Guests: Andrew McCulloch (Faculty Speaker, Dept. of Bioengineering Chair)

Staff: Rowella Garcia, Jennifer Griffin, Imani Tyus

Approval of Minutes from October 31, 2005 Meeting - The minutes werwe approved as submitted.

The meeting began with welcoming remarks and introduction of new members and guests by Dr. Shu Chien.
Dr. Melissa Fitzgerald, our newest IAP member, is Associate Director of Corporate Development of Amylin Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Andrew McCulloch, Professor and Chair of Department of Bioengineering was educated at the University of Auckland in New Zealand in Engineering Science and Physiology. He joined the Bioengineering faculty in 1987 and is one of the founding members and a member of the Executive Committee of the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering. He is a world leader in experimental studies and theoretical modeling of cardiac mechanics and electrophysiology in health and disease.

Presentation: Computational Bioengineering for Medicine and Surgery - Dr. Andrew McCulloch

BMES: Report on Industry Tours and BQB – Shirley Lee

Report on Industry Tours

The objective The objective of the Industry Tour program is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between bright, promising UCSD bioengineering students and innovative, reputable bioengineering companies in the San Diego area.

The Fall quarter tours included Gen-Probe and Diversa. Winter quarter tours included Pharmatek, Biogen Idec, and Invitrogen. Spring quarter tours will most likely be at BREG, Amylin, Cardinal Health, and Guidant.

The BMES Industry Tour program is a great way for the students to experience what industry is all about. In addition it is a great time to network with bioengineers in industry. Over the past two quarters a diverse group of students attended these tours. Averaging 10 students per tour, all undergraduate tracks are represented, as well as MEng students, PhD students, and even a post-doc.

Future goals for the program include:
1) continue to facilitate diverse groups of students to participate in the program,
2) increase number of tours,
3) venture to companies located outside of the San Diego region,
4) creation of company profiles and their relevance to bioengineering students,
5) informational handouts for industry hosts that explain the bioengineering tracks at UCSD.

The WIBE has agreed to help sponsor these tours with shuttle service to and from the facilities.

Visit BMES Industry Activities 2006 for photos and more information.

Bioengineering Quiz Bowl (BQB)

BQB will be an evening of competition between students (undergrad and grad) that culminate in a final match between a team of students and a team composed of alumni, industry leaders and professors. It will be held on April 7, 5:00 – 7:00pm at the Great Hal on the UCSD campus. Questions and topics will be focused around fundamentals in BE to include Physics, Chemistry, Math, and Elementary BE. This will be a casual event open to the entire UCSD community. Invitations to this event will be sent to BE Alumni, local industry professionals, BE faculty, researchers, grad students, and undergrads.

• Industry Commercial Bank
• Refreshments Served

• The winner of the championship round will compete against a team composed of a BE faculty member, a UCSD alum, a graduate student, and an industry professional.

The goal of the event is to strengthen relationships among UCSD students, faculty, and industry. BMES hopes that industry will share in their vision for this very unique and beneficial event. The organizers are asking for support from our industry partners. Baxter has already pledged $1000. (Amylin and Dr. Stephen Flaim have also contributed since this Board meeting). Sponsoring industry will be invited to speak about their company products, initiatives, and employment/internship opportunities (~ 5 minutes) and will also be acknowledged in the program and website.

Please visit http://bmes.ucsd.edu/bqb/ for more information.

Recruitment of New IAB Members – Dr. Shu Chien

Rowella sent out lists of companies from BIOCOM and Lifesciences Directory for the IAB members to determine if they have any associates at these companies in order to initiate contact. A membership drive to increase our board will be planned for 2006. Dr. Bill Craig would like the members to look at these lists. Please see the attached excel files called Life Sciences Directory and All Companies Listed in BIOCOM.

System-wide Bioengineering Symposium -Dr. Shu Chien

UCLA is hosting the 7th Annual UC Systemwide Bioengineering Symposium. This symposium will be held in the Tom Bradley International Hall from June 24-26, 2006, in the heart of UCLA's beautiful campus. Accommodations for registrants have been reserved on campus in the adjacent DeNeve Plaza. The symposium will begin with a reception and on-site registration on Saturday evening, followed by two days of plenary talks, podium sessions, and poster sessions.

This year's symposium will feature keynote lectures by four distinguished investigators:

Dr. Dan Hammer, Ph.D., Chair of Bioengineering at Univ. of Pennsylvania
Dr. A. Hari Reddi, Ph.D., Professor & Ellison Chair of Orthopaedic Research, UC Davis School of Medicine
Dr. Cyrus Safinya, Ph.D., Professor of Materials & Physics, UC Santa Barbara
Kenneth M. Yamada, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Craniofacial Developmental Biology and Regeneration Branch National Institutes of Health / NIDCR

Dr. Alfred Mann of MiniMed and Al Mann Foundation will give a keynote speech.

Registration and abstracts submission for the 2006 UC Systemwide Bioengineering Symposium is now open. Abstract submission and early bird registration deadline is MAY 19, 2006.

To register for the 2006 UC Systemwide Symposium, please go to http://www.bioeng.ucla.edu/2006UCBES/

Videocast Seminar -Dr. Shu Chien

On February 17, Dr. Richard Lee from Harvard University delivered the Richard Skalak Memorial Lecture to an audience at UCSD and via telecast to six other UC campuses that are members of the UC-wide Bioengineering Institute of California (BIC). The lecture is also part of the Bioengineering 281 Seminar Series for Winter 2006 and sponsored by the Bioengineering Dept. and Whitaker Institute.

JSOE Research Expo -Dr. Shu Chien

The UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering 25th Annual Research Expo was held Thursday, February 23, 2006. More than 240 students presented their research results in our poster session. The abstracts can be viewed at http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/re/exhibits.sfe. In addition to technical breakouts led by Jacobs School faculty, the event featured a keynote address by National Academy of Sciences President Ralph Cicerone. Follow the link below to hear his remarks. Visit http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/re/ to view poster winners, attendees, photos, and more.

Jacob's School of Engineering Recognition Banquet - Dr. Shu Chien

The JSOE Recognition Banquet will be held on May 19th 2006 at the North Torrey Pines Hilton hotel, from 6:00pm with the theme, “Engineering Superheroes Transforming our World.” This event will recognize outstanding Faculty, Alumni, students and industry in their continued support for the School of Engineering. Industry Members are encouraged to sponsor a table. For information about registration, please visit http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/banquet/.

Dr. Chien thanked everyone for another successful meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30am.

For contact information please contact Rowella Garcia at rgarcia@bioeng.ucsd.edu.