By Mary Giuffrida
“I want someone to walk away with an understanding of how expansive the field of biomaterials is: you can really go everywhere with it,” says Suh Hee Cook, a Ph.D. candidate in Fiber and Polymer Science.
Bringing Biomaterials Day to life
Cook, who is also the president of NC State’s student chapter of the Society for Biomaterials, is referring to the annual Biomaterials Day event put on by the society, which took place March 24. The event draws students and industry professionals from the Wilson College of Textiles and beyond to campus for a day filled with revered speakers, innovative research presentations and expansive networking opportunities.
Behind the event, there is a team of committed students from the society who work all year to bring Biomaterials Day to life. The society is a group ranging from undergraduate students to professors and industry leaders, dedicated to promoting advancements in biomaterial science. The student chapter at NC State connects students from the undergraduate through post-graduate levels to this mission.
“Our goal is really to promote the dissemination of information relating to biomaterials research, and really bring together the premier biomaterials researchers from around the country,” Grant Scull, vice president of NC State’s student chapter and national student president elect, says. “We were able to have networking events with industry sponsors and invite students from several local colleges and universities.”
Industry Speakers
The event was divided into three primary sessions. The first session focused on industry practices, and featured an invited speaker as well as three student speakers. Karuna Nambi Gowri, a Ph.D. student in Fiber and Polymer Science presented on “Fabrication of Barbed Sutures as Wound Closure Device for Plastic Surgery.”
“It was about, ‘How we take these things that we’re working on and really make them scalable to the point that they can be used in mass clinically and be profitable?’” Cook explains.
The next session focused on academics, and was led by a speaker from the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
“The second session was focused on really interrogating what’s going on in terms of these biomedical systems and the materials that we’re using to influence their microenvironment and ultimately use them clinically,” Cook says.
One of the student speakers for the second session was Nasif Mahmood, a Ph.D. student in Fiber and Polymer Science, presenting on “Laser Perforated and Surface Functionalized Nanofibrous Scaffold for Ocular Surface Reconstruction.”
Both Cook and Mahmood work in Wilson College’s Gluck Tissue Engineering Lab, fabricating biomaterials. The event gave them the opportunity to bring their research with the college to a new audience of students and professionals.
The third and final session focused on connecting the research to the everyday reality of the people these innovations are helping.
“The third session was clinical,” Cook says. “So at the end of the day, in the clinic, what is the physician looking at? How are they going to use this product or this technology or this therapeutic device? How is it going to interface with the patient?”
Bringing biomaterials to a new audience
This year’s event drew over 100 attendees, with dozens of industry innovators and students alike presenting their research and building connections. Undergraduates from the college were among the groups of students presenting their research at the poster session following the speakers.
“We had people from all walks of life, all backgrounds,” Scull says. “We had biomedical engineers, we had chemists, we had veterinary students, all using the same materials to reach their individual goals.”
As the society looks to the future, their goal is to continue building momentum. They hope to bring Biomaterials Day to an even larger audience.
“We would really like to promote the formation of additional Society for Biomaterials chapters at other universities in the area and push towards a regional annual Biomaterials Day that isn’t just our NC State student chapter,” Scull says.
Cook and Scull both urge students who are curious about biomaterials to get involved with the society and consider attending future Biomaterials Days.
“It’s a really great opportunity to not only learn about biomaterials research, but also learn how to network with the local community in industry and academia,” Scull says.
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