Nanotechnology and nanomaterials: Promises for improved tissue regeneration is top article in NanoToday

A paper written by Dr. Lijie Zhang ScM'07 PhD'09, now an assistant professor at George Washington University, and Brown University associate professor Dr. Thomas Webster, is currently the most downloaded article from the journal NanoToday.

The article is entitled "Nanotechnology and nanomaterials: Promises for improved tissue regeneration" NanoToday 4(1):66-80, 2009 and covers recent advancements in the use of nanotechnology to improve tissue growth for numerous implant applications.

Summary
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aim to develop biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve damaged tissue and organ functionality. While tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have hinted at much promise in the last several decades, significant research is still required to provide exciting alternative materials to finally solve the numerous problems associated with traditional implants. Nanotechnology, or the use of nanomaterials (defined as those materials with constituent dimensions less than 100 nm), may have the answers since only these materials can mimic surface properties (including topography, energy, etc.) of natural tissues. For these reasons, over the last decade, nanomaterials have been highlighted as promising candidates for improving traditional tissue engineering materials. Importantly, these efforts have highlighted that nanomaterials exhibit superior cytocompatible, mechanical, electrical, optical, catalytic and magnetic properties compared to conventional (or micron structured) materials. These unique properties of nanomaterials have helped to improve various tissue growth over what is achievable today. In this review paper, the promise of nanomaterials for bone, cartilage, vascular, neural and bladder tissue engineering applications will be reviewed. Moreover, as an important future area of research, the potential risk and toxicity of nanomaterial synthesis and use related to human health are emphasized.

Link to NanoToday:
http://journals.elsevier.com/17480132/nano-today/

Link to full article:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B82X8-4TVY5PJ-2&_user=489286&_coverDate=02/28/2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000022678&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=489286&md5=0590ae25

Grant gives new life to the virtual reality Cave

The Center for Computation and Visualization is home to the University’s Cave, a virtual reality cube. One minute it's showing the surface of Mars, and the next there is three-dimensional poetry wrapping its walls. It's called the Cave, but it's really just a cube — a virtual reality universe. And it's currently undergoing a $2 million renovation.

The National Science Foundation awarded the Center for Computation and Visualization, home to the University's Cave, a grant for renovations in Sept. 2009. The system — an eight-foot cube with images projected on walls in front, to the left and right of the user and on the floor — is now 11 years old.

Cave users wear LCD-shutter glasses that allow them to view data from a variety of angles. The Cave is equipped with tracking devices that move the projections to wherever the user is looking or touching.

The grant will allow the implementation of 70 new high-definition projectors, as well as wireless glasses and a bigger space to move around in, said John Huffman, graphics systems analyst for the CCV.

These renovations will give users "the ability to completely immerse yourself in ... scientific data," said David Laidlaw, professor of computer science.

"It's sort of like going from the very first telephone ... to the iPhone 4," Laidlaw said.

Many different departments use the Cave, including a "Cave Writing" class, which uses the system as a way of interacting with poetry, Huffman said. The Department of Geological Sciences uses the Cave to recreate the surface of Mars and other planetary objects, giving students the opportunity to use skills and techniques they have acquired in class, he added.

"It's a new way of seeing the planets that you can't really do any other way," said Caleb Fassett, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Geological Sciences. According to Fassett, most of his students enjoy the experience of using the Cave as a visual component of their education.

When the upgrades are complete, the system will have better color representation, higher contrast and "the same resolution as your eyes are capable of," Huffman said.

Laidlaw said the CCV hopes to have the new Cave ready next October, when the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will host a week-long forum in Providence.

(Article by Joseph Rosales/Brown Daily Herald)
(Photo by: Stephanie London/Brown Daily Herald)

"Magnetic nanoparticles: biomedical applications and challenges" Among Most Read Articles in Journal of Materials Chemistry

An article written by graduate student Nhiem Tran and Associate Professor Thomas J. Webster, ‘Magnetic nanoparticles: biomedical applications and challenges’ was one of the top ten most-read articles from the online version of Journal of Materials Chemistry for October 2010.


Here is an abstract of the article:
The progress in the development of magnetic nanoparticle based therapies for various biomedical applications is reviewed here. Most significantly, magnetic nanoparticles have been widely used in drug delivery and hyperthermia treatment for cancer. However, recent applications of magnetic nanoparticles demonstrate their promise towards decreasing implant infection and increasing tissue growth. To build the most effective magnetic nanoparticle systems for various biomedical applications, particle characteristics including size, surface chemistry, magnetic properties and toxicity have to be fully investigated. In this review, several new applications of magnetic nanoparticles in the medical arena as well as remaining challenges for such clinical use are discussed.

Full link:
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2010/JM/C0JM00994F

Researchers report data on head impacts in college football

Credit: Maggie Rowland/The Dartmouth

Joseph Crisco, Brown professor of orthopaedics and director of the bioengineering laboratory, and Russell Fiore, Brown’s head athletic trainer, have measured the frequency and location of head impacts in college football, position-by-position. Defensive linemen take the most hits; quarterbacks are the only players to be hit mostly from behind. Crisco, Fiore, and their collaborators report their findings in the Journal of Athletic Training.

Using special helmets equipped with accelerometers, researchers at Brown, Dartmouth and Virginia Tech tallied up significant blows to the head among players on their football teams during the 2007 season. The most battered player sustained 1,444 hits during practice and games. The study also reported on the direction of the hits and the number of hits by player position, leading to insights including that quarterbacks are hit from behind more than from any other direction.

Full report online: healthland.time.com/2010/11/19/1444/
See news release: news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2010/11/helmets

The Physics Behind Coffee Rings

Shreyas MandreAssistant Professor of Engineering
Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University

Understanding the formation of ring-shaped stains under a coffee mug could lead to advances in printing, making industrial coatings, fabricating electronics, and designing new medicines. Shreyas Mandre, assistant professor of engineering, and collaborators have devised a predictive model that combines laboratory studies of microscopic glass particles in solution with mathematical theories to predict the existence, thickness and length of the banded ring patterns that formed. “Controlling the ring deposition process would be useful for creating such things as new microphysics tools operating at a scale where pliers or other traditional tools for moving particles cannot operate,” Mandre said.

