Looking Back at EMBC 2009: Student Activities Highlights [Student's Corner

"We are part of the solution," according to Dr. Bruce Wheeler, professor and interim chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville. As the new president of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Wheeler maintains leadership priorities that touch every stage of a biomedical engineer?s career?from the undergraduate level through the many roles and types of careers a senior engineer can enjoy?and include every way EMBS can take on the challenge of improving health care in response to present and imminent demands. He offers biomedical engineers a large-scale vision, showing them they are in a prime position to answer the questions the world will face as its population soars and the demand for health care increases, even as current modes of delivery struggle to achieve systemic adaption. In addition, he hopes to provide practical steps EMBS and its members can take to achieve that vision.

The 50th anniversary of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is an appropriate time to look back at the origins and growth of both the field of biomedical engineering and the EMBS. The present account gives most attention to the aspects of biomedical engineering to which IEEE members (and, earlier, American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) members and Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) members) contributed, which is to say that this account emphasizes the electrical, electronic, and computing aspects of biomedical engineering. Topics covered include: history of the technologies; the roots of biomedical engineering; prehistory and history of the profession; biomedical applications of the computer; health care; ultrasound technology; new means of medical imaging; endoscopy, lasers, and fear of electromagnetic fields; study of human metabolism; the Human Genome Project, robotics, and internationalization; and forecasting progress in biomedical engineering.

The 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) has come to a successful end in Boston, and I'd like to use this column to bring your attention to two upcoming, exciting conferences sponsored by the EMBS.

The IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) is a scientific conference dedicated to mathematical, algorithmic, and computational aspects of biological and biomedical imaging, across all scales of observation. It fosters knowledge transfer among different imaging communities and contributes to an integrative approach to biomedical imaging. ISBI is a joint initiative from the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). The 2018 meeting will include tutorials, and a scientific program composed of plenary talks, invited special sessions, challenges, as well as oral and poster presentations of peer-reviewed papers. High-quality papers are requested containing original contributions to the topics of interest including image formation and reconstruction, computational and statistical image processing and analysis, dynamic imaging, visualization, image quality assessment, and physical, biological, and statistical modeling. Accepted 4-page regular papers will be published in the symposium proceedings published by IEEE and included in IEEE Xplore. To encourage attendance by a broader audience of imaging scientists and offer additional presentation opportunities, ISBI 2018 will continue to have a second track featuring posters selected from 1-page abstract submissions without subsequent archival publication.

The five articles in this special section resulted from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Forum on Grand Challenges in Neuroengineering, held in May 2010 in Bethesda, MD.

During the last decade, the Human Genome Project [1], Human Proteome Project [2], Human Physiome Project [3], The International HapMap Project, Genome-Wide Associate Study (GWAS), The 1000 Genomes Project, The Human Microbiome Project, Epigenome, Metabolome, LIPID MAPS, and Next Generation Sequencing have generated large volumes of molecular data about human genes, proteins, physiology, SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism), metabolites, and lipids etc. This has led to the fast growth of several research sub-areas: 1) high-volume molecular data mining and interpretation; 2) systems biology based on molecular features (i.e., biomarkers) extracted from high-throughput data. Examples include molecular interaction network reconstruction and pathway modeling; 3) synthetic biology, where researchers use engineering approach to make artificial cell and organism; and 4) translational bioinformatics that identifies genomic and proteomic biomarkers of disease to understand molecular mechanisms and guide clinical decision making. This field has grown so rapidly that there are a dozen bioinformatics conferences each year organized by researchers with different backgrounds such as biological or medical sciences, computing or computer science, and engineering. In 2004, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) started the theme “Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Modeling Methodologies.” It started with high throughput omic data analysis, structural bioinformatics, physiological modeling, then moved to systems biology, and recently included synthetic biology, with future movement towards translational bioinformatics in biomedical applications such as cancer prevention, therapeutics, clinical data mining and decision making. In this spotlight, we summarize key topics of importance for the EMBS community.

A new engineering in medicine and biology society (EMBS) book on applications of computers in medicine [lists table of contents

To Help You Stay Current with Technology for 1982 A New Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Book on Applications of Computers in Medicine

I came across an e-newsletter from the British Museum last week advertising free delivery when you spend more than £100 on British Museum sculptures and replicas. Inasmuch as my small flat in London could use a bust replica of an Egyptian noble woman or a Rosetta Stone coffee mug, it was the ending of the newsletter that caught my eye in particular. To help others find this newsletter, the British Museum has conveniently provided links to ten networking Web sites (some of which I have never heard of): Digg It!, Del.ico.us, Newsvine, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn. The British Museum is e-savvy. I started to think about the IEEE and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), and I thought I would share some of our own proud e-achievements and current endeavors that we have come a long way over the past several years.

