UW News

October 10, 2014

Engineering lecture series focuses on technologies for the heart

UW News

The heart often goes unnoticed until something goes wrong.2014 flyer image

During the next month, the University of Washington’s College of Engineering fall lecture series will feature faculty researchers in engineering and medicine who are improving cardiac medical care with new technologies. All lectures are free and open to the public.

The series kicks off on Wednesday (Oct. 15) in 120 Kane Hall with “Engineering a Broken Heart.” Charles Murry, a UW professor of pathology, cardiology and bioengineering, will share how his team is using engineering, stem cells and medicine to regenerate heart muscle. This could help rebuild muscle tissue after a heart attack.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, in 120 Kane Hall, speakers will talk about the biomechanics of cells in the cardiovascular system. We depend on active cells that can create blood clots to prevent blood loss in an injury or pump blood throughout our bodies when we exercise. UW engineers and physicians are studying cell biomechanics to try to improve blood clotting to help with healing in traumatic injuries.

Nathan Sniadecki, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and adjunct professor of bioengineering, and Nathan White, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and adjunct assistant professor of bioengineering, will present “Get a Grip: Cell Biomechanics in Cardiovascular Health.”

Finally, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the focus will be on new ways to power implantable devices such as pacemakers. Using battery packs and even cables to run these electronics is cumbersome, and engineers are discovering ways to wirelessly deliver power to devices by harvesting ambient cellular phone and TV signals from the air. Joshua Smith, an associate professor of computer science and engineering and of electrical engineering, will explain his team’s work in this field in “Cutting the Cord: Wireless Power for Implantable Devices.”

All lectures are free and start at 7 p.m. Advance registration, either online or by calling 206-543-0540, is required. All lectures will be broadcast at a later date on UWTV.

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