A Purdue University-affiliated startup that is developing an affordable device to allow researchers and medical professionals to conduct MRI scans with increased efficiency, has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, one of the most prestigious NSF honors for outstanding young researchers in science and engineering.

In 2017, the Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering launched a study abroad program to Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in China. Participating students take courses without interrupting their plan of study, participate in a clinical internship, and deepen their appreciation of the global biomedical engineering industry and clinical practice—all while having the time of their lives.

In an ongoing $1.25M NIH study researchers postulate that “hidden” hearing loss is undetected by conventional clinical tests and seek to identify both the cause and a diagnostic tool to detect it. The ultimate aim is toward earlier detection, intervention, and treatment of hearing loss.

Magic can happen when senior design teams are mentored by seasoned industry and clinical partners. A real-needs project brought to a creative student team can yield surprising and wonderful results and is rewarding for both mentors and mentees. The Weldon School welcomes a diverse mix of mentors and sponsors and provides a supportive environment for development of a vast array of projects.

In a multi-year, $300K NSF-funded study, researchers are using engineering design thinking to tackle the complex challenges of increasing diversity and inclusion in biomedical engineering. The study is part of a larger initiative to effect broad, institutional change at Purdue and beyond.

Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering MD/PhD candidate Frederick Damen was selected to attend the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany in July, 2018.

A dozen students participated in the Weldon School’s Three-Minute Thesis (3MT™) Competition, held on March 20. Freddy Damen was the overall winner. Jana Vincent was the runner-up. Ashlee Colbert won the People’s Choice Award, and Matt Pharris won the Best PowerPoint Slide Award.

A Purdue-affiliated startup, MR-Link LLC, is developing a coin-sized, affordable device that once inserted into existing MRI machines could allow researchers and medical professionals to perform multiple imaging scans at once and more efficiently and effectively understand a patient’s physiology.

Purdue researcher Luis Solorio has helped create a lifelike cancer environment out of polymer to better predict how drugs might stop its course.