The year 2009 has been a productive year for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). We have accomplished a great deal in enhancing the quality of conferences and publications, owing to the tremendous efforts from our volunteers and staff. I take great pride in recognizing the achievements of our members. Across the globe, we are fortunate to have innumerable examples of significant progress. It is my pleasure to report to you the past year's highlights.

Proceedings of the 20th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Vol.20 Biomedical Engineering Towards the Year 2000 and Beyond (Cat. No.98CH36286)

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) represents a major determinant of liver transplantation. IRI-induced graft dysfunction is related to biliary damage, partly due to a loss of bile canaliculi (BC) integrity associated with a dramatic remodeling of actin cytoskeleton. However, the molecular mechanisms associated with these events remain poorly characterized. Using liver biopsies collected during the early phases of organ procurement (ischemia) and transplantation (reperfusion), we characterized the global patterns of expression and phosphorylation of cytoskeleton-related proteins during hepatic IRI. This targeted functional proteomic approach, which combined protein expression pattern profiling and phosphoprotein enrichment followed by mass spectrometry analysis, allowed us to identify IQGAP1, a Cdc42/Rac1 effector, as a potential regulator of actin cytoskeleton remodeling and maintenance of BC integrity. Cell fractionation and immunohistochemistry revealed that IQGAP1 expression and localization were affected upon IRI and related to actin reorganization. Furthermore using an IRI model in human hepatoma cells, we demonstrated that IQGAP1 silencing decreased the basal level of actin polymerization at BC periphery, reflecting a defect in BC structure coincident with reduced cellular resistance to IRI. In summary, this study uncovered new mechanistic insights into the global regulation of IRI-induced cytoskeleton remodeling and led to the identification of IQGAP1 as a regulator of BC structure. IQGAP1 therefore represents a potential target for the design of new organ preservation strategies to improve transplantation outcome.

27th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society - Sept. 1-4, 2005 - Inventation and Call for Papers

To first-year international doctoral students, there are many challenges to face when they land in the US and pursue their academic dreams, such as cultural differences, language barriers, and more. A peer with more local living experience would boost the fit-in process for these first-year international doctoral students. Concurrently, BME undergraduates might be overwhelmed by postgraduate choices and career path selection. A peer with more research and academic experience would be very helpful for the undergraduates to make their academic decisions. Thus, we introduced the iBMEntored Buddy Program, a novel initiative designed to create a unique mentorship environment for first-year international doctoral students and domestic Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates, in which doctoral students and undergraduates can help each other with their complementary experiences and perspectives. The program aims to address challenges related to cultural diversity, language barriers, academic goals, and social acclimatization for international doctoral students while providing BME undergraduates with insights into postgraduate aspirations, research expertise, and cultural interests. The iBMEntored buddy pairs, consisting of an international BME doctoral student and a BME undergraduate, will bewere integrated into UT BME's successful BMEntored program. Leveraging the success of the existing program, the iBMEntored Buddy Program facilitates weekly meetings or alternative activities throughout the first year, fostering understanding, friendship, and the successful navigation of shared challenges. Participation was open to all first-year international BME doctoral students enrolling in Fall 2023 and interested BME undergraduates. The structure encourages mutual mentorship with flexibility in meeting formats, including traditional meetings, shared meals, social events, local excursions, or research-focused pursuits. To date, we have successfully paired up 5 pairs of buddy pairs. All buddy pairs have reported successfully meeting up multiple times throughout the semester and will continue to do so for the following semesters, even after the program ends. All pairs have developed unique dynamics between the two students. For example, a pair reported that the iBMEntored buddy became the person's best study buddy while they were both preparing for the exams/the medical college admission test. Another pair reported that they had developed a deep friendship and met up even more frequently than once a week. The graduate students also reported that the program helped their transition to the new environment more smoothly. By combining the success of the BMEntored program with a focus on the first year international PhD students, the iBMEntored Buddy Program is expected to enhance the overall educational experience for international students who are new to the US, promoting a sense of community within the UT BME department.

28th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society: Engineering Revolution in BioMedicine