The Bravo+ Award recognizes Purdue staff and faculty for stand-out accomplishments that go above and beyond expectations. This spring, the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering proudly celebrates eight Bravo+ Award winners whose dedication, creativity, and commitment have made an outstanding impact on our school.

For Purdue BME alum Somali Chaterji, engineering has always been about unlocking actionable insight from complex data. Her latest innovation does just that. By making object detection faster and smarter on mobile devices.

Professor Chi Hwan Lee has earned a new patent for a fabrication method that could reshape how flexible electronics are made and used in biomedical applications.

GeniPhys, a biomedical startup has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Collymer Self-Assembling Scaffold, a first-in-kind flowable collagen designed to promote natural healing in advanced wound care. The scaffold forms in place to support tissue integration without triggering inflammation or scarring, marking a breakthrough in regenerative medicine. The technology was developed by Sherry Harbin, a professor in Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

Picture this: the same injection in the arm or the belly ends up behaving in completely different ways. For patients that can be frustrating. For engineers in the Weldon School it became a puzzle to solve.

Purdue University and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have deepened their long-standing research partnership with a new initiative focused on brain health and addiction. Supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, the project has been awarded approximately $2.7 million in funding through the BrainLink program — a prestigious platform designed to accelerate international collaboration in AI and advanced bioengineering.

When Assistant Professor Sunghee (Estelle) Park joined the Weldon School, she brought with her a bold vision. One that connects two parts of the body that are not often linked in biomedical research, the gut and the eye.

Purdue's Sleep and Developmental Studies Lab, led by A.J. Schwichtenberg, has uncovered a potentially pivotal connection between N2 deep sleep and the brain's ability to clear metabolic waste - a process that may be key in preventing Alzheimer's disease. Using MRI and 36-channel EEG data from adults aged 30-55, the team found that cerebrospinal fluid "sloshing" during N2 sleep begins clearing debris earlier in the night than previously believed. The interdisciplinary study includes Yungie Tong from Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, highlighting the role of BME in advancing sleep and brain health research.

Purdue researchers are using AI to detect rare crop diseases in real time by combining machine learning models with drone and edge device technology. This approach helps farmers catch outbreaks early, reduce chemical use, and boost yields. While led by AgTech experts, the work reflects Purdue's wider commitment to interdisciplinary innovation-an ethos shared by the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

Imagine being able to check your hemoglobin levels with just a smartphone photo. Or detect early signs of skin disease without ever stepping into a clinic. That future may be closer than we think, thanks to the work of Sang Mok Park, Postdoctoral Research Associate and Young L. Kim, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Weldon School.