BESA Newsletter

March 2023

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

Upcoming Events

BESA Spring Quarter Meeting Schedule
Wednesday, April 12th from 3:30-4:30 pm
Wednesday, May 10th from 3:30-4:30 pm
Wednesday, June 14th from 3:30-4:30 pm

  

BESA Health Fireside Chat

The BESA Health Officers will be hosting a fireside chat on mental health in graduate school on April 20th 10:30 am in GBSF 2202. Please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect.

 

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.

 

BESA Axe Throwing

BESA is excited to invite you to our Axe Throwing event on April 6th at 7pm in the Smart Axe Davis (720 Olive Dr #2, Davis, CA 95616). 

To have a proper headcount for reservation of the place, please fill out this RSVP form by April 4th : https://forms.gle/wDdRJwx5tHZLnMf57 

BESA will not be covering the cost of this event, so we will split the cost between us for the lanes/sessions. 

 

Women in BME Lunch series starts on April 5

Join us for the bi-monthly lunch hosted by the Health, Equity, and Wellness (HEW) committee in BME. This is an opportunity to support women and historically marginalized groups in biomedical engineering and cultivate community and allyship in the department. Lunch will be provided and will take place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Please RSVP using the forms below for each session. This event is open to everyone in BME.

 We will meet in room 2202 GBSF from 12 - 1 pm, on these days:

-          April 5th, RSVP here

-          April 19th, RSVP here

-          May 3rd, RSVP here

-          May 17th, RSVP here

-          June 7th, RSVP here
 

Graduate Student Resources

Coffee Bagel Donut Day

Please join us on Fridays, starting April 7 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

Be on the look out for spring quarter timings!

 

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!

 

Campus resources for mental wellness, finances, food and housing:

  • https://aggiecompass.ucdavis.edu/

  • https://grad.ucdavis.edu/problems-and-dispute-resolution

  • https://grad.ucdavis.edu/mental-health-and-counseling-services  

Announcements and Awards

  • Congratulations to 2nd year BME graduate students Ada Kanapskyte and Jessica Forte on being awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!

Career Development

 

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

 

BMEGG Symposium 2023

We are excited to announce the opening of abstract submissions for the 2023 BMEGG Symposium which will be held in person at the UC Davis Conference Center on Friday May 12th 2023. Please review the abstract submission guidelines below and the attached template and tentative agenda for the event. 

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT OR SCICOM VIDEO TOPIC HERE

Important Dates

Abstract Deadline: 4/17/23 11:59pm

Decision Announcement: 4/24/23

 

Event - Empowering Women in STEM: Perspectives on Self-Advocacy from Leaders at UC Davis

Date - Tuesday, April 18th, 2023, 11:00am – 12:30pm

Location - Online (zoom link will be distributed after registration)

Register with one click: https://ocpweb.ucdavis.edu/dems/register/register.cfm?variables=7EC1D22ED7A285

Description:
Despite high interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), women are more likely to drop out of STEM than their male counterparts. As such, a visible gender gap exists in leadership in both academic and industry settings. To reduce this gap and succeed in their post-graduate careers, women in STEM must be equipped with skills which empower them to advocate for their needs (termed self-advocacy). In this informal panel, leaders at UC Davis will share their experiences with self-advocacy, associated challenges, lessons learned and how these experiences contributed to their professional advancement. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions and learn how to best advocate for themselves.

Panelists include: 

  • Karen McDonald - Professor in Chemical Engineering

  • Millie Copara - Assistant Director of the GradPathways Institute

  • Faye Dixon - Clinical Professor at the UC Davis MIND Institute

  • Gina Dokko - Professor at UC Davis Graduate School of Management

We hope this event empowers young women to become leaders in STEM thereby increasing representation in the field. Although this event is targeted toward women in STEM, the panelists come from a variety of fields and all are invited to join in the conversation about self-advocacy.

To make the most of the event, attendees are encouraged to submit questions through this anonymous google form before the event. Live questions will also be permitted during the event.  

Questions? Contact Abby Niesen, PFTF fellow, at abniesen@ucdavis.edu

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

 

What They Don’t Teach You in Grad School: Resources and Support for Starting an Academic Laboratory -  a panel discussion

Thursday, April 20th (12:30-2pm) @ Walker Hall West Conference Room 1230 - Register with 1-click

Event Description: The path to becoming a professor includes completing a Ph.D. where you learn how to conduct experiments, read/write papers, present your work, and collaborate with other lab members. By the end of our higher education and postdoc positions, we are well-equipped to carry out the research projects completed by a lab. However, we are rarely trained on how to manage funding for an entire lab, mentor several lab members simultaneously, and juggle the responsibilities of being a part of a university’s faculty. In this informal panel, leaders at UC Davis will discuss tips and advice they wish they would have learned before starting in their faculty positions. It is important not only to hear the success stories of the panelists, but about the challenges they faced. Topics will include mentoring/leadership styles, conflict resolution, time management skills, engaging teaching practices, hiring, and budgeting.

Panelists include: 

  • Dr. Randy Carney - Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering

  • Dr. JoAnne Engebrecht – Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology

  • Dr. Christine Diepenbrock - Assistant Professor in Plant Sciences

  • Dr. Colleen Bronner - Associate Professor of Teaching in Civil and Environmental Engineering

We hope this event will provide academic-bound graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with resources on what goes into starting up a lab and how to organize one’s thoughts when preparing for that career launch. Although this event is targeted toward STEM fields, all are invited to join in the conversation about the preparation of academic faculty.

