BESA Newsletter

February 2023

Your source of monthly updates from the UC Davis Biomedical Engineering Student Association!

Upcoming Events

BESA Winter Quarter Meeting Schedule

Thursday, Mar 16th from 2:45-3:45 pm

  

BMEGG Recruitment!!

The BMEGG recruitment is from March 2nd - 3rd!!!

Please refer to the Recruitment 2023 google sheet for opportunities to volunteer and join our Recruitment Slack channel!

 

BMEGG Student Financial Support Q&A

BMEGG Students are invited to a Q&A on Thu Mar 9, 2023 3pm – 4pm (PST) about the proposed BMEGG Student Financial Support Plan which will replace the previous GSR Compensation Plan moving forward (zoom link) 

 

BESA Student Seminar Series

The student seminar series is an amazing opportunity to practice your research presentations, such as your qualifying exam or conference presentation, in a low-key friendly environment. If you are interested in presenting your research to your peers, please email our Program Advising Chair: Tanishq Abraham.
 

Graduate Student Resources

Coffee Bagel Donut Day

Please join us on Fridays in Walker Hall, 8:30 - 10:30 am for CBDD for the winter quarter! GSA will provide donuts, bagels, coffee, and sundry breakfast items for you to enjoy every Friday during the term. We hope to see you there! 

 

Access the Graduate student Food Pantry in Walker Hall

GSA Pantry will be open for the winter quarter on Mondays 10 am -12 pm and Fridays 10 am - 1:30 pm.

 

Writing Consultations for Graduate Students & Postdocs

Schedule a writing consultation with one of our Graduate Writing Fellows! Fellows offer one-on-one 40-minute writing consultations with enrolled grad students and postdocs. Consultations offer you the opportunity to engage in a conversation about your writing at any stage of the writing process in a low-stakes, low-stress environment with a peer. While we are not a proofreading or editing service, we are happy to identify patterns of error in writing and help you learn about resources to improve grammar. Sign up for a consultation here!

 

GSA Award for Excellence in Service to Graduate Students

Nominations are now open for the 2022-2023 GSA  Award for Excellence in Service to Graduate  Students! If you would like to recognize and reward a faculty or staff member who has gone above and beyond for graduate students this year, please nominate them for this award. Nominations are open through March 17th, 2023.
Additionally, if you would like to help choose from among the nominees, please join the
Award Review Committee. If you have any questions, please email Courtney Cahalan (gsainternalvicepresident@ucdavis.edu).

 

GSA Graduate Student Tax Workshop March 1, 12:00-2:00pm on Zoom

The GSA is hosting a Graduate Student Tax Workshop with Andrew Newman on March 1st from 12:00-2:00 pm. The workshop will be held on Zoom and it will be recorded for those who are unable to make it. To attend, please register for the workshop beforehand.

There will also be some one-on-one appointments available for graduate students who need individual help with their taxes. More information about the best way to book these forthcoming.

Reach out to Ben Fong (benfong@ucdavis.edu) if you have any questions.

 

GSA & Graduate Diversity End-of-the-Quarter Lunch Event March 8

To wrap up winter term, GSA and Graduate Diversity are partnering to host an End-of-the-Quarter Lunch Event for graduate students on Wednesday, March 8th, 12-2pm in Walker Hall. Vegan and gluten free options will be available. Please bring valid Student ID to present.  

 

Announcements and Awards

Congratulations to UC Davis neuroprosthetics Lab on winning a Seed Grant from the ALS Association

Assistant professor Sergey Stavisky, PhD (PI) and his lab were awarded a Seed Grant from the ALS Association for a project titled “A brain-computer interface for restoring speech in people with ALS”. Assistant professor David Brandman, MD, PhD, FRCSC as co-PI and postdoctoral scholar Maitreyee Wairagkar, PhD serve as key personnel for the 1-year, $50,000 grant.

 

UC Davis Health to develop in-utero therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

UC Davis Professor Aijun Wang and his team are collaborating with Murthy laboratory at UC Berkeley to develop a much-needed cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). They are designing a therapy to treat DMD before birth by editing the gene that encodes dystrophin, a key protein in stabilizing muscle fiber. The study brings together top-notch experts at UC Davis Craig McDonald and Lucas R. Smith serve as coinvestigators on this project. [Read More]

Career Development

 

Seminar series, journal clubs, workshops, conferences, and jobs

 

Let’s Chat: Developing Connections for Professional Advancement (led by Abby Niesen)

Date - Wednesday, March 8th, 11am - 12:30pm

Location - West Conference Room, Graduate Center (1230 Walker Hall)

Description

For graduate students and postdocs.

Register with one click: https://ocpweb.ucdavis.edu/dems/register/register.cfm?variables=7EC1D22ED7AC87

Are you interested in learning how to develop connections to actively direct your professional journey? Networking may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This session, led by Professors for the Future Fellow Abby Niesen, will prepare you to initiate conversations with professionals (in industry or academia), ask specific questions that can help you develop leverage to ensure career alignment with interests/goals, and apply effective organization strategies throughout the process.

This is the first of three workshops aimed to empower graduate students and postdocs by providing strategies in self-advocacy. For more information about this series of workshops, please contact Abby Niesen at abniesen@ucdavis.edu.

Please bring a laptop or tablet

Sponsored by Professors for the Future and the GradPathways Institute (Graduate Studies)

 

Exploring Career Paths Using ImaginePhD
Thursday, March 2nd, 12pm - 2pm
Graduate Center, 1220 Walker Hall (Gibeling Room) 
Register 1-click 
Pizza lunch served to those who register.

