Biomedical Engineering Spring 2020 Update

George Floyd mural
A mural adorns the wall of Cup Foods at 38th & Chicago, where George Floyd was killed. Xena Goldman, Greta McLain, and Cadex Herrera created the mural to give people a place to mourn.
Brenda Ogle headshot

We will collaborate and use our ingenuity to take action 

The tragic killing of George Floyd in our hometown of Minneapolis and the ongoing aftermath is a painful reminder that injustice remains in our world.

We hear and ally with our Black communities. We also accept our own contribution to the problem of pervasive inequity and know we must work to solve it. Real change starts from within.

Within our department, we are committed to meaningful action. I have asked faculty and staff to stand together with me to create a safe, respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment. We are listening to what others have to say and fashioning plans to transform good intentions into tangible outcomes. For example, I have taken the immediate step of committing to hire new personnel to lead our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee. In this way we will be able to provide persistent and consistent programming to quell racism, advance social justice, and ensure equal access to the education and resources of BME.

Such actions are not our last steps, nor are they the first. Our department leaders, many of our student groups, individual labs, faculty members, and staff members have long been catalysts for change. I applaud their efforts!

The values of our department and indeed our field—innovation, creativity, integrity, service, and compassion—demand that we directly engage in the issues we face today, from the long-standing injustices laid bare by George Floyd’s death to the global pandemic that has upended all of our lives.

Over the past few months, dozens of our faculty and students embodied these values when they dedicated themselves to helping those with COVID-19 and their caretakers. Here, we share their amazing stories—uplifting, inspiring reminders of how perseverance, ingenuity, and collaboration can lead to life-changing outcomes.

— Brenda Ogle, Professor and Head

Nels Shafer wearing a BME-designed gown

BME students design and produce gowns for local hospitals

When local hospitals were at risk of running out of PPE, our biomedical engineering students came to the rescue. In just two weeks, they designed protective gowns, received FDA approval, and started production.

SecondWave device next to a mask

Ultrasound may prove to be effective, noninvasive treatment for COVID-19

Professor Hubert Lim and team are conducting pilot studies to determine if a low-cost, wearable ultrasound device could be beneficial for the hyperinflammation in the lungs experienced by some COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19

Fighting SARS CoV-2 at the molecular level

Professor Jonathan Sachs and team aim to develop and manipulate molecules that can prevent the novel coronavirus from attaching to human cells.

COVID simulator graph

Professor Odde developing simulator to predict COVID-19 trial outcomes

Professor David Odde is creating a biophysical computer model that simulates COVID-19 on a molecular and cellular level, and tests therapies and vaccines computationally.

Map showing COVID-19 around the world

Professor Sachs: Data-driven science is the only way to beat COVID-19

In an opinion piece in The Hill, Professor Jonathan Sachs makes the case for sticking to the scientific process in the fight against COVID-19. He cites an open letter signed by thousands of engineers, health care professionals, and concerned citizens.

Nils Hasselmo Hall

Faculty and student news

Grants, fellowships, awards, and more: View a recap of recent BME faculty and student announcements including new companies formed with faculty IP and new federal investments in outstanding faculty.

Anna Karos wearing a blue gown

Support emerging COVID-19 research

Our department is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing new ways to treat, diagnose, and protect. By making a gift, you can help advance the research that the world is counting on.