Biosystems Engineering

This semester the UArizona opened the new Peter and Nancy Salter Medical Device Design Lab for undergraduate students majoring in biomedical engineering and other engineering fields. Dr. Philipp Gutruf, a UArizona assistant professor of biomedical engineering and BIO5 member, discusses the educational value of giving students access to state of the art equipment that can help them manufacture and design circuit boards or custom enclosures for wearable devices.

New College of Engineering Dean, Dr. David Hahn is excited to work at the university to further his vision for engineering education. Hahn spent 20 years at the University of Florida before joining UA, where he will not only serve as the College of Engineering Dean, but also as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Researchers, including UA COM-T Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine professor and BIO5 faculty member Dr. Donata Vercelli, are beginning to explore the various ways that microbes in the soil might protect us and benefit our health. This marks a turning point in soil research, as scientists used to hold the belief that soil is nothing more than a matrix to hold plants and minerals.

With the discovery of cosmic rays that constantly irradiate the earth, the protective role of the earth's atmosphere and magnetic field is now recognized as crucial preservation of biological life. If we move beyond the atmosphere to explore interstellar space, this protection is removed. In his talk, David Galbraith explores the sterilizing effects of cosmic radiation. We are left with the conclusion that preservation of our planet, Planet A, is the only recourse for the survival of humanity, and that "There is no Planet B".

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofA, an independent event.

Avery Therapeutics, a startup company co-founded by BIO5 member and cardiologist at UA Sarver Heart Center, Dr. Steven Goldman, is most known for developing a tissue-engineered heart graft. Avery Therapeutics was recently honored during the "Buzz of Bio" awards as a winner in two separate categories.

Using an affordable, portable device that attaches to a smartphone, BIO5 member Dr. Dongkyun “DK” Kang, Assistant Professor in the UA Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Optical Sciences, and his collaborators hope to save lives of those suffering from cervical cancer in rural Africa.

BIO5's Dr. Mohammed Hassan, UA Assistant Professor of Physics and Optical Sciences, wants the UA to be the first place where humans take a photo of an electron in motion. Thanks to $1.75M in grants, Hassan says he will make that happen in the coming years.

Arizona’s Orthopedic Research Lab is hoping to use the technology to help military veterans with bone injuries. Dr. John Szivek, who runs the University of Arizona Orthopaedic Research Lab, said the lab received a $2 million grant from the Department of Defense to create 3D bone printing to help military personnel.

As his term as interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost comes to a close, BIO5 faculty member and newly appointed Dean Emeritus Dr. Jeff Goldberg, reflects on his 34 years at UA. Dr. Goldberg’s journey at the University will continue as a half-time adviser to the president, working on the campus master plan, and supporting development and mentoring strategies.

A new implantable "teabag" could help children with Type 1 Diabetes. BIO5 member Dr. Klearchos Papas, Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Medical Imaging at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, and his team have engineered an innovative new biomedical device that could deliver all the benefits of a transplant to resolve diabetes without drawbacks of anti-rejection drugs.