Congratulations, Dawn Elliott, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware, on being elected Treasurer of the World Council of Biomechanics! This distinguished honor recognizes her exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the field of biomechanics. 🔗 Read more: engr.udel.edu/news/2026/08/a… #UDBME #UDel #Biomechanics #BiomedicalEngineering #ResearchExcellenceC

✨ Congratulations to Lauren Porter, graduate student in the Oakes Lab, on her latest publication! Her paper, “Interventions and platforms that direct lymphangiogenesis to restore physiological homeostasis and enhance immunoregulation,” was published in *npj Regenerative Medicine (May 2026). Read publication here: nature.com/articles/s41536-0… #RegenerativeMedicine #Immunology #GradStudentSuccess

We’re proud to share that undergraduate student Bethany Watkins from the Oakes Lab has been awarded a Summer REU from the Delaware INBRE program! 👏 A fantastic opportunity to advance her research journey. #INBRE #FutureScientists

🏆 Congratulations to Sobia Anam on being awarded the University of Delaware’s Doctoral Fellowship for Excellence! This highly competitive honor recognizes exceptional research, academic achievement, and leadership. Her work focuses on computational modeling of drug distribution and viral dynamics within lymph nodes. @sobi_anam

Julie Karand Honored with Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching Please join us in congratulating Dr. Julie Karand, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, on receiving the College of Engineering Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching! Her dedication to global engineering and accessible design enriches our curriculum and empowers our students every day. @UDengineering #UDel #BiomedicalEngineering #TeachingExcellence #AccessibleDesign

Congratulations to Sam Freeman on His Recent Publication! Please join us in congratulating Sam Freeman on the publication of his research article, “Tissue-Engineered Brain-Mimetic Niches to Model Braintropic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis”, published in SAGE Journals on January 16, 2026. This important work advances the understanding of triple-negative breast cancer metastasis by leveraging innovative tissue-engineered, brain‑mimetic platforms to better model disease behavior. Sam’s research contributes meaningful insight to the scientific community and highlights the impact of our team’s continued dedication to advancing cancer research. You can read the full article here: 🔗 lnkd.in/ec8m-TKs Congratulations, Sam, on this outstanding achievement!

Please join us in congratulating George Kramarenko, a graduate student in the Day Lab, for publishing a new research paper in ACS publications in January 2026: George's paper, “Loading Density Influences the Tumor Cell Targeting and Signaling Inhibition Capabilities of Antibody Nanoconjugates," highlights George’s outstanding work advancing our understanding of how antibody nanoconjugate design affects cancer cell targeting and downstream signaling. His dedication and scientific contributions continue to push the field forward and reflect the innovative work happening in the Day lab. Fantastic job, George !! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs…

🎉 Congratulations to Mikayla Jackson! 🎉 Please join us in celebrating Mikayla Jackson, graduate student in the Oakes Lab, for the publication of her latest manuscript: “Engineering neuroimmune regulation: biomaterial and nanotechnology platforms for neuropathology diagnosis and targeted immunomodulation” Published in Frontiers in Immunology on January 8, 2026. This is an exciting achievement and a testament to Mikayla’s hard work, creativity, and dedication to scientific discovery. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishment and look forward to seeing the impact of this research in the field. ✨frontiersin.org/journals/imm…✨

Avery White, BME alumna, is an MBA to watch — poetsandquants.com/2025/11/2…

UD BME @ BMES 2025 - San Diego CA

UD BME Undergrads at BMES 2025 in San Diego CA

The Gleghorn Lab is headed to BMES 2025 in San Diego! We’re excited to share several presentations from our amazing team, highlighting our work on microphysiological systems, drug delivery, and protein-protein interactions.

Representing UD Biomedical Engineering at BMES 2025 in San Diego, CA

NIH R01 Award We are pleased to share that an NIH R01 grant has been awarded to Dr. Stephanie Cone (University of Delaware), Dr. Karin Silbernagel (UD Physical Therapy), Dr. Jason Franz (University of North Carolina), and Dr. Geoffrey Handsfield (University of North Carolina). Their collaborative project, “The Importance of Muscle-Subtendon Units in Achilles Tendinopathy,” will advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of tendon injury and contribute to improved prevention and treatment strategies. Congratulations to the team on this outstanding achievement!

BMEG Welcomes 55 First-Year Students at Academic Orientation Brunch As part of this year’s Academic Orientation experience, the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BMEG) proudly welcomed 55 enthusiastic first-year students to the program. The event featured a lively brunch where students had the opportunity to connect with their new classmates and begin building a sense of community. Department Chair Dr. Ryan Zurakowski offered a warm welcome, sharing words of encouragement and excitement for the journey ahead. This year also marks a special milestone as we welcomed, for the first time, three World Scholars students who will spend their first semester studying abroad in the United Kingdom. We’re thrilled to have such a dynamic and diverse group joining the BMEG family and look forward to all they will accomplish!

New Publication! 📢 Dr. Sarah I. Rooney collaborated with Dr. Jenny Amos at UIUC to publish an editorial in Biomedical Engineering Education detailing the design and outcomes of the 5th Biomedical Engineering Educational Summit, held in May 2024. The Summit brought together over 300 faculty from more than 100 institutions to discuss key issues in biomedical engineering education. In the editorial, the authors share strategies for session facilitation, pre- and post-Summit training for session co-chairs, and scholarly dissemination, including tools that supported the publication of 8 peer-reviewed articles resulting from the event. The piece serves as both a behind-the-scenes look at this national convening and a practical guide for future academic event planning. Read it here: rdcu.be/exUh0 @SarahIRooney, @jennyamos_uiuc, @UDengineering, @UDalumni

Updates from the Oakes Research Laboratory for the past few months as their team wraps up their first year at the University of Delaware. 1) Mikayla Jackson received the George W. Laird Merit Fellowship in recognition of her accomplishments and commitment to community outreach! 2) Our team welcomed Elizabeth Miczuga as a Summer Scholar through the NSF's Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program! Elizabeth is working with Lauren Porter on a new platform for drug delivery and tissue engineering. 3) Thanks to Utah BME for the newsletter feature and interview on my career path! It’s always great to connect with folks at my alma mater. More on these stories on our lab website at oakesimmuno.com.

📢BME News! University of Delaware Biomedical Engineering Faculty at the 2025 ASEE Annual Conference The University of Delaware’s Biomedical Engineering (BMEG) faculty was proudly represented at the 2025 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada. Faculty members Dr. Sarah I. Rooney, Dr. Julie Karand, and Dr. Ashutosh Khandha, along with colleagues from the College of Engineering, engaged with national and international leaders in the field of engineering education. Dr. Sarah I. Rooney concluded a distinguished seven-year term on the ASEE Biomedical Engineering Division Executive Board, serving three years as Member-at-Large and four years in the division’s chairs track. Her dedicated leadership has significantly advanced biomedical engineering education and strengthened the University of Delaware’s visibility within the ASEE community. Dr. Julie Karand presented “One Week in Cape Town Clinics: Reflections from an Undergraduate Engineering Experiential Learning Trip” as part of the ASEE International Division. Her talk highlighted the transformative impact of global experiential learning on the development and cross-cultural understanding of engineering students. Dr. Ashutosh Khandha was recognized for co-authoring the paper “Assessing the Impact of the Use of Generative AI in Developing and Using Assessment Grading Rubrics for Engineering Courses”(Omwando TA, Alhalawani A, Khandha A, Kotla B., 2025), which received 1st place for Best Paper in the Industrial Engineering (IE) Division. The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware remains committed to advancing engineering education through innovation, leadership, and active participation in national forums such as ASEE.