To make the most of the event, attendees are encouraged to submit questions through this anonymous google form before the event. Live questions will also be permitted during the event.  

Questions? Contact Leora Goldbloom-Helzner (PFTF fellow) at legoldbloom@ucdavis.edu

 

Financial Management and Budgeting Practices for the Aspiring Professor

Wednesday, April 26th (3:30-5pm) @ Walker Hall Gibeling Conference Room 1220 - Register with 1-click

Are you interested in working in academia, but wonder how you’re going to fund your research and budget for desired equipment, lab members, and supplies? Financial planning and management in laboratory settings may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! 

This session, led by Dr. Pamela Lein (designer of Best Practices in Research Program Management and Leadership course) and Professors for the Future Fellow, Leora Goldbloom-Helzner, will prepare you to lay out your specific funding needs, understand the costs of popular expenses (personnel and space), and avoid the most common budgeting mistakes PIs can make within their first years on the job. 

 

UC Davis 2023 Research Expo

The annual UC Davis Research Expo is a one-day event that showcases the latest research-related insight, resources, opportunities and tools to help you advance your research. The event includes exhibits, presentations, workshops and opportunities to network with potential collaborators. We welcome you to enjoy the full event or attend portions that are of particular interest.

When: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Where: UC Davis Conference Center

11:30-12:30 – Main Hall Presentation  

Biologically Inspired Engineering to Advance Healthcare: Creating Human “Organs-on-chips” for Disease Modeling, Drug Development, and Personalized Medicine

Donald Ingber - Founding Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Professor Ingber is a pioneer in the field of biologically inspired engineering. He currently leads scientific and engineering teams that cross a broad range of disciplines to develop breakthrough bioinspired technologies to advance healthcare and to improve sustainability. His work has led to major advances in mechanobiology, cell structure, tumor angiogenesis, tissue engineering, systems biology, nanobiotechnology and translational medicine. Through his work, Ingber also has helped to break down boundaries between science, art and design.

One of his innovations, Human Organs-on-Chips lined by living human cells, are being used to replace animal testing for drug development and personalized medicine. Ingber’s Organ Chip technology was named one of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies by the World Economic Forum and Design of the Year by the London Design Museum. It was also acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City for its permanent design collection.

If you are involved in research, you will not want to miss this event! Register here!

 

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! 

 

  • Goshi, N., Kim, H., Girardi, G., Gardner, A., Seker, E., “Electrophysiological Activity of Primary Cortical Neuron-Glia Mixed Cultures,” Cells 12:821 (2023).

  • Ross P. Wohlgemuth, Ryan M. Feitzinger, Kyle E. Henricson, Daryl T. Dinh, Sarah E. Brashear, Lucas R. Smith,The extracellular matrix of dystrophic mouse diaphragm accounts for the majority of its passive stiffness and is resistant to collagenase digestion, Matrix Biology Plus, Volume 18, 2023, 100131, ISSN 2590-0285, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbplus.2023.100131.

     

     

Funding Opportunities

 

Soliciting applications for NIH MUSCLE T32: Predoctoral research training in Musculoskeletal Health Research

We are excited to open the application period for our second cohort of predoctoral students to join the NIH MUSCLE T32: MUsculoSkeletal Clinical Learning Experience! This is a joint venture between the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. Students will enjoy a unique opportunity to learn about musculoskeletal research and engage clinicians in the School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine about the necessary research to treat the patients of today and tomorrow. Please find application guidelines and program information attached.  

Application deadline is April 1, 2023, and the program activities will begin with a summer journal club.

All interested 1st and 2nd-year GSRs in MUSCLE Trainers’ labs are encouraged to apply.  We can also consider applications from GSRs working in non-approved trainers’ labs, but the trainer will have to be approved by NIAMS and the Executive Committee before the program can appoint the student.

 

2024 Schmidt Science Fellowship

Important deadlines:

April 28, 2023 – Pre-applications due to Office of Graduate Studies

May 12, 2023 – Notifications sent to all applicants, 3 institutional nominees chosen

May 12 -June 1 -– Nominated candidates will submit basic personal information to sponsor

July 17, 2023 – Final completed application due to sponsor

In order to be eligible for nomination to the Schmidt Science Fellows application process,

candidates must meet the following requirements:

● Have conducted their graduate degree in the natural sciences (Astronomy, Biology,

Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Sciences), Engineering, Mathematics, or Computing – and all sub-

disciplines therein.

● Expect to complete all of the requirements for the conferral of their PhD in one of these

fields between 15 May 2023 and 30 June 2024.

● Be available for the entire period of the 2024 program, from April 2024 to November

2025 including onboarding activities, attendance of the Global Meeting Series and a Senior

Fellows event.

● Be nominated by a designated senior official at one of our nominating partner

institutions.

For further information about the Schmidt Science Fellows Program, please visit their website,

https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/

 

2024 University of California National Laboratory Fellowship Applications Open
UC Research Initiatives has announced a request for proposals for the
2024 UC-National Laboratory In-Residence Graduate Fellowship, a funding opportunity for UC graduate students in any field of study that aligns with the missions of Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. Letters of Intent are due June 1 and full proposals are due September 7. 
 
 

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.

 

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.

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