CLEAR.

Postdoctoral research associate Becky Krupenevich has been awarded a three-year National Research Service Award (NRSA F32) from the National Institute on Aging for her proposal titled “The Role of Foot Structure and Function on Walking Mechanics and Energetics in Aging.” Becky will be sponsored on the project by Dr. Jason Franz, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and co-sponsored by Dr. Helen Huang, Jackson Family Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University. She also has a mentoring committee that spans Engineering, Orthopaedics, Physical Therapy, and Exercise Science. The premise of Becky’s project is that the interaction between foot-ankle structure and function is a poorly understood, yet vastly important, biomechanical mechanism that influences walking ability and may be uniquely compromised with aging. Anticipated outcomes from her research in the Applied Biomechanics Laborat...

External fellowships are highly competitive awards from the federal government and other organizations. Students from the labs of three CLEAR core faculty members received prestigious external fellowships. Congratulations to the following BME graduate students for their impressive achievements:

• Billy Clark (Franz Lab), NRSA Fellowship (F31) - National Institute on Drug Abuse

• Emily Fawcett (Cole Lab), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

• Bretta Fylstra (Huang Lab), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

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NC State’s recently announced 2019-20 class of University Faculty Scholars. CLEAR faculty member Alper Bozkurt, who is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is among the 24 early- and mid-career faculty who received this designation based on their significant academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, scholarship, and service to the university and greater community. Faculty members selected as University Faculty Scholars carry the title for the duration of their faculty appointment at NC State and receive an increase to their base salary. Provost Arden and Chancellor Randy Woodson will host a reception to recognize this year’s class of University Faculty Scholars on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at the Chancellor’s residence on Centennial Campus.

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New Joint Department Associate Professor Nitin Sharma and his former colleagues at the University of Florida received the 2019 Control Systems Technology award at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control. Many consider this annual event the most prestigious conference in the control systems area. The award is given to recognize outstanding contributions to control systems technology either in design and implementation or project management. Dr. Sharma’s UF collaborators were: Warren Dixon, Matthew J. Bellman, Alan Hamlet, Christian Cousin, Courtney Rouse, Ryan Downey, and Victor Duenas. Their project titled: For closed-loop functional electrical stimulation control methods leading to successful commercialization and personalized rehabilitative treatment options.

In January 2020, the Joint Department’s Helen Huang was appointed Jackson Family Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Engineering. The Jackson family is a generous member of NC State’s William Joseph Peele Lifetime Giving Society. Their philanthropic support over 36 years includes numerous university groups, funds, and scholarships; with one of their most recent investments being the establishment of the Jackson Family Distinguished Professorship in Biomedical Engineering. The UNC/NC State Joint Department congratulates Dr. Huang for her well deserved appointment as Distinguished Professor.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has awarded BME assistant professor Matt Fisher with the 2020 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award “for leadership in musculoskeletal bioengineering and translational mechanobiology to improve human health.” Formal presentation of the award will take place during the 2020 ASME Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference on June 17-30, 2020 in Vail, Colorado. A not-for-profit membership organization across all engineering disciplines, ASME recognizes the outstanding achievements in mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering through its honors and awards program. The early career award was established in 1986 to recognize young investigators who are committed to pursuing research in the field of Bioengineering and have demonstrated significant potential to make substantial contributions to the field.
 

BME Assistant Professor Matt Fisher has been named one of the 2020 Rising Stars by the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Special Interest Group within BMES, Biomedical Engineering Society. Awardees provide a podium presentation in a special session at the annual conference. 2020 Rising Star Awards will be presented January 2nd - 6th in Puerto Rico. 

The BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Special Interest Group brings together researchers with diverse scientific and clinical interests with a common goal of understanding and engineering molecules, cells, their interactions and microenvironments in the pursuit of controlling biological processes and improving the practice of medicine.  Because CMBE SIG is committed to supporting new investigators within the field, the “Rising Star” award is given to a select group of exceptional junior principal investigators each year.