From October 11th to the 14th, I had the pleasure of attending the Biomedical Engineering Society's (BMES) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, where some of the greatest and up-and-coming minds in the biomedical field gathered. Undergraduate and graduate students alike proudly displayed their hard work in the form of research posters and brief presentations to judges and biomedical professionals from across the nation.
The first day, Wednesday, was relatively quiet, as many of the conference’s participants, such as myself, arrived that day. However, some, including GW’s own Michelle Pyle and Brooke Hackney, arrived and worked hard on Tuesday to prepare booths for attracting prospective students and faculty. The GW BME department organized a bonding event between students and faculty at Lucky Strike, a local bowling alley, to properly kick off the conference.
The conference was in full swing starting Thursday morning and kicked off a series of events and talks accessible to the attendees. The talks spanned various fields in biomedical research, innovation and related topics. Additionally, there were dozens of booths from various institutions with free gadgets and gear that the attendees were able browse and take. Other universities handed out candy, sunglasses, pens, a seemingly endless supply of fidget spinners, and even bottles of hot sauce. Our own GW booth had some of the best gear at the conference such as string bags, color-changing mugs, and tech sets within a water bottle that included USB chargers, portable chargers, and other tech essentials.
Some of the other booths on display were prospective employers such as Edwards LifeSciences, the Mayo Clinic, and the FDA. Other companies showed off their latest technology including 3D tissue printers, EEGs, and other biomedical technology. Thursday night, the GW BMES attendees gathered for dinner at Compass Arizona Grill that rotates on the top floor of the Hyatt Regency to celebrate a few of the professors’ birthdays.
Friday was filled with several more events. The GW booth continued to dish out awesome gear and recruit potential future GW SEAS members. While recruiting, we invited prospective faculty and students to our reception on the second floor of the Sheraton, where a majority of the GW BMES attendees resided. The reception was an 80s-themed party and was a huge hit amongst both GW and other BMES attendees. There were a variety of foods, desserts and beverages for partygoers. Additionally, there was a pool table, several 80s arcade games like PAC-MAN and Donkey Kong, and an 80s-style jukebox blasting out classic songs such as "Thriller" and "Living on a Prayer."
After the GW reception, there was a dessert bash available for BMES attendees at the Arizona Science Center. It was quite amusing seeing the center’s exhibits entertain engineers, many of whom have PhDs, using basic scientific concepts. Additionally, there was an open bar to compliment the plethora of desserts and sweets like cheesecakes and jelly beans.
The conference came to a close on Saturday, wrapping up the last of the presentations and the institutions cleaning up their respective booths. BMES provided an excellent means of spreading ideas and fostering collaboration between faculty members and researchers at various institutions. Additionally, BMES is an excellent networking event for students and faculty, which the GW BME department capitalized on to invite a select few prospective PhD students to our BME day on November 6th. I would absolutely recommend that any BME student attend the BMES conference and events if the opportunity presents itself.
Shakti Gurikar is...
I also attended the Biomedical Engineering Society's (BMES) conference in Phoenix, Arizona on October 13th. Good summary of the event and keep up the good work!