Penn State paper examines the state of the art in neural interface materials

Though engineers and doctors have been hard at work developing breakthroughs such as artificial limbs and therapies for spinal cord injuries, one of the greatest challenges is designing the neural interfaces themselves — the bridge between the body’s nervous system and the medical device.

A paper reviewing the state of the art in biomaterials for neural interfaces is featured on the cover of the journal Advanced Materials.

A paper reviewing the state of the art in biomaterials for neural interfaces is featured on the cover of the journal Advanced Materials.

As part of this effort, a team of Penn State engineers underwent an exhaustive review of the current state of the art in the organic and inorganic biomaterials utilized in neural interfaces.

The team’s paper looks at current microelectrode technologies, advancements in electroactive nanomaterials and the technical and scientific challenges in using nanomaterials to create long-lasting, functional neural interfaces.

The authors include Pouria Fattahi, graduate student in chemical engineering; Guang Yang, graduate student in bioengineering; Gloria Kim, graduate student in bioengineering; and Mohammad Reza Abidian, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, materials science and chemistry.

The result, “A Review of Organic and Inorganic Biomaterials for Neural Interfaces,” is the cover story in the latest issue of Advanced Materials, published on March 26.

The Penn State team’s paper can be found online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201304496/abstract.

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Female high school students get a glimpse into the lives of Penn State engineering students

 

As part of the Society of Women Engineers High School Stayover, students check out some of the majors and extracurricular activities Penn State offers during an involvement and majors fair in Kunkle Lounge. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

As part of the Society of Women Engineers High School Stayover, students check out some of the majors and extracurricular activities Penn State offers during an involvement and majors fair in Kunkle Lounge. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

By Erin Miller

A scavenger hunt of the Penn State campus for the high school students isn't complete without a photo with the Nittany Lion Shrine. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

A scavenger hunt of the Penn State campus for the high school students isn’t complete without a photo with the Nittany Lion Shrine. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

Thursday, March 20, kicked off the 2014 High School Stayover organized by the Penn State Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

The two day event hosted 68 accepted female students to experience college life from the perspective of a current female engineering student.

Going to class, eating in the commons and many other events were scheduled for the participants to attend.

On Friday evening, SWE jointly hosted a send-off dinner with the Women in Engineering Program for both participants and parents.  At the dinner participants and parents learned about programs like the Women in Engineering Program Orientation (WEPO), on-campus special living options and how to get the most out of college classes and clubs.

Networking with current students and peers provided participants with the opportunity to make connections throughout and after the program ended.

Penn State SWE organizes the stayover program each year to encourage high school women to pursue an engineering field and to attend Penn State.

At a dinner, students and their parents learned about the opportunities at Penn State, including orientation, special living options and how to get the most out of college classes and clubs. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

At a dinner, students and their parents learned about the opportunities at Penn State, including orientation, special living options and how to get the most out of college classes and clubs. (Photo credit: Society of Women Engineers)

The program highlights areas such as class schedules, different engineering majors and involvement opportunities at Penn State and within the College of Engineering.

The stayover would not be possible without the generosity of SWE’s corporate sponsors and the hard work and enthusiasm of all of SWE’s volunteers, and faculty advisers.

Erin Miller is a fifth-year architectural engineering student from Collegeville, Pa., and an active member of SWE, WEPO, the Engineering Orientation Network and the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.

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We’re looking for a few good engineers

The Engineering Ambassadors is an organization dedicated to  promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Engineering Ambassadors is an organization dedicated to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

By Adrienne Crivaro

You too can be a Penn State Engineering Ambassador! Applications are due Monday, March 24.

The Engineering Ambassadors is a professional development program with an outreach mission.  Ambassadors represent the college through tours, presentations, and outreach activities to middle and high schools.

Much of the Engineering Ambassadors' work involved visiting middle and high schools to demonstrate the possibilities of the engineering field.

Much of the Engineering Ambassadors’ work involved visiting middle and high schools to demonstrate the possibilities of the engineering field.

It is the goal of the Engineering Ambassadors to communicate the awesome possibilities in the engineering field to everyone that we meet.   Ambassadors receive advanced communications and leadership training and an exceptional variety of experiences that are both fun and rewarding.

Importantly, being an Engineering Ambassador is a fabulous professional development opportunity that will have a positive impact on your future at Penn State.  Learn more about us on our website: www.engr.psu.edu/ambassadors.

The Engineering Ambassador program has several excellent industry partners including United Technologies Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Phillips 66, John Deere, Volvo and Chevrolet. These companies are looking to recruit students just like you from the Engineering Ambassadors program, so you can receive great networking and career opportunities through involvement in the Engineering Ambassadors.

Applying to be an Engineering Ambassador is a competitive application process. Application details can be found here: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ambassadors/apply.html. To apply, you must complete CAS100 (any version) by the start of the fall 2014 semester and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.

Any questions can be directed to Melissa Marshall, director of the Penn State Engineering Ambassadors at mmarshall@psu.edu.

Adrienne Crivaro (’12 ME) is a member of the Engineering Ambassadors and a mechanical engineering graduate student.

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Engineering Students Selected to Present at PA State Capitol

Two College of Engineering students — Anthony Trezza and Nathan Deffenbaugh — will present their research at the 12th Annual Undergraduate Research at the Capitol—Pennsylvania Poster Conference in Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.

Nathan Deffenbaugh, biomedical engineering, will present his research project titled High Resolution Tracking of Single-molecule Kinesin Motor Proteins by TIRF Microscopy. Kinesins are intracellular molecular motors and play a critical role in mitotic spindle formation during cell division. Their dysfunction has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and ALS. Additionally, the role of kinesins in mitotic spindle formation makes a relevant target for anti-cancer therapies aiming to inhibit cancer cell division and proliferation. Deffenbaugh’s research uses total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to image individual kinesin proteins, allowing discovery of different kinesin protein’s molecular mechanisms, which is critical for understanding their diverse cellular roles.

Deffenbaugh is supervised by Dr. William O. Hancock, professor of biomedical engineering.

Anthony Trezza, mechanical engineering, will present Simultaneous Localization and Mapping of Indoor Robots Using Permanent Magnetic Fields. This research is prototyping the use of low-cost, highly sensitive magnetometer technology to develop low-cost guidance systems for wheelchairs with the intent to assist amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, often known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) patients maintain mobility. As stated in Trezza’s submission, there have been long-standing dreams of using robots to provide extra functionality, care, and comfort to our living environments, offices, factories, and warehouses. But this dream is thwarted by the difficulty of a robot to know its position indoors. GPS signals cannot be reliably measured inside buildings; lighting conditions are highly variable; and modifications to the built environment for robot localization can be expensive and intrusive.

Trezza is supervised by Dr. Sean Brennan, associate professor of mechanical engineering.

The event serves as a unique opportunity for undergraduate students enrolled in Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities to showcase their research projects to an audience of Pennsylvania legislators. Participants spend the day in the Pennsylvania Capitol Building, share experiences and ideas with counterparts from other schools, and present research posters.

The Office of Undergraduate Education coordinates Penn State’s participation in the event.

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