Full report online: news.oneindia.in/2010/11/24/thephysics-behind-coffeerings.html
See news release: today.brown.edu/faculty/2010/mandre

Fourth Annual SWE Extreme Gingerbread House Competition

The Brown University Society for Women Engineers in collaboration with the University's Engineers Without Borders student organization will be sponsoring its fourth annual "Extreme Gingerbread House Competition" on Friday, December 3, from 4:30 - 6:30 in the lobby of the Barus and Holley building on 184 Hope Street.

Event Description:
Twenty-two teams of 3-5 students and professors will be allowed to pre-register for the competition. Any additional teams that express interest will be placed on a waitlist in the event that a team does not arrive. If the team has not arrived within five minutes of the beginning of the event, their spot will be given to a team on the waitlist or a team that has shown up at the event without registering.

Each team will be supplied with two boxes of graham crackers, two Ziploc bags of royal icing, and a tray on which to construct their house. Additionally, all teams will be provided with an empty sandwich size Ziploc bag for taking the communal supplies. Foods such as candy canes, m&ms, teddy grahams, shredded coconut, etc., will be kept on a central table. At the start of the one hour time slot of building, one member of each team will be allowed to take the empty Ziploc bag to the communal table and fill the bag with whatever supplies they feel are most valuable for their team’s house. All food items will be provided by SWE at the event; teams are NOT allowed to bring any of their own food.

The teams will have one hour to construct their houses out of the provided food. Houses should be designed to follow the criteria listed below:
- The house must fit on the provided tray.
- House dimensions must exceed 6”x6”x6”.
- The house must be hollow.
- The maximum wall thickness is 1”.
- The house should be designed to withstand earthquakes.

Teams are allowed to bring any tools that they think will be helpful such as knives, drills, etc. Teams are responsible for bringing the necessary power connections/extension cords. If you plan on using tools, please ensure you know how to use them safely and plan on bring the necessary personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses. No chemicals can be used during the manufacturing of the house; the house and all its contents must remain edible at all times.

After exactly one hour, the teams will be forced to stop construction on their houses. The houses will initially be judged before a panel of three faculty judges (TBD) on (1) Attractiveness of the House [1-10 points] (2) Novel use of Building Materials [1-5 points] (3) Use of Available Space (ie decorations other than the house) [1-5 points]. Additionally, judges will have the option to select one “wildcard” house after viewing all the completed houses. Judges will award a bonus of three points to the house if they feel that one house was exceptional in a way that was not represented in the other scores; this is optional and at the judges discretion. The sum of these components will be used as the team’s aesthetic score.

The second portion of judging will be on the ability of the house to withstand a simulated earthquake. The tray will be attached to a shake table and cycled through a regimen moving from a low frequency to a high frequency. Time will start when the shake table is turned on, and will be stopped when part of the house falls off the main structure; this includes decorations attached to the house, but not “environmental decorations” that are simply on the tray.

After all the houses have been tested, the maximum amount of time on the shake table to make a gingerbread house break will be used to calculate the scores.

Total group scores will be calculated by combining the aesthetic score (out of 25 points) and the stability score (out of 50 points) for a total score out of 75 points. The team with the most points will be considered the winner. The team with the second highest number of points will be given second place and so forth. The top three teams will be awarded a prize.

EWB Collaboration
This year Engineers Without Borders is focusing on helping a Haitian orphanage that was damaged during the earthquake in January, 2010. There are three main projects that the team hopes to implement in Haiti during trips over winter, spring and summer breaks. The first of these projects is designing a more fuel efficient smoke-less stove to reduce wood use at the orphanage and also to protect the children and staff from upper respiratory disease. Secondly, Brown EWB is helping to install a sanitation system to prevent the spread of disease. Thirdly, they are planning on building a structure that can serve both as a school and as housing for the orphans, who are currently living in tents.

When registering, each team will be asked to pay a registration fee of $6.00 to enter the event. Additionally, they will be supplied with an information packet about the current situation in Haiti and how Brown EWB is helping and what everyone can do to help. Teams are of course able to donate more money to the organization if they feel compelled, but it will have no influence on their supplies etc.

At the event, EWB will also have a table with information on the current situation in Haiti, what their project entails and what they need to implement these designs. This will also be an area where other visitors will be able to learn more about the program and donate if they wish.

All proceeds from the event will go to Brown University Engineers Without Borders.

Brown Engineers Finish First and Second at AIChE Competition

Students in the Brown chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to compete in a student poster competition. For the second consecutive year, a Brown engineer has returned to College Hill with a first place trophy.

Brown's biomedical engineering student, Melissa Tsang '11 brought home the first place trophy. Tsang competed in the materials engineering and sciences category among 46 participants divided into three groups. She conducted her project, entitled "Novel Polyurethane-Carbon Nanofiber Composite for Bladder Cancer Applications," in collaboration with Associate Professor Thomas Webster and Dr. YoungWook Chun, a Ph.D. candidate in Professor Webster's lab.

In the environmental category, Nattie Cooper '12 took home a second place award.

Melissa Tsang '11 at the center, BME 

Brown's other AIChE student poster competitors included: James Saraidaridis '11 (supervisor Professor Tayhas Palmore), Theresa Raimondo '11 (supervisors Associate Professor Anubhav Tripathi and graduate student Stephanie McCalla), Lakshmi Madhavan '11 (supervisor Professor J. M. Calo), David Sonshine '11 (supervisor Professor Robert Hurt), and Daniel Prendergast '11 (supervisors Professor Eric Suuberg and graduate student James Rice).

