Mentorship Workshop

Abstract

Effective mentorship is a critical component of graduate training, yet it is rarely discussed explicitly. In this interactive one-hour workshop, MS and PhD BME students will be introduced to two mentorship frameworks that challenge the idea that a single mentor can meet all professional and personal development needs. Students will apply these frameworks to analyze their current mentorship structures and identify opportunities to expand their mentorship networks. Through guided reflection and peer discussion, participants will explore common challenges associated with finding, maintaining, and navigating mentor relationships in graduate school. The goal is to help students intentionally design a mentorship ecosystem that supports their goals.

Bio

Chamille Lescott is Director of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Master's Program, McCormick Academic Adviser, and design instructor. She has taught first-year undergraduate design in the Design Thinking and Communication program and senior-level students for the BME Capstone course. Dr. Lescott is passionate about bringing the design process into her advising sessions and research. When advising, she encourages students to assess and articulate their needs, connect to university and external resources, and continuously experiment to design a life they are excited about. Her research focuses on developing tools and educational research studies to promote student metacognition, academic success, and wellness.

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Direct Lung Tissue Morphogenesis via Controlled Cellular and Matrix Interactions

Abstract

Effective tissue engineering requires recreating the orchestrated interactions between cells and their surrounding cellular and extracellular matrix environments. Research in our group investigates how these interactions drive lung tissue morphogenesis. This talk will highlight our recent efforts to direct apicobasal polarity and lineage diversification in lung epithelia through controlled presentation of matrix and stromal cues, as well as strategies for shaping tissue geometry using bioprinting. We will also discuss the potential applications of these engineered tissue systems in therapeutic development and delivery.

Bio

Dr. Ren is currently an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Ren received his B.S. in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. in Cell Biology, both from Peking University. He completed his post-doctoral training in tissue engineering at Harvard Medical School. Current research in his lab focuses on understanding and engineering lung and vascular tissue morphogenesis, and are funded by grants from the NSF, NIH, DoD, ARPA-H, and private foundations. Dr. Ren received the NSF CAREER Award, Rising Star Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society, Biomedical Engineering New Innovator Award from the Northeast Bioengineering Conference, and was named Dean’s Early Career Fellow by the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He serves on the Young Investigator Committee at the Cell Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Society, and on the Publication Committee at the American Society of Matrix Biology.

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