Millennium Café

With cryo electron microscopy (CryoEM) in the spot light these days, it's important to be aware of it's different flavors, as well as the complimentary technologies that have developed in tandem. In this talk I will focus on the use of electron cryotomography to study molecules in their cellular context, the development of cryo-focused ion beam milling for imaging within mammalian cells and tissue, as well as cryo-fluorescence microscopy for targeting specific molecules within the cell. I will also touch on the current challenges to be overcome as cryogenic imaging moves into the future.

Traditional tissue engineering methods utilize either isolated cell suspension injection or biodegradable scaffolds to support tissue formation. However, current cell seeding methods can lead to insufficient nutrient transport to cells located in the interior of the scaffold, resulting in poor graft integration. I will present our progress in the development of a scaffold free platform as an alternative to scaffold based techniques in tissue engineering. 

The Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program (HESE) is focused on how engineering and social enterprise mix to solve humanitarian problems. The talk will show what the program is and where it is going, and highlight an example of how we are working to allow nearly anyone anywhere to use 3D printing to bring medical necessities to rural health care facilities. 

Join us for a performance by Penn State's professors of flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. This ensemble will present a program that will include a fugue by the renowned J.S. Bach and music from Parallel Universe, a newly-commissioned-jazz-inspired work by Los Angeles-based composer Gernot Wolfgang.  This diverse program will appeal to all listeners.

Members of the Pennsylvania Quintet | School of Music

Charts and graphs are crucial tools for communicating scientific data. Unfortunately, it's easy to make charts with awkward, confusing, or otherwise ineffective design choices.  In this talk, I’ll review simple design concepts that can make the difference between mediocrity and an effective, compelling, and inspiring visual aid.

Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in the importance of mechanical stimuli on cell behavior. Passive physical properties (i.e., alignment, stiffness) and actively applied mechanical stimuli (i.e., stretch, fluid shear stress) modulate fundamental aspects of cell function.  However, most mechanobiology studies investigate isolated cells on artificial substrates, which lack the complicated 3D structure and composition of the cellular “niche” found within the native tissue. Using tendons as a model system, I will discuss my efforts to measure tissue mechanics at the cellular length scale and understand the cell response to mechanical stimuli during tendon degeneration and development.  The goals of this work are to identify the causes of tendon pathology, discover novel therapeutic options, and direct the design of biomaterials that can recapitulate the behavior of native tissue.