Biomedical Engineering @ UDEL

Newly published pilot study from our collaborative research team: Jamie M. Benson, Maelyn Arcodia, Isabelle Larche, Darsh Patel, Dr. Dawn M. Elliott, and Dr. Alvin W. Su. A Pilot Study to Quantify In Vivo Meniscus Mechanics Under Load Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging The study introduces a novel method to quantify in vivo meniscus mechanics under load using MRI, offering new opportunities to better understand real‑time knee joint function. Read more: asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/biomechanical/…

The Zurakowski lab will be attending hashtag#ASCPT2026! Come see graduate student Sobia Anam's poster on the effects of lymph node swelling and shrinking on drug uptake in poster session 1 on Wednesday: cdmcd.co/d6aAyd Stop by the University of Delaware lounge in the partner pavilion while checking out the posters! We would love to chat about our open faculty position in QSP, as well as our new MS program in QSP and our upcoming online certificate classes in QSP! ascpt2026.eventscribe.net/index.asp?post…

EFFECTS OF LYMPHOCYTE TRAFFICKING INHIBITION ON ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG DISTRIBUTION WITHIN LYMPH NODES cdmcd.co/d6aAyd

Engineers Week 2026: BME Takes the Trophy The College of Engineering celebrated Engineers Week from February 22-28, 2026. This year’s theme was “Transform Your Future," and COE held a department-wide competition. Students earned points for their department by participating in various EWeek events. Once again, small but mighty BME won the week and brought home the E-Week trophy for another year!

New Teaching Module Published by Dr. Julie Karand We are pleased to share that Dr. Julie Karand has recently published a new teaching module as part of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Global Communication Competencies initiative. Her module, titled “Cultural Humility in Engineering: Designing with Global Partners”, invites students to reflect on how cultural contexts shape engineering design. Through guided activities and discussion, learners explore the importance of cultural awareness and humility in building respectful global engineering partnerships. As part of the lesson, Dr. Karand interviews engineers from South Africa and Tanzania, offering students firsthand perspectives on cross‑cultural engineering experiences and highlighting how cultural humility can inform inclusive, effective design practices. Although the module was completed in November 2025, it has only recently been made publicly available, allowing educators and students broader access to this meaningful resource. 📺 Watch the module introduction here: youtube.com/watch?v=3RN97F… Please join us in congratulating Dr. Karand on this significant contribution to global engineering education.

🔬 NEWSFLASH: Alex Sawyer Wins Best Presentation Award at AP Bio Research Symposium! Please join us in congratulating Alex Sawyer on this well-deserved achievement! Alex’s research focuses on advancing the design of membrane-wrapped nanoshells, an emerging platform with significant potential in drug delivery and biomedical applications. Her project explores how varying the membrane-to-particle ratio and adjusting the wrapping method influence the resulting particle characteristics. Her clear communication, strong command of the science, and innovative approach to nanoparticle engineering earned her top recognition among this year’s presenters.

Congratulations to Sam Freeman on His Recent Publication! Please join us in congratulating Sam Freeman on the publication of his research article, “Tissue-Engineered Brain-Mimetic Niches to Model Braintropic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis”, published in SAGE Journals on January 16, 2026. This important work advances the understanding of triple-negative breast cancer metastasis by leveraging innovative tissue-engineered, brain‑mimetic platforms to better model disease behavior. Sam’s research contributes meaningful insight to the scientific community and highlights the impact of our team’s continued dedication to advancing cancer research. You can read the full article here: 🔗 lnkd.in/ec8m-TKs Congratulations, Sam, on this outstanding achievement!

Congratulations, Katelyn, for completing the Winter Fellows Research Program at the University of Delaware, where she continues her research in the Hast Lab, under the mentorship of Rachel Bonfini and Hisham Omar. Through this experience, she has gained hands-on experience contributing to research that addresses complex biomechanical and clinical challenges in orthopedics. linkedin.com/feed/update/ur…

Please join us in congratulating George Kramarenko, a graduate student in the Day Lab, for publishing a new research paper in ACS publications in January 2026: George's paper, “Loading Density Influences the Tumor Cell Targeting and Signaling Inhibition Capabilities of Antibody Nanoconjugates," highlights George’s outstanding work advancing our understanding of how antibody nanoconjugate design affects cancer cell targeting and downstream signaling. His dedication and scientific contributions continue to push the field forward and reflect the innovative work happening in the Day lab. Fantastic job, George !! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…

🎉 Congratulations to Mikayla Jackson! 🎉 Please join us in celebrating Mikayla Jackson, graduate student in the Oakes Lab, for the publication of her latest manuscript: “Engineering neuroimmune regulation: biomaterial and nanotechnology platforms for neuropathology diagnosis and targeted immunomodulation” Published in Frontiers in Immunology on January 8, 2026. This is an exciting achievement and a testament to Mikayla’s hard work, creativity, and dedication to scientific discovery. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishment and look forward to seeing the impact of this research in the field. ✨frontiersin.org/journals/immun…✨

Undergraduate students took a well-deserved break from studying for finals to relax and recharge on Reading Day with freshly popped popcorn and hot chocolate. The cozy treat break offered a moment to unwind and connect before getting back to the books. Special thanks to Donnie Golden for bringing the popcorn machine and popping some delicious corn!

Congrats to Cathy Fromen for being honored with DDL’s Emerging Scientist of the Year award for advancing aerosol drug delivery. cbe.udel.edu/news/2025/12/1… @UDelaware, @UDBlueHens, @udel

Sarah Rooney’s latest publication with Shameeka Jelenewicz describes the development and implementation of "Voice of the Customer" educational videos—interviews with medical device users—that support needs-finding, design input generation, empathy development, and classroom engagement of biomedical engineering students. The videos are available here: lnkd.in/evKq94Vv The article is available open-access here: lnkd.in/eX98mNkX They cover breast pumps, cochlear implants, continuous glucose monitors, stents, surgical staplers, and wearable EMG biofeedback devices. I'd love to hear if you try implementing these videos in your own class! 👏This project has been 4.5 years in the making. Thank you to - Andrew Brett and Jason Hinmonwith University of Delaware UDIT - University Media Services. They spent hours upon hours over multiple years helping me create these videos-- they are true professionals in video production and editing. - the 37 people who were willing to share their stories with us (see their videos on the website). - my "network" that supported me in making connections to these different people - the BME students who participated in the course and this study - funding from The National Institutes of Health National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) (R25EB031482)

Happy #GivingTuesday! We’re raising funds for BME Student support, which will fund research & prof development travel. Because of philanthropy, incredible student opportunities like this are possible. Donate now! givingday.udel.edu/giving-day/107…