"Using Student-Centered Approaches to Enhance Student Learning in Bioengineering"

ABSTRACT:

Active learning is a term that describes instructional activities that engage students in their own learning process. In this seminar, I will discuss the effectiveness of implementing a variety of student-centered techniques in bioengineering laboratory courses. Designing relevant instructional materials, developing learning resources and implementing research-driven student-centered strategies in the classroom can significantly enhance student learning and engagement.

BIO:

Renata F. Ramos is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and a Full Teaching Professor in the department of Bioengineering.

Ramos has taught at Rice University since 2008, serving as primary instructor for over 14 different courses. While in this teaching-intensive position, she has undertaken hands-on, project-based, laboratory and lecture courses in biomedical instrumentation, biomechanics, biofluids, mechanical testing, medical devices, systems physiology, engineering design, tissue culture, and bioengineering fundamentals.

Her contributions to the bioengineering educational field are evident from her (1) efforts in implementing and assessing novel pedagogical techniques in her classes, (2) her contributions to curriculum innovation and (3) her leadership in developing educational programs and multidisciplinary opportunities.

As the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Ramos serves as the primary representative of the Dean’s Office on matters affecting undergraduate and graduate academics. She also supports teaching faculty development programs; oversees diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the school; supports innovation in education; oversees accreditation and assessment; and interacts with school chairs on matters of academic programming.

Ramos’ exceptional efforts in instructional design and course management have been recognized through Experiential Inquiry and Research in the Curriculum, Enhancing Engineering Education and Brown Foundation Teaching Grants. Her teaching excellence and mentoring has also been recognized through Rice University’s George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching (2014, 2017, 2019), the Department of Bioengineering’s Excellence in Teaching Award (2013, 2018, 2023), the Excellence in Academic Advising Award from Rice’s Office of Academic Advising (2014), and the Graduate Student Association Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award (2020). She has also received national recognition, including the Biomedical Engineering Division Teaching Award (2014) and the Theo C. Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award (2023) by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). In 2022, she was also elected a fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Society for her contributions to engineering education.

Outside the classroom, Ramos contributes greatly to overall student life and academic efforts at Rice University. She has served as an undergraduate academic advisor in the department of Bioengineering (2014-present), as an engineering divisional advisor for first year students (2011-present), as faculty advisor for the Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter (2017-present) and as a member of several academic committees at Rice and for the Department of Bioengineering, the school of Engineering and Rice University. She also served as a resident associate (2011-2018) to Rice’s college system.

Ramos is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and an associate editor for the Biomedical Engineering Educational Journal.

Related Info

Abstract

Understanding the earliest changes in oncogenesis remains a significant challenge because we lack tools to map these changes in patient tissues. Using single-cell RNA and spatial profiling combined with mitochondrial mutation lineage tracing, we capture the clonality and transcriptional states of early oncogenic lesions from human patients. We find that pre-cancerous metaplasia of the esophagus is polyclonal, similar to normal tissues, and consists of well-defined cell types. In contrast, early cancer lesions emerge from a single clone, showing reduced transcriptional and cell-type diversity. We uncover specific molecular pathways in this transformation, including WNT signaling, activated through a mutation in APC. This approach broadly aims to delineate the initial evolutionary steps in cancer progression, offering potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer interception.

About Sydney Shaffer, MD, PhD

Sydney Shaffer is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing her MD/PhD in 2018, she started her own research group in 2019 working at the intersection of engineering and medicine. As a recipient of the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, she has been recognized for her innovative research on single-cell heterogeneity with a focus on functionally important cell states that mediate drug resistance in cancer. Dr. Shaffer leads a research group that operates at the intersection of engineering and medicine, with a primary focus on developing and applying innovative single-cell technologies to study the complex interplay of gene regulation, cellular heterogeneity, and disease.

Live on Zoom, registration is free at https://tinyurl.com/3zd2wnn9

Related Info

Register Now

Abstract

Understanding the earliest changes in oncogenesis remains a significant challenge because we lack tools to map these changes in patient tissues. Using single-cell RNA and spatial profiling combined with mitochondrial mutation lineage tracing, we capture the clonality and transcriptional states of early oncogenic lesions from human patients. We find that pre-cancerous metaplasia of the esophagus is polyclonal, similar to normal tissues, and consists of well-defined cell types. In contrast, early cancer lesions emerge from a single clone, showing reduced transcriptional and cell-type diversity. We uncover specific molecular pathways in this transformation, including WNT signaling, activated through a mutation in APC. This approach broadly aims to delineate the initial evolutionary steps in cancer progression, offering potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer interception.

About Sydney Shaffer, MD, PhD

Sydney Shaffer is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing her MD/PhD in 2018, she started her own research group in 2019 working at the intersection of engineering and medicine. As a recipient of the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, she has been recognized for her innovative research on single-cell heterogeneity with a focus on functionally important cell states that mediate drug resistance in cancer. Dr. Shaffer leads a research group that operates at the intersection of engineering and medicine, with a primary focus on developing and applying innovative single-cell technologies to study the complex interplay of gene regulation, cellular heterogeneity, and disease.

Live on Zoom, registration is free at https://tinyurl.com/3zd2wnn9

Related Info

Register Now

The 2024 Symposium on Physical Genomics: Engineering Living Systems at the Convergence of Biological, Physical and Computational Sciences

9:00am to 5:00pm, Friday, April 26, 2024

Simpson-Querrey Auditorium, 303 E. Superior, Chicago, IL

Featuring talks by:

Keynote Lecture: Masashi Narita, Cancer Research UK

Gene Regulation in Cellular Senescence

Karmella Haynes, Emory University

Investigating Gene Activation Dynamics Within Human Polycomb Chromatin with Synthetic Reader-Effectors

Fang Huang, Purdue University

Ultra-High Resolution Imaging Through Deep Tissues and a New Information-Based Theoretical Resolution Limit

Melike Lakadamyali, University of Pennsylvania

Super-Resolution Imaging of Chromatin Structure and Dynamics in Health and Disease

Andrew Spakowitz, Stanford University

Physical Modeling of Nucleosome Clustering in Euchromatin Resulting From Interactions Between Epigenetic Reader Proteins

Allison Squires, University of Chicago

Capturing biomolecular interactions at the single-molecule level with ABEL trap fluorescence spectroscopy

Coffee/tea beginning at 9:00am

There will be a lunchtime open submission poster session; to participate, email abstracts to b-keane@northwestern.edu

Click Here to Register

Related Info

Register Now

McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master’s Degree Recognition Ceremony

Related Info

McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

Related Info