News and Events

Samantha Santacruz has been selected to attend the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) Symposium.

A cross-disciplinary team that includes researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering aims to develop a vaccine for the widespread coronavirus by focusing on T cells: white blood cells sometimes referred to as the “special forces unit” of the immune system that seek out and destroy cells infected by invading viruses. 

Ten biomedical engineering undergraduate students have received scholarships through the Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholarship (UEPS) program.

Manuel Rausch, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, was selected to receive a 2020 W. A. “Tex” Moncrief Grand Challenge Award for his proposal titled “A Machine-Learning Based Training Tool for Tricuspid Valve Repair: A Prototype.”

Nanhsu Lu, an associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named a Fellow member of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) for her contribution to strengthening the advancement of materials. The IAAM is an international scientific research organization that promotes worldwide materials science and technology research.

The University of Texas at Austin granted 127 bachelor's degrees, 11 master's degrees, and 18 doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering. Additionally, for the first time, the university granted five integrated bachelor's and master's degrees in biomedical engineering. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented an in-person celebration. However the Cockrell School of Engineering honored graduates with celebratory videos from faculty, staff, and alumni, and a virtual commencement ceremony. 

Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ken Diller has been elected as a Fellow to the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE) for his distinguished contributions to and leadership in the field of biological engineering at the international level.

Hannah Stealey, a second-year graduate student working in Samantha Santacruz's lab, was recently awarded the Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship.

Sapun Parekh, an assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, is setting up a pair of coronavirus experiments. One tests how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, will behave at different temperatures to know if the summer heat may slow the virus; and another looks at the physiological changes in lungs as people age to try and explain the increased vulnerability among elderly populations.

Two staff members in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Margo Cousins and Bobby Knight, share about what it's like to work and support students during a pandemic.