The schedule of events for the day includes:

9:00-9:30 am      Check-in and breakfast provided

9:30-9:45 am      Opening Remarks (Prof. Nan Kong, Interim Head of BME

9:45-10:45 am    Keynote Speaker (Helen H. Lu, PhD, Columbia University)

1:45-11:15 am     Research Hub (Tyler Diorio, PhD)

11:15-12:30 pm   Setup and Poster Session

12:30-1:15 pm    Lunch Break (catered lunch provided

1:15-3:30 pm      Oral Presentations (break halfway)

3:30-4:00 pm     Networking Reception

4:00-4:30 pm    Awards Ceremony & Closing Remarks

(Keynote Speaker)

Helen H. Lu’s research focuses on interface tissue engineering, particularly how to reestablish the body’s natural synchrony between tissues, a hallmark of the musculoskeletal system and the nexus of human mobility. The body of fundamental knowledge her group has uncovered regarding interfaces and interface scaffold design has provided blueprints for building organs-on-a-chip as well as total limb regeneration. Her group is also active in the design of composite biomaterials for orthopaedic and dental applications, with a particular interest in the mechanism of cell-matrix interactions and its application to multi-functional material design. 

At Columbia, Lu is the Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor of Dental and Craniofacial Engineering (in Dental Medicine).  She is the Director of the Biomaterials and Interface Tissue Engineering Laboratory. She currently serves as the Senior Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and Advancement, as well as the Chair of Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee at Columbia Engineering.  Prof. Lu has published over 100 original research articles and invited reviews in biomaterials and tissue engineering. The inventor and co-inventor of more than 30 patents and patent applications in biomaterials, her research has led to the formation of several start-ups for medical devices and sustainable textiles. Lu has given over 150 invited lectures at national and international conferences and institutions. Her many accolades include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and the Wallace Coulter Foundation Career Award. She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) and more recently, a member of the National Academy of Inventors. She was honored as a Provost Leadership Fellow and also named a Provost’s Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar at Columbia.  Prof. Lu serves on the editorial board of leading journals of the fields, including recently, the Journal of Biomedical Material Research A, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Regenerative Biomaterials, Regenerative Engineering, Tissue Engineering, eLife (review editor) and Science Advances (Associated Editor).  Lu received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Brendan (bbkazu@purdue.edu) or Lizzy (frazie34@purdue.edu) via email.