"Every year the competition gets more and more competitive than I have seen in previous years," said Indrek Kulaots, lecturer in Engineering.

Prof. Shenoy and Rassin Grantab study the strength of graphene

Science Magazine reports in the November 12, 2010 edition that graphene’s strength lies in its defects. Researchers, including Vivek Shenoy, professor of engineering, and graduate student Rassin Grantab, find that the juncture at which graphene sheets meet does not compromise the material’s strength. These so-called grain boundaries are so strong, in fact, that the sheets are nearly as strong as pure graphene. The trick lies in the angles at which the individual sheets are stitched together.


Full report online: www.sciencemagnews.com/graphenes-strength-lies-in-its-defects.html
See news release: news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2010/11/graphene
(Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University)

BrainGate2 featured in article by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is one of the Institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the Federal government's focal point for the support of biomedical research.

"BrainGate2 is the brainchild of a group of neuroscientists and neuroengineers based at Brown University in Providence, R. I. NIDCD grantee Leigh Hochberg, M.D., Ph.D., affiliated with Brown and the VA Medical Center in Providence, and Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, leads the effort to make this investigational technology a communication tool for the locked-in. Without even moving an eyelid, someone with locked-in syndrome only has to imagine moving his or her hand on a computer mouse to make the cursor move on the computer screen."

Full feature story located here:
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/inside/fall10/pg1.html

Webster edits new book: Nanotechnology Enabled In Situ Sensors for Monitoring Health

Until recently, there has been little research into how to use nanotechnology and sensors in health monitoring. Nanotechnology Enabled In Situ Sensors for Monitoring Health is written to coalesce research efforts to design sensors based on nanotechnology that can be placed into the body to monitor health. Nanotechnology is being used at an unprecedented pace to both diagnose and treat diseases, rather than conventional approaches which diagnose and treat diseases in a different manner.

Nanotechnology Enabled In Situ Sensors for Monitoring Health is a must-have for medical researchers, biomedical engineers and surgeons seeking a comprehensive overview of this important subject and examples of how In Situ sensors are being used in the diagnosis and monitoring diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and orthopedic problems.

Drawing upon the collective knowledge of renowned experts, Thomas Webster has assembled a wide-ranging treatise that includes:

• Nanotechnology for cancer sensing and treatment
• Monitoring tissue healing through nano sensors
• Monitoring inflammation and infection via implanted nano sensors
• DNA based nanotechnology biosensors for surgical diagnosis
• Carbon nanotube based orthopedic implant sensors

Update - Another book edited by Professor Webster and former Professor Lysaght:

The worldwide demand for organ transplants far exceeds the number of available donor organs. Consequently some patients die while waiting for a transplant. Synthetic alternatives are therefore imperative to improve the quality of, and in some cases save, people’s lives. Advances in biomaterials have generated a range of materials and devices for use either outside the body or as implants to replace or assist functions that may have been lost through disease or injury. Biomaterials for artificial organs reviews the latest developments in biomaterials and investigates how they can be used to improve the quality and efficiency of artificial organs.

With its distinguished editors and international team of contributors Biomaterials for artificial organs will prove an invaluable resource to researchers, scientists and academics concerned with the advancement of artificial organs.

Dr Michael Lysaght was the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Biomedical Engineering at Brown University, USA and a retired member of the Brown Faculty. He sadly passed away before he could see this finished book and remains a widely recognised and well-respected figure in the field of biomedical engineering for his contributions to organ replacement technology.

Dr Thomas Webster is an Associate Professor for the School of Engineering and Department of Orthopedics at Brown University. He directs the Nanomedicine Laboratory which designs, synthesises and evaluates nanomaterials for various implant applications and is noted for his work in this area.

New Nanotechnology Patent Issued: Metallic Nanoparticles as Orthopaedic Biomaterials

Prof. Thomas Webster (Engineering and Orthopaedics) and post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Jeremiah Ejiofor, were just issued patent no. 7824462 "Metallic Nanoparticles As Orthopaedic Biomaterials" which claims the use of metallic nanoparticles as improved orthopedic implants due to their unique surface energy which promotes bone cells. The patent is currently liscensed to Nanovis, Inc. (http://www.nanovisinc.com/).

Below: A picture of nanoparticulate CoCrMo, a popular orthopedic implant material.

Tsang selected for Biomedical Engineering Society Undergraduate Student Award

Biomedical Engineering (BME) Undergraduate student Melissa Tsang has been selected for the Biomedical Engineering Society Undergraduate Student Award to be presented October 6th, 2010 in Austin, TX at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. Undergraduate student winners will be selected on the basis of originality, significance, thoroughness of design analysis, and performance evaluation. This award is based on research conducted in Prof. Tom Webster's lab entitled "Novel Polyurethane/Carbon Nanofiber Composites for Bladder Cancer Applications." She has developed materials that can inhibit bladder cancer cell functions by using nanomaterials alone (specifically, carbon nanofibers, no pharmaceutical drugs are used.)

When Melissa first arrived at Brown, she chose to study BME because previous volunteering experiences had exposed her to the imbalance between current biotechnology and unmet medical needs. She wanted to develop the necessary analytical skills and foundation in biology to design innovative, improved technologies to expand upon our current diagnostics and treatments. As a senior approaching the end of her studies at Brown, she now feels better equipped to tackle this endeavor. In particular, working in Dr. Webster's lab has taught her how to construct and to conduct a research project independently. The opportunity to present her research at conferences, where she can meet many other BMEs in the field, is a rewarding experience for her. She feels that Brown engineering has provided her with not only the necessary skill sets, but also the hands-on experience and exposure to the forefront of current biomedical research to advance her career and, more importantly, to create solutions to better serve our global community.

Prof. Breuer elected a fellow of the American Physical Society

Professor Kenny Breuer was recently elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. This is important recognition, and illustrates how Brown engineers make  significant contributions to the physical sciences.

The American Physical Society highlights that fellows are elected based on their contributions "to the advancement of physics by independent, original research or who have rendered some other special service to the cause of the sciences."

