Happy New Year!

Here's your source of monthly updates from the UC Davis Biomedical Engineering Student Association!

New BESA T-Shirt

The votes are in and the winner of the BESA T-shirt Design Contest is Tima Dehghani! Here is her winning design:

Tima will receive a t-shirt or similar item of her choosing and a UC Davis Stores gift card. Congrats, Tima!

We are in the process of setting up an online store for our new BESA shirts and an announcement about how to place your order will be out soon. Thank you everyone who voted!

Upcoming Events

January BESA Meeting

It’s time to decide on a day and time for our Winter 2021 BESA meetings. Please fill out this when2meet with your availability so we can find a time that works for as many people as possible. Meetings will be once a month via Zoom and everyone is welcome to attend. We also invite you to join the BESA Slack Group here to be in the loop about opportunities for you to get involved!

Fourth BESA Health Book Club Meeting

The fourth BESA Health & Wellness Book Club Meeting will be on Jan. 10, at 11 - 12 pm. We will be discussing chapters 11-14 of Notes on a Nervous Planet. Zoom link here.

BESA Student Seminar Series

The student seminar series is a great opportunity to practice your QE presentation in a low-key friendly environment. If you are interested in presenting your research to your peers (virtually), please email Abby Niesen.

SARS-CoV-2 Updates

Yolo County COVID-19 Measures

In an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Yolo County, there is a continued requirement for face coverings in public and social distancing. This includes anywhere in the UC Davis campus. Visit the Yolo County COVID-19 website for more info.

UC Davis COVID-19 Graduate Student FAQ Page

Check out this FAQ page for your questions about coursework, teaching, and more during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mandatory COVID-19 Testing

To identify COVID-19 cases, UC Davis is establishing a rapid, comprehensive screening and testing program on campus. If you currently visit campus at least once per week, you will be required to get tested every seven days. If you visit campus less frequently, then please plan ahead and secure a testing appointment in advance, up to seven days before your visit. To book an appointment, log into Health-e-messaging and screenshot your barcode. Then do your daily symptom survey on the day of your appointment (screenshot that as well so you have both images handy) and head to the ARC. And remember: no eating or drinking for 30 min before you go! Read more about the testing program here.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

UC Davis Health is among seven California hospitals that have received an early allocation of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. There are many questions about the coronavirus vaccines. Read this FAQ page by UC Davis Health for more info.

Announcements and Awards

Congratulations to Tomas Gonzalez Fernandez on receiving the 2020 Rising Starts in Engineering in Health Award!

Tomas Gonzalez Fernandez from the Leach and Simon Labs was one of twenty selected for the  2020 Rising Starts in Engineering in Health Award from Columbia University. Congratulations, Tomas!

Support BESA by ordering business cards or buying some BESA swag!

Business cards are available through Repro Graphics for interested students and post-docs. Standard cards are $28.55 for 500. Christal also has a variety of BESA items for purchase in her office. Please contact our treasurer Caitlin for more info.

Career Development

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

BME Seminar Series: Every Thursday 9 - 10 am

Upcoming speakers:

• Jan. 7, Wei Gao, Ph.D. Host: Dr. Tingrui Pan
• Jan. 14, Evan Scott, Ph.D. Host: Dr. Jamal Lewis
• Jan. 21, Chrystal Tjhia, Ph.D. Host: Abby Niesen
• Jan. 28, Maryellen L. Giger, Ph.D. Host: Dr. Laura Marcu

Neuroengineering & Medicine Seminar

Two speakers will give talks on Jan. 6, at 4:10 PM: “Studying and Modulating Human Decision-Making with Invasive Recordings” by Dr. Ignacio Saez and “Bionic Prosthetic Limbs: Merging Man and Machine through Engineering, Neuroscience, and Rehabilitation Medicine “ by Dr. Jonathon Schofield. Register here and see the flyer below for more details.

January Quantum/Optics Journal Club meeting

The January Quantum/Optics Journal Club meeting will be held on Jan. 12, from 9 am to 11 am. Prof. Jinyi Qi, will talk about “PET image reconstruction meets deep learning.” Use this link to join!

Virtual Graduate Writer’s Retreat

A virtual Graduate Writer’s Retreat will be held on Monday, Jan. 11, from 2-5pm. Register here to get the consultation services if you are seeking writing assistance. See details here.

Funding Opportunities

Annual Internal Fellowship Competition for Continuing Graduate Students

UC Davis Internal Fellowship Application for continuing academic graduate students is open! This is for fellowship funding for the upcoming academic year. Learn more about the eligibility requirements and application process by visiting the Fellowship Program website. Fellowships will be open until Jan. 15, 2021!

ICC Graduate Student Career Development Assistance Award

UC Davis Internship and Career Center is offering a new $500 award available to one current UC Davis graduate student who completed an unpaid internship in support of their career development goals between June 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. Remote internships qualify. Application due on Jan. 15. Read more here. Resource obtained from the UC Davis Future Program.

Apply for GSA Spring 2021 Travel Awards 

Graduate students who attend virtual conferences or other professional development opportunities between January 1 and June 30, 2021 can apply for  Graduate Student Association (GSA) travel awards. Award recipients will receive a maximum of $250 to cover the cost of registration, membership, and abstract fees. Expenses for travel and lodging associated with in-person events are non-reimbursable. Deadline: Jan. 15. Learn more and apply here.

SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

Students located anywhere in the world, in high school (pre-university/secondary) through PhD programs, who are studying or planning to study optics, photonics, or a related field, are eligible to apply for scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $11,000. Application deadline is Feb. 15, 2021. See details here.

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

Publications

Check out these new publications from BMEGG students and faculty!

• Brashear, S. E., Wohlgemuth, R. P., Gonzalez, G., & Smith, L. R. (2020). Passive stiffness of fibrotic skeletal muscle in mdx mice relates to collagen architecture. The Journal of Physiology.

• Gonzalez-Fernandez, T., Tenorio, A., Campbell, K., Silva, E., & Leach, J. K. (2020). Alginate-Based Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting and Fabrication of Anatomically Accurate Bone Grafts. Tissue Engineering Part A. https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.TEA.2020.0305 

• Zhang, T., Kho, A. M., Zawadzki, R. J., Jonnal, R. S., Yiu, G., & Srinivasan, V. J. (2020). Visible light OCT improves imaging through a highly scattering retinal pigment epithelial wall. Optics Letters, 45(21), 5945-5948.
• Gresham, R. C., Bahney, C. S., & Leach, J. K. Growth factor delivery using extracellular matrix-mimicking substrates for musculoskeletal tissue engineering and repair. Bioactive Materials, 6(7), 1945-1956.
• Whitehead, J., Griffin, K. H., Gionet-Gonzales, M., Vorwald, C. E., Cinque, S. E., & Leach, J. K. (2020). Hydrogel Mechanics are a Key Driver of Bone Formation by Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Spheroids. Biomaterials, 120607.
• Thai, V. L., Griffin, K. H., Thorpe, S. W., Randall, R. L., & Leach, J. K. Tissue engineered platforms for studying primary and metastatic neoplasm behavior in bone. Journal of Biomechanics, 115, 110189.

Last Month's Events

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Have feedback, questions, or something you'd like added to the next newsletter? Email Jun Zhu and Alex Vargas.