significance of women in the field.
The day also featured engaging lab tours, allowing the troop to discover groundbreaking research and interact with graduate students to discuss their projects and student life at UTD.

8th Annual Undergraduate Poster Competition

8th Annual Undergraduate Poster Competition

Every fall, the Department holds an Undergraduate Poster Competition, during which undergraduate students present their research. This year, 27 students presented their work to their peers and the community. Graduate students volunteered to judge the posters, and the first through third-place winners had the opportunity to present their posters at NCUR.

BE Summer Training and Research Scholars

The BE STARS program aims to enhance undergraduate student retention and encourage enrollment in graduate school by providing opportunities for undergraduate research in bioengineering faculty labs. In addition to conducting research, students receive mentoring from a PI, postdocs, and graduate students within the lab. To end the program, students can showcase their research findings in an end-of-year presentation.

Faculty 3-Minute Thesis

Every year, the department takes part in a Faculty 3-Minute Thesis competition. Three faculty members from each department within the Jonsson School compete to present their research in 3 minutes or less. This event aims to encourage graduate students to take part in the national competition!

Second Annual Workshop on Imaging and Data Science

The workshop, hosted by Dr. Baowei Fei, united experts from various fields to translate advanced imaging technologies and data science methods from research to clinical applications to benefit human health. It featured keynote talks by Dr. Lei Xing from Stanford University and Dr. Amber Simpson from Queen’s University. Additionally, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex faculty presented lightning talks on cutting-edge technology and clinical studies. The event concluded with a poster competition showcasing graduate students’ and postdoc research.

TEDxPlano

Dr. Shalini Prasad was invited to present at TEDxPlano, where she gave a TED Talk on ‘Creating a 30-Second Test to Fight Fentanyl’ and discussed how the Biomedical Microdevices and Nanotechnology Laboratory is helping with the battle against Fentanyl overdoses.

Solar Eclipse Watch Party

On April 8, 2024, the UT Dallas community came together to celebrate a celestial event almost 150 years in the making for North Texas with activities designed to bring Comets closer together and give them a better view of the science in the skies.

Conferences

Students have traveled to conferences to present research and share their work at UT Bioengineering. Three of our undergraduate poster competition winners participated in NCUR in Long Beach, CA, to show their posters, and many other students joined us at BMES to give podium talks and poster presentations! While in Seattle, we were able to celebrate with Dean Stephanie G. Adams.

Dr. Gindri Hooding Ceremony Speech

As part of this spring’s commencement ceremonies, Dr. Izabelle de Mello Gindri PhD ’16, was the featured speaker at the spring 2024 doctoral hooding ceremony on May 10. To learn more about Dr. de Mello Gindri and her groundbreaking start-up work in her native Brazil, check out this article from the most recent Voyager magazine.

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES BUILDING

The Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (BMES) Building opened in the fall of 2023. It will accelerate training for the next generation and foster medical innovations to improve patient care.

The $120 million, five-story, 150,000-square-foot building, located on the east campus of UT Southwestern, was made possible by a transformative gift from Texas Instruments (TI), support from other donors, and investment from the Permanent University Fund of the UT System.

The facility will support the work of dozens of faculty and their teams with wet and dry laboratory space, areas designated specifically to promote multidisciplinary interactions, and a Biodesign Center featuring a large assembly/design studio, a metal fabrication shop, and rooms for 3D printing.