Learn more about Professor Breuer's Fluid Mechanics Laboratory.

Rainwater for Humanity establishes project in Kerala, India

Rainwater for Humanity, a student group that started out as an Engineers Without Borders project in 2009, is excited to announce a new direction in the new school year. The project's mission is to use rainwater harvesting to provide more affordable and clean water during the dry season to people living in a contaminated watershed in southwestern India. The design for a ferrocement community rainwater storage tank has been implemented in the village of Achinakom in Kerala, India. Community surveys taken over the past couple of years show that this system will most benefit users who buy water from private vendors during the dry season because it offers a water supply that will be cleaner and less expensive in the long run. The project now seeks to develop and implement a sustainable economic model in order to support the spread of these rainwater harvesting systems across the region. An especially interesting takeaway from Rainwater for Humanity's recent developments is the importance of the intersection of engineering and the community. In the coming school year, the project seeks to find a happy medium between the two using appropriate technology and a sound business plan. To learn more, check out the R4H blog at rainwaterforhumanity.org!

Brown Engineering committed to Social Entrepreneurship

Barrett Hazeltine's recent interview with the local Providence news highlights his long standing commitment to Brown and social entrepreneurship.

Josef Mittlemann was also recently recognized for his exemplary leadership in the field of social entrepreneurship education by Ashoka University. His syllabus for "Engineers of the Future" was selected from over 50 syllabi as a "best practice" for the field. Ashoka U organized a panel of reviewers (including funders, practitioners, thought leaders, professors and students) who highlight trends in social entrepreneurship teaching.  We are proud of Josef Mittlemann's commitment to social entrepreneurship in a disciplinary context within engineering.

International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design awards Reda's group with best paper

Professor Sherief Reda's research group's paper titled Post-Silicon Power Characterization Using Thermal Infrared Emissions received the best paper award at the International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED). The paper is authored by Professor Reda, and Ph.D. students A. Nowroz and R. Cochran. This year ISLPED received 203 papers for evaluation. After the double-blind review process, 46 papers were accepted for full presentation. From the 46 papers, only 5 were nominated as best paper candidates, and finally only 2 papers were selected for the best paper awards. The competition was narrowed down between papers from Brown, Cornell, and RPI. The article is available at http://scale.engin.brown.edu/pubs/islped10.pdf.  The conference web page is http://www.islped.org

CIMIT awards BrainGate research team member, W. Malik

Wasim Malik, PhD, a member of the BrainGate research team (led by Professors Leigh Hochberg and John Donoghue - see www.braingate2.org for details) has been awarded the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) Miles and Eleanor Shore Fellowship for 2011. This is considered a career development award to enable interdisciplinary contributions by an individual who represents the CIMIT values of academic excellence. Career development awards recognize individuals who seek careers focused on near term impact on patient care, and whose philosophy embraces innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Malik will receive up to $50,000 to undertake research in the highly interdisciplinary field of neural prosthetics which encompasses neuroscience, clinical research, electrical engineering, mathematics, and statistics. He will focus on designing a new generation of brain-machine interfaces to restore function in patients with limb loss or paralysis. He intends to develop robust neural prosthetics with considerably simpler signal processing which will have a high potential for transition from the laboratory to the clinic. Dr. Malik’s mentor, Emery Brown, will supervise his training and research activities in neuromotor disability.  To learn more about Dr. Malik's background, visit his website.

A. Richard Newton Graduate Scholarship awarded to Cochran and Nowroz

The Design Automation Conference (DAC) Executive Committee awards this scholarship named after the late Professor A. Richard Newton. DAC feels that supporting young faculty and graduate research is an appropriate way to honor Newton's vision and carry out some of his goals. This year the Design Automation Conference chose only Brown amongst the 20 submitted proposals for the $24,000 scholarships to support graduate research and study in Design Automation (DA), with emphasis in “design and test automation of electronic and computer systems”.

Pictured left to right: Cochran, DAC Official, Reda, and Nowroz

2010 Recipients
Students: Ryan J. Cochran, Abdullah N. Nowroz - Brown Univ., Providence, RI
Project: Adaptive Hot Spot Cooling for Many-Core Processors
Advisor: Sherief Reda – Brown Univ., Providence, RI

Biography information:

Ryan J. Cochran first came to Brown University from West Chester, PA as an undergraduate student in engineering, and graduated with Honors in the spring of 2008 in Electrical Engineering. He returned to Brown as a M.Sc. student in the fall of 2008, but has since decided to continue his studies as a Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering at Brown. Ryan's principal research areas include thermal modeling, management, and tool development for current and future nano-scale integrated circuit technologies. Since 2009, Ryan has 4 refereed conference papers in his research area, including a best paper nomination in ISLPED 2010.

Abdullah Nazma Nowroz was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom and grew up in Bangladesh. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering from Boston University in 2006. In 2007, she decided to come back to academia after working in Bangladesh for one year and completed her Masters in Electrical Engineering VLSI from University of Southern California. At present, she is working in the SCALE lab, where she works on designing many innovative techniques towards effective management of temperature, power, and performance of many-core processors. Projects include devising thermal sensor allocation techniques and signal reconstruction techniques that fully characterize the thermal status of the processor using limited number of measurements from the thermal sensors. Her research also includes techniques that provide detailed post-silicon power characterization using thermal emissions from the backside of silicon die using state-of-the-art infrared camera.

Taylor selected for Veterans Affairs Pre-doctoral Fellowship

Erik Taylor (Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student) was select for the 2010-2011 Veterans Affairs Pre-doctoral Fellowship based on his research to develop anti-bacterial implants for injured soldiers. His clinical mentor is Roy Aaron, Director of the VA Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine, and Professor Thomas Webster is his research/academic advisor.

