Outstanding BME 2020 Graduates Honored

May 18 2020 | By Alexis Newman

 

In May of 2020, Columbia Engineering students, deans, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered virtually to celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding students. Among the honorees were two undergraduate and five graduate students in the Biomedical Engineering Class of 2020. Also among the honorees were ten undergraduate senior designers who placed 1st and 2nd at Columbia BME's first ever virtual Senior Design Day on May 7th, as well as five MS student designers who placed first in the MS Biomedical Design & Innovation Awards on April 28th. Biomedical Engineering Departmental Awards were announced at the first ever virtual BME 2020 Senior Celebration on May 15th, and at the virtual BME 2020 Class Day Celebration on May 18th.

 

BME GRADUATE STUDENT CLASS DAY AWARDS 

 

Maria Eleni Karakatsani: Yuen-huo Hung and Chao-chin Huang Award in Biomedical Engineering        

Given to graduate doctoral students who have demonstrated potential for making significant contributions to the fields of biomedical engineering and public health, and for serving as ambassadors of biomedical engineering.

 

Robert Michael Stefani: Yuen-huo Hung and Chao-chin Huang Award in Biomedical Engineering

Given to graduate doctoral students who have demonstrated potential for making significant contributions to the fields of biomedical engineering and public health, and for serving as ambassadors of biomedical engineering.

 

Christopher Mosher: Graduate Student Life Award (Ph.D.)

Graduate Student Life Award honors students whose participation and involvement at Columbia has enhanced the spirit of graduate life on campus, creating a more purposeful, caring, and celebrative community. 

 

Ashritha Eadara: Graduate Student Life Award (M.S.)

Graduate Student Life Award honors students whose participation and involvement at Columbia has enhanced the spirit of graduate life on campus, creating a more purposeful, caring, and celebrative community. 

 

Yiela Saperstein: Outstanding Achievement Award in Biomedical Engineering Master's Studies              

New this year, this award is given to a Master of Science (MS) student in biomedical engineering who best exhibits academic excellence, visionary leadership, and outstanding promise for the future of innovation and engineering in medicine.

 

BME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT CLASS DAY AWARDS 

 

Olubunmi Ayomikun Fariyike: Claire S. and Robert E. Reiss Prize

This award is given by Robert E. Reiss, B.S. '66, and his wife, Claire S. Reiss to the graduating senior(s) in biomedical engineering judged by the faculty of the program as most likely to contribute substantially to the field.

 

Lekha Venkata Yesantharao: Richard Skalak Memorial Prize        

The Richard Skalak Memorial Prize was founded in recognition of the pioneering contributions of Richard Skalak to the development of the biomedical engineering program at Columbia University. Dr. Skalak was an inspirational teacher and scholar who taught students and colleagues to appreciate the value of broad interactions between engineering and medicine, particularly in the fields of cardiovascular mechanics, tissue engineering, and orthopedics. The Richard Skalak Memorial Prize is awarded annually to a senior biomedical engineering student who exemplifies the qualities of oustanding engineering scholarship and breadth of scientific curiosity that form the basis for lifelong learning and discovery.

 

See our past winners HERE.

 

 

MS BIOMEDICAL DESIGN & INNOVATION AWARDS

 

Team E-Screen: Gastric Cancer Screening in Low-Resource CountriesBest Overall Design Award

Design Team Members: Victoria Bahena Lanzagorta, Michael Latour, Shiyi Liu, Tommy Nguyen, Jennifer Pilamunga

 

 

SENIOR DESIGN AWARDS

 

Team ViveSense: 1st Place, BME 2020 Senior Design Award

Design Team Members: Benji Greenfield, Dvora Leibowiz, Rosy Li, Peyton Peng, Jeremy Perna

Faculty Advisor: Qi Wang, Ph.D.

Project Abstract:

A growing fraction of the global population faces infertility issues. Nearly half the cases of infertility are attributable to the male’s reproductive system; treatments are often delayed due to the flawed assumption that the female partner is the infertile. Many men, including those who are recommended by physicians, do not seek reproductive healthcare because tests are costly, inaccessible, and socially awkward. Current at-home test kits are not accurate or readily interpretable by users. ViveSense presents a comprehensive, digital, at-home solution for aspiring fathers. A user collects a semen sample that he inserts into a cell-phone add-on optical system that captures video of the sample. Our image processing algorithms analyze the video and calculate key sperm health metrics. A cell-phone application outputs the results to the user and monitors health over time, providing an accurate, easily interpreted assessment of sperm health.

 

Team Gash Guardian: Runner Up, BME 2020 Senior Design Award

Design Team Members: Sofia Barbosa, Brailey Faris, Kelsey Gray, Kevin Park, Anya Volter

Faculty Advisor: Clark Hung, Ph.D.

Project Abstract:

58% of Americans experience or know someone who has experienced gun violence. Exsanguination for the average adult happens within four minutes of injury, leading to 56% of gun-related fatalities occurring before a victim reaches a hospital. This is largely attributable to untrained bystanders’ inability to stop bleeding. There are effective solutions to treat gunshot wounds, but they rely on pre-existing expertise or physical abilities. In case of a shooting, civilians need an easy-to-use device to mitigate blood loss until emergency medical care arrives. We have created a user-friendly device that mitigates blood loss by creating an encapsulating seal around a wound. A silicon-plastic cup loaded with a coagulating material covers the wound and a seal is created around the wound, forming a space to restrict blood loss. The silicone attachment conforms to body curvature, making the device applicable to a variety of body locations. Initial testing demonstrates that the seal is successfully established within seconds and mitigates blood loss at physiological levels over seven minutes, which could be the difference between life and death for a gunshot wound victim awaiting medical care.

 

CLICK HERE for the full e-program from BME 2020 Senior Design Day.

 

 

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