NSF Award
2412513
This award supports the 50th Northeast Bioengineering Conference (NEBEC), which will be held April 4-5, 2024, and hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. The NEBEC gathers current and next generations of biomedical engineers and scientists annually. Faculty, post-doctorates, and students can participate and spotlight their works through podium and poster presentations, including the annual undergraduate design competition. The NEBEC is one of the longest continually running conferences showcasing Biomedical Engineering (BME) research in the United States. This historically student-centered conference gathers prominent researchers in the region to meet and spotlight their work in BME to broader scientific audiences. Undergraduate and graduate students eagerly attend each year, given NEBEC’s traditions of offering majorly discounted student registrations and providing activities encouraging student participation, including networking and presentations of research and senior design projects. This year’s offering of the NEBEC aims to build on these student-centered traditions while also achieving greater faculty engagement and bringing more consideration of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in research. This conference will hold new interactive sessions for networking and discussion panels aimed at career development for students and early-career scientists in bioengineering. Senior scientists and engineers, including department chairs and those with track records in industry, will lead these panels. Central topics of these sessions include finding new career paths in healthcare, transitioning to first and second jobs, starting a laboratory, and building collaborations. <br/> <br/>This conference supports undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and various leaders in biomedical engineering to share ideas and network to build foundations for innovative research in multiple research areas. This year’s conference will include scientific tracks of Cell and Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials, Biomechanics (including Tissue Mechanics and Locomotion), Medical Imaging and Processing (including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning), Medical Devices and Technology, Neuro-engineering, and BME Education. A central theme of this year’s conference is greater consideration of DEI in bioengineering research. Student and faculty recognition, including the Faculty Innovator Award for early-career scientists, will consider both scientific merit and the pursuit of DEI with research and educational objectives. This year’s conference is expected to attract over 400 attendees from the northeast region of the United States, including keynote speakers from academia and industry. Across this two-day conference, over 200 presentations (at least 50 podium talks and 150 posters) are anticipated. Data and observations from faculty and students hosting the event, including a post-conference survey of attendees, are expected to generate a published perspective article describing successes and challenges in holding this year’s conference with the stated objectives.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