Wondering if you are on a career path that is right for you?  In this session you will be introduced to career paths and opportunities through self-assessment of skills, interests, and values.  We will identify starting points for career exploration and using these assessments will see how your skills and interests align with particular career paths.  This workshop will also help you identify what is most important to you in your future career.
We will use the free
ImaginePhD platform to engage in the career exploration and planning process. Although originally designed for the humanities and social sciences, this platform is also used by those inSTEM disciplines. This workshop is open to all UCD graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from any discipline.
Please bring a laptop or tablet to make the most of this session
Instructor:  Teresa Dillinger, PhD, Director, GradPathways Institute, Graduate Studies

Sponsored by the GradPathways Institute (Graduate Studies)

 

2023 Silicon Valley Women in Engineering Conference

Date:   Saturday, March 18, 2023

Place:  San Jose State University, Student Union

Time:   7:30 AM – 7:00 PM PDT

Learn about cutting-edge technologies and topics such as artificial intelligence, climate resilience, quantum computing, electric vehicles, and next generation biotech as well as advice on your job and internship search. During the Innovation Showcase and Networking Reception, meet potential employers and hiring managers, connect with women mentors, and discover state-of-the-art innovations. Register today!

 

Recruiting Students for Neuroengineering Projects

Dr. Sheela Toprani (Neurology and Neurosurgery) is recruiting masters students (also open to PhD students) for the three attached projects. Two of the projects include faculty collaborators - from Biomedical Engineering (Dr. Karen Moxon), Neurosurgery (Drs. David Brandman and Sergey Stavisky), and the Speech Neuroengineering and Cybernetics Laboratory (Dr. Lee Miller).

These positions are also posted at this link:

https://neuroengineering.ucdavis.edu/jobs-and-other-opportunities
 

BESA Slack and LinkedIn Groups

Join the BESA Slack Group here to find out about ways to get involved in BESA. And click here to join the BESA LinkedIn group and network with BESA alumni!

Publications

 

Check out these new publications from BMEGG students and faculty! 

 

  • Choi, Y., Li, R. & Quon, G. siVAE: interpretable deep generative models for single-cell transcriptomes. Genome Biol 24, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-023-02850-y

     

  • Sodhi HS, Panitch A. A comparison of electrosprayed vs vortexed glycosaminoglycan-peptide nanoparticle platform for protection and improved delivery of therapeutic peptides. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2023 Feb;222:113112. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.113112. Epub 2022 Dec 22. PMID: 36599186.

     

  • Haudenschild AK, Christiansen BA, Orr S, Ball EE, Weiss CM, Liu H, Fyhrie DP, Yik JHN, Coffey LL, Haudenschild DR. Acute Bone Loss Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Mice. J Orthop Res. 2023 Feb 22. doi: 10.1002/jor.25537. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36815216.

     

Funding Opportunities

 

T32 Predoctoral Fellowship - T32 HL007013 - Lung Center

The UC Davis Lung Center is seeking predoctoral trainees to participate in the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood (NHLBI) supported program “Training in Comparative Lung Biology and Medicine”. The objective of this training program is to provide interactive research environments and opportunities for trainees to become independent investigators in the areas of lung biology and lung disease research.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be a citizen or permanent visa residents of the United States

• Must be enrolled in at least 12 units at UC Davis.

• Must commit to 12 calendar months appointment

• Must demonstrate strong commitment in pursing an

independent academic career

• Must provide strong interest in the area of lung-

related research

• Must provide evidence of previous research training.

For more details or to apply, visit us at:

https://health.ucdavis.edu/internalmedicine/research/training-grants/pulmonary.html

 

Spring 2022-23 Graduate Studies Travel Award

Graduate students who have traveled, or will be traveling, to present at meetings of nationally and internationally recognized professional societies between January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 may now apply for the Graduate Studies Spring Travel Award. The award is for students who are near the completion of their degreewho have not previously received the award. Students must be in good academic standing, registered in full-time status, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. The application deadline for students is March 17, 2023. The application has moved online and should be submitted by students through InfoReady, an application platform hosted by UC Davis. Awards will be announced the week of May 15, 2023. Students can reference theInfoReady Applicant Guide for detailed instructions on using the application system.

Programs will rank all of their candidates in InfoReady. The top two candidates will continue forward for review by Graduate Studies.

Please see the attached announcement and visit the Graduate Studies website for details concerning the award and application process.

 

College of Engineering to Offer Funding to Student Groups Through Give Day Challenges
The College of Engineering
Dean’s Executive Committee is giving three student groups, programs or projects the opportunity to raise money through a fundraising challenge during UC Davis’ annual Give Day Challenge. Groups that are selected and meet their Give Day Challenge goal will receive $7,500-10,000 through philanthropic funds from the DEC. For consideration, complete a short application and submit a one-minute video.

 

Know of more funding opportunities and want them featured in the next newsletter? Email them to Alita and Pooja before the first of each month. 

SARS-CoV-2 Updates

Check Campus Ready for Current Campus Guidelines Related to COVID-19

Visit campusready.ucdavis.edu for current guidelines and requirements related to UC Davis COVID-19 prevention plans. This comprehensive website includes the most up-to-date university policies, guidelines and protocols to minimize exposure to COVID-19. Check back often as new resources and information may become available.

 

Free COVID-19 testing kits

Free COVID-19 testing kits for students, staff and faculty are available at a number of campus locations, including the Memorial Union Information Desk and the front desks at the ARC, Shields Library and Student Health and Wellness Center.

 

Additional Announcements

UC Davis Veterinary blood bank looking for dog blood donors
If your dog is: 1-8 years old, at least 55 pounds, in excellent health, he or she could become

a blood donor! For appointments, please call the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at 530-752-1393, Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

For questions or more information, email: VeterinaryBloodBank@ucdavis.edu 

 

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