A profile of Erik Taylor:

Growing up roaming the Texan prairies instilled in Erik an ambition to study humanity’s ability to not only co-exist with nature, but to flourish in accordance with Earth’s natural attributes. While one would be hard-pressed to find cattle navigating the roads of a contemporary American metropolis, micro-biotic life flourishes on subways, in apartment complexes, and even in the most allegedly sterile of environments - the modern hospital. Erik's research is geared towards designing treatments for antibiotic resistant biofilms on medical devices. He uses nanotechnology to create novel interfaces promoting the natural elimination of biofilm.

Erik received his Bachelor of Science from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His senior design project was “An arthroscopic tool for the delivery of a thermo-sensitive hydrogel into damaged knee cartilage.” Erik’s research excellence wrought him an Office of the Vice President Undergraduate Research Fellowship for his work with Reese Endowed Professor Miguel Jose Yacaman in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Erik is currently a graduate student working towards his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. He is advised by the Graduate Director of the Center for Biomedical Engineering, Associate Professor Thomas J. Webster. Through Prof. Webster’s guidance and expertise, Erik is working on his thesis entitled “Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPION) for the Treatment of Implant Infection.” The Society for Biomaterials recently bestowed upon Erik the Student Travel Achievement Recognition (STAR) graduate student award one of its most prestigious graduate student honors for his exemplary work in nanotechnology. He was also a National Science Foundation Graduate K-12 teaching fellow for two years (the maximum duration allowed for the fellowship program) where he taught science to grades 3-6 at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island.

Yang earns First Place Award from Sigma Xi Northeast Regional Conference

Lei Yang (Ph.D. candidate co-supervised by Professors Brian Sheldon and Thomas Webster) received the First Place Undergraduate and Graduate Student Poster Award at the Sigma Xi Northeast Regional Conference in New Haven, CT for his contribution: "The Role of Substrate Topography in Mediating Osteoblast Functions: Experiments and Modeling."

Here is a short interview with Lei Yang:

How does participating in conferences such as Sigma Xi impact your Brown Engineering experience?
(Lei) Sigma Xi is one of the oldest and most famed scientific societies, attending this conference is not only a honor but also a great opportunity to meet the top students and researchers in the New England region. It's also a good opportunity to showcase the cutting-edge research led by Brown Engineering faculty and students.

What is the impact of your research?
(Lei) It was the best poster presentation during a conference that I have ever attended so far, because I obtained so many new ideas and comments related to my project. The conference was very well organized, and each participant had many chances to talk to most of the professors and students. I received a lot useful comments on the methodology and techniques I used for my study, and surprisingly, many of them were from the people outside of my research field. So I think I also benefited from the multi-disciplinary atmosphere of the conference.

What degree are you seeking and when will you graduate? What do you hope to do with your degree?
(Lei) I am seeking PhD in Engineering and will graduate in May 2011. I want to become faculty in Materials Science after my PhD.

Video: Dr. Thomas Webster - Orthopedic Biofilms

Professor Thomas Webster appeared in a documentary film on implant infection called "Getting Back on Their Feet II" by Richard Longland which was just released.

The film was produced by the Arthroplasty Patient Foundation (Richard Longland, the founder) and explores biofilms and their contribution to medical device failures and related chronic health issues.

Prof. Sheldon and Webster appear in cover story

Brian Sheldon, Thomas Webster, and Lei Yang appeared as the cover story for the American Ceramic Society Bulletin. It is entitled " Nanophase Ceramics for Improved Drug Delivery: Current Opportunities and Challenges."

After more than a decade of research and development, nanotechnology has reshaped the traditional thinking (or lack thereof) of using ceramics for drug delivery. Although drug delivery has been a polymer- dominated field, the blossoming of nanotechnology means that ceramic materials are now showing much promise for numerous drug delivery applications.

Typically, nanotechnology is defined as the use of materials and systems whose structures and components exhibit novel and significantly changed properties when control is gained at the nanoscale (specifically, <100 nm or <10–7 m).1 For ceramics, this means fabricating ceramics whose grain or particle
sizes are within the range of 1 nm to 100 nm).

Nanophase ceramics already have been widely used in a broad spectrum of biomedical applications, and now drug delivery is one of the fastest emerging and developing arenas for nanoceramics, drawing increasing attention over the past few years.

Read more of the story at this link:
http://ceramics.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/03_10_cover-story.pdf

Commencement 2010 Photos

We enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the Commencement and Reunion 2010 with returning Engineering Alumni at our reception on Friday afternoon.  Rod Clifton shared news that just hours earlier the Corporation had approved the School of Engineering (Effective July 1, 2010).  We also had an opportunity to share a sneak peak of the Glutton for Punishment production of our Edible Car Competition last fall.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624065916187/

The 2010 Program in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship graduates celebrated with the faculty and their families at the Saturday morning brunch.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624190276882/

Then we had the opportunity to welcome a new Brown Engineering Alumni Medalist (BEAM), Ares Rosakis, PhD to our distinguished list of graduates.
Pictured above (left to right): Rod Clifton, Ares Rosakis, Ben Freund, and Wei Yang
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624065910123/

The weekend was capped off as we distributed 87 engineering diplomas at our undergraduate ceremony.
More photos available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157624190247360/

Brown University establishes School of Engineering

Brown University has transformed its Division of Engineering into the Brown School of Engineering.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - The Corporation of Brown University has approved transformation of the University's Division of Engineering into the Brown School of Engineering, effective July 1. The Corporation took that action at its spring business meeting Friday, May 28, 2010. The University's faculty had voted its approval of the proposal on April 6.

"Today's monumental scientific and societal challenges depend greatly upon engineering know-how for advances in biology, medicine, clean energy and nanotechnology," Brown President Ruth J. Simmons said. "The Corporation's approval of a School of Engineering underscores our commitment to maintain and enhance the engineering curriculum and research activities that attract the brightest students and the highest caliber faculty."

