Congratulations to our 2019 Norman Weldon Scholarship recipients! Our department has established this award for undergraduate students to participate in faculty research during the summer. The awards are intended to support students with an interest in pursuing a career in research with plans to attend graduate studies in biomedical engineering.
<table class="t1" style="height: 449px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td class="td1" style="width: 140px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Student</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td2" style="width: 538px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Project</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td3" style="width: 190px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Faculty Advisor</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Jessica Molina</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Using Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing to Identify and quantify Calcific Extracellular Vesicles</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Hutcheson</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Maria C. Giraldo</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Mechanistic Study of Calcifying Extracellular Vesicles Formation</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Hutcheson</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Sepehr Soroushiani</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Adaptive Closed-loop Neuromorphic Controller for use in Chronic Pacing of Respiratory Muscles in Awake Animal</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Jung</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Daniela Leizaola</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Non-Contact Pulse rate estimation using near Infrared Optical Scanner for Dynamic Imaging of Chronic Wounds.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Godavarty</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 51px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Amanda Barreto</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Curvature quantification of Aortic valve leaflets as a function of Elastin Degradation</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 51px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Ramaswamy</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 74px;">
<td class="td4" style="width: 140px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><b>Bridgette Meyer</b></span></p>
</td>
<td class="td5" style="width: 538px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Breath Holding paradigm in dynamic imaging studies of diabetic foot ulcers: A control Study</span></p>
</td>
<td class="td6" style="width: 190px; height: 74px;" valign="top">
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Dr. Godavarty</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<img class="alignleft wp-image-51306 size-thumbnail" src="https://bme.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/jm-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" />My name is Jessica Molina and I am a rising senior biomedical engineering student at Florida International University. Coming into FIU I knew I wanted to make the best out of my next four years and become as involved as I could in my major and the FIU BME department has truly helped me do just that. I have represented several student-lead BME societies at FIU including being STEM Outreach Coordinator for FIU’s Biomedical Engineering Society and Secretary for Alpha Eta MuBeta, the National Biomedical Engineering Society. I began my research career in the CURE program as a trainee at the Cardiovascular Matrix Remodeling Laboratory my sophomore year and I have loved every second of being in the lab. I’ve been given the opportunity to learn from some of the most hard-working and incredibly intelligent mentors who I look up to for almost everything in life. Though I only just have a few years of research under my belt, I can already see my growth not just in the lab, but as a person. This summer my research project focuses on using a novel analysis technique known as tunable resistive pulse sensing to identify and quantify calcific extracellular vesicles (EVs). These studies will offer new fundamental insight on the characteristics of calcifying EVs and their role in cardiovascular calcification. I am excited for the progress my research project will achieve this summer as a No  rman Weldon Summer Research Initiative recipient.

<img class="alignleft wp-image-51307 size-thumbnail" src="https://bme.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ss-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />My name is Sepehr Soroushiani and I am a senior biomedical engineering student. I was born in Iran and moved to United States in August 2014. I have always been passionate about neuroscience and robotics and I am currently working in the Adaptive Neural Systems lab under supervision of Dr. Jung and Ricardo Siu. My project is intended to help patients with compromised respiratory muscle that could be caused by spinal cord injury or other pathological factor, to wean from mechanical ventilator and improve their quality of life. Upon graduating this December, I am planning on pursuing my master’s degree and work in sector of research and development within biomedical industry.

My name is Amanda Barreto and I am currently a sophomore. My academic interests have always centered on science, especially biology and chemistry. During my first semester of university I had the opportunity to participate in the SEA PHAGES Lab as a substitute for my biology 1 course. The lab focused on isolating and purifying a phage from natural environments and learning aseptic techniques of microbiology-virology. This year, I completed the ARCH program for the FIU Honors College and the first level of the CURE program. I have been a member of the TEMIM lab since last fall.  Currently I am helping my mentor, Dr. Ramaswamy, and lab peers in researching about elastin degradation in aortic valve leaflets. One of my main focuses for the next three terms is to continue analyzing how the elastin degradation affects the leaflets’ curvature.   After I finish my degree, I would like to continue my education and enroll in a Ph.D. program focused on medical research. I am very happy to have been awarded the Norman Weldon Fellowship; this opportunity will help me gain more valuable experience in the lab, and network with fellow researchers.

<img class="wp-image-51308 size-thumbnail alignleft" src="https://bme.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/bm-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />My name is Bridgette Meyer and I am entering my third year as an undergraduate at FIU studying biomedical engineering. I am originally from Cape Coral, FL and moved to Miami to start my collegiate career. Since attending FIU I have had a desire to be both involved on campus and to gain professional connections, so two years ago I joined the professional engineering fraternity Theta Tau at FIU where I have developed not only my professional skills but also social skills. Along with Theta Tau, I am also a member of Dr. Godavarty's Optical Imaging Laboratory (OIL). Under her guidance, I have begun assisting in research regarding tissue oxygenation studies on diabetic foot ulcers using our Near-Infrared Optical Scanner (NIROS). My experience in the laboratory has given me a new found passion for research which I hope to translate into an industry job in the research and development field.