Graduate Student Social Events

In an effort to create a more cohesive environment among the bioengineering graduate students, events have been organized by the students to interact outside of the labs and classes. Fall social opportunities have included a trip to Pittsburgh for the Color Run 5K, trivia night, Friday Happy Hour, and a Sunday brunch. The fall events have had great attendance with a positive spin, and we hope to continue these activities into the spring semester to provide a social and educational network for the students.

The focus behind these social events is for students to get to know each other and create a stronger sense of the 'bioengineering family' at Penn State. These activities offer an opportunity for the students to share in smiles, laughter, and memories as a way to keep their stress level in check while enriching their Penn State experience. Future events may include: attending a Penn State athletic event, volunteering locally, hosting an international food potluck, bowling, or going out for a movie. The group get-togethers are beneficial for a variety of reasons—students are able to create connections for collaborations or assistance in research or coursework, form a core group to become engaged in campus events, and develop friendships.

Bioengineering graduate students run the Pittsburgh Color Run 5K.

First Biomedical Engineering Fall Picnic—A Success

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the biomedical engineering department held an afternoon fall social event for faculty, staff, and students at Sunset Park. Penn State's Biomedical Engineering Society sponsored the picnic, which included food, music, games, and good conversation. The event brought the department together in a casual social setting and included some undergraduate student families that came in for Penn State's Parents and Families Weekend.

The department's spring event will be the Bioengineering Symposium, which will feature research from undergraduate and graduate students in the biomedical engineering department. A keynote speaker will open the symposium, and both oral and poster presentations will be given. Last year's topics included axonal regeneration, thrombus rheology, nanofiber curvature sensing, and nanoparticles for Alzheimer's disease drug delivery, among other research areas.

A thank you goes you to graduate students, Brittany Banik and Erin Richards, and Department Chair Cheng Dong, for organizing the fall picnic.

Sunset Park—the location for the 2013 Bioengineering Fall Picnic (photo credit: Shihui Li)

Biomedical Engineering Department Gives Back

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and be grateful. The biomedical engineering department teamed up with Penn State's Engineering Graduate Student Council to create Thanksgiving baskets for four local families as well as purchase additional food items to fill remaining baskets. The Thanksgiving Day Basket Drive was hosted by the Students Engaging Students group and the Office of Student Activities for the AIDS Project and food bank families in need.

A huge "Thank You!" goes out to all faculty, staff, and students that contributed to the food drive. Your generosity was greatly appreciated. With your donations, we were able to provide Thanksgiving meals for at least four local families to make their holiday season a little brighter. In all things, give thanks.

Thanksgiving baskets donated from the combined efforts of the biomedical engineering department and Engineering Graduate Student Council.

Biomedical Engineering Students Involvement in EGSC

The Engineering Graduate Student Council (EGSC) is an organization that works to create educational, personal, and social growth opportunities for College of Engineering graduate students from various departments and backgrounds. Additionally, EGSC acts as the liaison between students and College of Engineering administration, faculty, and staff to communicate novel ideas for improvements. EGSC is continuing to expand with new members and activities. A positive addition to EGSC within the past year has been a focus on engaging students in local volunteering events. Two community service events highlighted in the pictures below include the pumpkin carving event held at Shavers Creek Environmental Center and community café soup kitchen in downtown State College.

Bioengineering graduate students have become more involved in this organization as demonstrated by their participation in the EGSC community service events. EGSC volunteers helped Shavers Creek Environmental Center prepare for its annual Fall Harvest Festival by participating in the pumpkin carving night—a night of carving pumpkins, decorating the center, and having a good time with snacks, drinks, and seasonal music. The jack-o-lanterns were used to line the Children's Halloween Trail during the festival the following weekend. The community café soup kitchen was held every Thursday night at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church; volunteers helped with dinner prep, set up, serving, and clean up to serve those in need.

More information is available about PSU EGSC.

Pumpkin carving at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center

- Brittany Banik, Ph.D. candidate