Many recent studies, including a 2008 report from the National Academy of Sciences, note that a comprehensive and coordinated effort is urgently needed to bolster the nation's competitiveness and pre-eminence in the physical sciences. A school of engineering will support the University's continued recruitment of outstanding faculty and students and its strategy of building on existing strengths in energy and the environment, biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, photonics, solid mechanics, and the mechanical behavior of materials.

Developing engineering as a school has been a work in progress for more than a decade. The idea received strong support from President Simmons, whose Plan for Academic Enrichment has expanded research and faculty across the University. A team of engineering faculty led by Rodney Clifton, the Rush C. Hawkins University Professor of Engineering and interim dean of engineering, presented a School of Engineering proposal to the Provost's office in December 2008. Clifton will continue as interim dean until a founding dean is named.

"We are grateful to the administration, the faculty and the Corporation for supporting our proposal," Clifton said. "By establishing a School, Brown has taken a big step toward raising its historic and renowned engineering program to a new level. This action ensures that Brown engineering will play a significant role in addressing the science and technology challenges that our society faces and will remain competitive nationally and internationally."

"The University community is grateful to Dean Clifton for shepherding the School of Engineering proposal to its successful vote today," Brown Provost David Kertzer said.

The School of Engineering expects to increase its share of external funding for research through faculty growth in areas of national importance and by expanding collaborative efforts with colleagues throughout the University.

"The federal funding agencies are increasingly interested in applied and translational research, the type of scientific investigation that helps solve societal problems," said Clyde Briant, vice president for research and professor of engineering. "Having a strong engineering school at Brown will undoubtedly help our faculty and students compete effectively for federal research dollars and contribute to solving challenging problems."

Engineering is the No. 1 area of academic interest expressed by members of the Class of 2014, who will matriculate this fall. The Division of Engineering currently has 437 undergraduate students and 178 graduate students, taught by 40 full-time, tenure-track faculty. Engineering is one of the most popular concentrations at Brown, with 140 students in the Class of 2013 pursuing it as a concentration.

Established in 1847, the undergraduate engineering program at the University is the oldest in the Ivy League and the third oldest civilian engineering program in the country, preceded only by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1824) and Union College (1845). In 1916, the departments of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering were merged into one Division of Engineering with a common core of basic engineering courses. This model has been preserved, ensuring that faculty and students engage in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to engineering.

[Photos show students working on final semester projects including a solar cell and light powered car]

Chemical Engineering undergraduate student Aminy Ostfeld honored with a Tau Beta Pi Scholarship

The Tau Beta Pi Fellowship Board announced the selection of 102 Scholars from 389 applicants for senior- year study in the 2010-11 academic year. Scholarships were awarded to members on the competitive bases of scholarship, campus leadership, and service, and promise of contributions to the engineering profession, with consideration given to economic need and academic commitment. We are pleased that Brown Chemical Engineering student, Aminy Ostfeld was honored with one of these scholarships.

Here is a biography statement written by Aminy:

Since I was young, I have been passionate about environmental sustainability, and I have hoped to devote my life's work to solving some of the many environmental problems plaguing our world today. After coming to college I realized I wanted to study renewable energy generation, and since knowledge of both chemistry and engineering principles is essential for research in this field, I decided to concentrate in chemical engineering. I have recently begun a research project to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells, a subject I find so fun and important that I plan to continue working on it for the foreseeable future. Through Brown's engineering program, I have already learned skills useful for this area of research. I'm sure these skills, and those I learn in the remainder of my Brown experience, will come in handy for graduate study and my career.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to study engineering at Brown and participate in Tau Beta Pi. Membership has helped me share my excitement about engineering and research with others, through outreach presentations at local high schools as well as interaction with other Brown engineering students. I believe the organization's support, including this scholarship, will help me realize my dream of becoming a successful engineer.

FSAE car team places 38th in Michigan

The Formula SAE team recently returned from Michigan where they competed in the annual May race.  FSAE is a student car design competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

You are welcome to stop by the Barus and Holley patio to congratulate the team on their hard work on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 from 12 to 2pm.

This year's Formula SAE car team placement was:
Overall 38th
Design: T-15th
Presentation: 46th
Cost: 23rd
Endurance: 35th
Fuel Economy: 2nd
(Note: Did not compete in autocross, accel, and skid pad)
For more info visit:http://www.sae.org/students/fsae2010results.pdf

(Click the photo to the right to see more photos)

Professor Nurmikko collaborates on $14.9 million DARPA grant

Researchers at Brown University and Stanford University have launched a $14.9 million project geared to developing new brain micro-implants that can both sense the brain’s electrical signals and deliver optogenetic lightpulses to neural tissue.

The project, funded by a two-year Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant, is being led by Krishna Shenoy, a Stanford researcher, and Arto Nurmikko, a professor of electrical engineering and physics at Brown.

For more information visit the Providence Business News.

Prof. Webster to participate in U.S. Biomaterials Research Delegation to China

Prof. Webster has been invited to be part of the U.S. Biomaterials Research Delegation to China in Octobet 2010. In conjuction with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program (established by President Eisenhower in 1956), this U.S. delegation of well-established biomaterial researchers and educators will foster a one-on-one dialogue with China in the area of biomaterials research. China has rapidly increased its research efforts in the field of biomaterials and will continue to rise in importance as the field develops and expertise in China expands. The delegation will learn about academic programs leading biomaterials research efforts in China, meet with academic and intellectual leaders from the field and establish a clear understanding of the focus and trajectory of biomaterials research. Expected outcomes include a stronger collaboration between biomaterials research and education in the U.S. and China.

EWB promotes hunger awareness through OXFAM hourglass project

Engineers Without Borders recently completed the task of creating an hourglass as part of an OXFAM collaboration to promote hunger awareness. The hourglass drops marbles at a 3 second interval - the same rate that a child dies of hunger throughout the world. To learn more about this project, check out the EWB student team in action:

Present and Past: Rhode Island Business Plan Competition winners from Brown

Brown students enrolled in Entrepreneurship & New Ventures ENGN1930x course consistently do well in the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition. This year Speramus, which developed its business plan in the course last semester, won the student track. The company is creating an online fundraising platform that uses a proprietary ranking system to match donors with individual support opportunities. In addition, Bakodo which developed its business plan in the course last year was runner up in the entrepreneur track. The company is focused on developing a highly-targeted, contextual barcode ad-serving network that aims to optimize return on investment for advertisers. For more information on this year's winners, visit here.

Last year's winner, Runa, who also developed their business plan in the Entrepreneurship and New Ventures course continues to make excellent progress. They have successfully raised funds from angel investors, successfully built out their vertically integrated supply chain in Ecuador, and begun selling their initial tea products in both loose leaf pouches and single serve bags. If you are interested in trying Runa, feel free to buy a cup at Blue State in Providence which now proudly serves it! You can read more at www.drinkruna.com

In addition the runner-up from last year, Eulie has also grown from the intial business plan they developed in the Entrepreneurship and New Ventures course. Both founders raised capital to work full-time on Eulie, developed and successfully tested a novel patent-pending fabric combination that is leak proof, and designed products that will be used to approach retail buyers later this year. You can read more at www.eulieintimates.com

Richardson elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians

Professor Peter Richardson, has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, founded in London in 1518 with a Charter from King Henry VIII.

“I am deeply honored,” he said, “William Harvey was not even born when the College was founded, but he was a leading light of the Royal College of Physicians and a devoted supporter of it, as have been many other famous contributors to the science and practice of medicine before and since. It is known I have been interested in some aspects of the circulation of blood in the conduct of research for four decades, and the College is very generous in inviting me into its ranks, a very rare honor indeed.”

Peter Richardson has been Professor of Engineering and Physiology at Brown University since 1983. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute, as well as Life Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a Founding Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, an Inaugural Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, and a Laureate in Medicine of the Ernst Jung Foundation (Germany).

With one of his doctoral students, Leigh Abts, and some colleagues Richardson helped found MicroPure, a Rhode Island company which started from technology developed for operating room use during cardiac surgery and spun it off into uses for microprocessor manufacture and secondary oil recovery; the company was sold later to a large process-industries company. “Technology transfer can work both ways between medicine and engineering,” Richardson notes.

Nurmikko elected to Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

Professor Arto Nurmikko was recently elected to the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is the largest general scientific and academic society in Finland. It is a learned society covering the full range of academic disciplines which is devoted to the promotion of scientific and scholarly research and serves as a bond uniting researchers engaged in these activities at the highest level. It functions as a traditional learned society in the sense that its membership is limited and it selects its new members on their academic and scientific merits. For more information on the Academy: http://www.acadsci.fi/frontpage.htm

Science News highlights aerial gymnastics of fruit flies

Science News 12 April 2010
Fruit flies make abrupt turns

Postdoctoral research associate in engineering Attila Bergou is part of a research team that discovered that fruit flies’ aerial gymnastics are driven by wing joints that act like wind-up toys, letting the bugs whirl around almost automatically.
Learn more here:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58108/title/Fruit_flies_turn_on_autopilot

Flies "swim" when they're flying from Science News on Vimeo.

Science Nation profiles NSF collaborative project on bat flight mechanics

Brown University engineer Kenny Breuer and biologist Sharon Swartz are profiled in this week's Science Nation, a science video series commissioned by the NSF Office of Legislative and Public Affairs.
Since 2001, Swartz and Breuer have teamed up to study the mechanics of bat flight. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the two scientists from very different disciplines set up a special facility, including a wind tunnel, to study bats in flight.

Learn more about the project here:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

Gao and his research team discovers new principle in Material Science

A research team led by Brown University engineers has discovered a new mechanism that governs the peak strength of nanostructured metals. The team found that the deformation of nanotwinned metals is characterized by the motion of highly ordered, necklace-like patterns of crystal defects called dislocations. The finding, published in Nature, could lead to stronger and more ductile metals.

Full press release here:
http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2010/04/nanotwins

Hurt and Webster publish "Business and Safety Issues in the Commercialization of Nanotechnology"

Professors Bob Hurt and Tom Webster just published the book "Business and Safety Issues in the Commercialization of Nanotechnology," Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Volume 1209, 2010. Editors are: L. Tsakalakos, L. Merhari, S. Mao, J. van Schijndel, T. J. Webster, H. Liu, and R. Hurt. (H. Liu is a recent Ph.D. graduate from Brown engineering).

More information on the book can be found at: http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec_subscribe.asp?CID=24653&DID=271618

Yang and Taylor earn STAR awards from the Society for Biomaterials

Lei Yang (co-advised by Professors Tom Webster and Brian Sheldon) and Erik Taylor (advised by Professor Tom Webster) were just selected for STAR awards from the Society for Biomaterials. They will give their award winning talks during the Society for Biomaterials' Annual Meeting April 21st - 24th in Seattle, WA. This is one of the highest honors for graduate students presenting at the Society for Biomaterials. Erik was chosen based on his abstract and research "Decreasing Biofilm Formation Through the Use of Magnetic Nanoparticles". Lei was chosen based on his abstract and research "Osteoblast Responses on Nanocrystalline Diamond Modified by Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Ammonium Plasmas".

Collaborative project highlighted in premier neuroscience journal

The February issue of the journal Neuron features a cover story highlighting the joint work between Professors Arto Nurmikko and Barry Connors. Neuron is a premier journal in Neuroscience.

This is another illustration of the collaboration between Engineering and Biology and Medicine here at Brown. Arto Nurmikko's group has successfully led the initiative to bring the ‘optogenetics’ methodology to Brown.

Prof. Webster and Erik Taylor's implant research highlighted

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Almost 1 million people go under the knife every year for a knee, hip or shoulder replacement. Surgeons say those metal implants can become playgrounds for bacteria, leading to potentially deadly infections like MRSA. It happens to nearly 20,000 people every year. One scientist has developed a tiny solution that could kill the infection without removing the implant.

Dr. Webster is creating a nano-sized solution to fight implant infections. He manufactured iron-oxide nanoparticles -- tiny warriors that zero in on the implant, penetrate the bacterial shield, and kill the bacteria. In lab tests, an injection of the specially-designed nanoparticles eliminated 74 percent of the bacteria on an implant in 48 hours. When repeated three times over six days, the nanoparticles killed 100  percent of the bacteria.

Entire article and a TV clip airing across the country summarizing some of Professor Webster's and graduate student Erik Taylor's research (make sure to click play in the first image):

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=23473

NSF Career Awards to Dworak and Reda

Two young faculty members in the Division join the ranks of our faculty that have been awarded the NSF CAREER Awards, Jennifer Dworak and Sherief Reda. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.

Enhancing Quality through Probabilistic On-Chip Test
Jennifer Dworak

Future integrated circuits will contain tens, hundreds, or possibly even a thousand cores per chip. However, the scaling techniques that will make this possible also make the underlying circuit fabric less reliable—leading to increased wearout and defects that cannot be detected at manufacturing. In response, the PI proposes fundamental research for generating new test sets on-chip to identify failing cores. The tests will be created “on-the-fly” and dynamically targeted to the most critical areas of a core. Some key portions of the proposed research involve the creation and verification of hardware monitors for determining which faults are most important for the user’s applications, the diagnostic use of online error detection hardware to pinpoint locations that caused previous failures, and the analysis and development of protocols to efficiently create and transport tests in a network-on-chip environment.

The great performance advantages of future multi-core devices will remain unrealized if the reliability of those devices cannot be trusted. The proposed research investigates critical tools for promoting that reliability. The integrated education plan provides research opportunities for students at multiple levels—from high school to graduate school—including students from underrepresented groups. In addition to recruiting undergraduates from Brown, the PI plans to work with the CRA-W DREU (Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program to host visiting female undergraduates for summer research. The PI will also recruit high school students from the Providence Public Schools, many of whom are members of underrepresented groups, for summer research through the Brown GK-12 program.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0915302

Transcending the Thermal Management Challenges of Tera-Scale Computing

Sherief Reda

Elevated temperature is a major problem for the reliability, performance, power consumption, and packaging costs of integrated electronic devices.

Temperature is a main physical barrier limiting the performance benefits of future technologies that promise tera-scale integration. To meet the thermal management challenges of future many-core processors, this research program envisions a new class of intelligent dynamic thermal management systems that explore the vast search space of possible control parameter settings and decide the optimal temperature and performance targets. This research program also investigates new cooling system designs that enable the thermal management system to target directly hot spots at the micro scale. Directly targeting hot spots alleviates the thermal constraints on performance.

The proposed research program will lead to transformative solutions and tools that address the fundamental thermal management challenges of computing systems and ensure their scalability. The proposed program will lead to the training of a diverse workforce of undergraduate and graduate students to be well prepared to deal with tomorrow’s thermal management challenges. The educational component of this program includes (1) research experiences for undergraduates; (2) integrated approach to entrepreneurship education with research; (3) hands-on training through the development of educational laboratories based on a state-of-the-art infrared camera; and (4) continuous education through the development of high-quality educational materials and an interactive technical Web site.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0952866

Clyde Briant elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Congratulations to Clyde Briant on his election to the National Academy of Engineering.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

CLYDE LEONARD BRIANT, Otis E. Randall University Professor and vice president for research, Brown University, Providence, R.I. For elucidation of microstructural effects on high-temperature mechanical performance of metals.

See NAE Press Release.

2010 Collaborative Research Awards program awards two engineering projects

The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) last week announced the awardees of the 2010 Collaborative Research Awards program. This year, out of the 38 projects submitted for review, six projects that featured multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research with follow-on funding promise were chosen.

Here are two projects which feature Brown Engineering:

Project 3: Development of Durable Silicon Thin-Film Anodes and New Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries
This team proposes to develop new and highly durable anode architecture for lithium batteries complemented by the development of new electrolytes that will form a stable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. This STAC grant will help RI align with the Department of Energy’s Energy Strategic Goal and contribute to cutting-edge advances in lithium battery technology.

Collaborators:
Pradeep Guduru, Ph.D, Brown University
Christopher Bull, Ph.D, Brown University
Brett Lucht, Ph.D, University of Rhode Island

Project 4: Early Cancer Detection and Treatment Using Advanced Three-Dimensional Surface Texture Visualization and Modeling
This project aims to develop 3D imaging technology to address limitations in visualization of the current minimally invasive surgical procedures that are rapidly replacing open surgeries. The team will focus primarily on the problem of identifying early-state bladder cancer, the third-most prevalent cancer that ranks fourth in incidence.

Collaborators:
Gabriel Taubin, Ph.D, Brown University
George E. Haleblian, M.D, Rhode Island Hospital
Jason D. Harry, Ph.D, Lucidux Corporation, LLC
Gyan Pareek, M.D; Rhode Island Hospital

For more information, visit the RI Science and Technology Advisory Council.

Zia honored at White House

Assistant Professor Rashid Zia was honored with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the White House last week. President Obama honored 100 winners with the PECASE, the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Government upon scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers.

More about the award from the White House blog.

Society of Critical Care 2010 Citation Award

Keiko Tarquinio, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, from Professor Tom Webster's biomedical engineering lab group just received the 2010 Citation Award from the Society for Critical Care last week in Miami out of over 1100 presentations at the Society for Critical Care Medicine's 39th Critical Care Congress. This was for the presentation "Inhibition of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Growth on Chemically Etched Polyvinyl Chloride Endotracheal Tubes: An in vitro Model" (authors: Keiko Tarquinio, Nathan Rubien, and Thomas Webster) funded from the RI STAC fund. The purpose of the work is to limit infection of endotracheal tubes.