Biomedical engineering graduate students Nafis Arefin and Demitria Poulos were recently selected to attend reputable national conferences, with all expenses covered by the organizing committees.
Arefin submitted a research abstract to the Cardiovascular Implants and Durability (CVID) Conference in Pacific Grove, California, and was selected as one of six finalists for the student competition. Poulos was invited to attend the Rising Stars in Mechanical Engineering workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a highly selective conference aimed at female graduate students and PhD holders considering future careers in academia.
Arefin and Poulos, who are both in the final year of their PhD work at the University of Tennessee, are advised by BME Assistant Professor Bryan Good in UT’s Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab.
Arefin’s research area is patient-specific computational modeling of blood flow dynamics and particle tracking in the human aorta and cerebral arteries to better understand stroke and organ injury risks during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.
In the student competition, Arefin placed first in his category and was the first runner-up overall for his abstract, Computational Analysis of Cardiovascular System – CFD & FEA.
“It was a truly transformative and inspiring experience. Presenting my research in front of hundreds of leading professionals and academics in cardiovascular biomechanics was both humbling and empowering,” Arefin said. “It was inspiring to receive feedback from senior researchers at the FDA, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, etc., and leading universities who shared insights on how computational models can accelerate clinical translation.”
Service to the Community
In her application to attend the Rising Stars workshop, Poulos discussed how a career in academia intrigued her, but she previously questioned whether she had accumulated enough research and professional experience to be prepared for a teaching or principal investigator role.
“Through my experiences at UT, I’ve come to understand that the most impactful professors are not those that know everything, but those who are approachable, engaging, and sincere about being committed to supporting their students,” Poulos said. “This workshop gave me the opportunity to reflect on this further and has been pivotal in shifting my perspective on whether I am prepared for a career in academia.”
Being at the conference challenged Poulos to identify why she pursued biomedical engineering, what her professional goals are, and how she wants to impact future generations of engineers and students.
“I realized that as a UT student it is instilled in us to serve our community and make sure our work is meaningful, and this is the same message I want to convey to future engineers if I pursue a career in academia,” she said. “Many times, as engineers, we are often more focused on creating a perfect product to improve a person’s life rather than the market need or device reproducibility; however, both the technical and enterprise side need to be considered to successfully impact society.”
Invaluable Experiences
Arefin and Poulos both had the chance to network with leading experts and pioneers in their field of research and study at their respective conferences. They received valuable mentorship and connected with fellow students.
“It was inspiring to exchange ideas, gain insights into emerging research directions, and explore future collaboration opportunities,” Arefin said. “I was also incredibly proud to represent the University of Tennessee and our Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab on such a respected stage.”
Arefin and Poulos are grateful for their experiences at the national conferences and hope to see future Engineering Vols get the same chance.
“Opportunities like this are invaluable. They showcase the strong research culture at UT and the impact our students can make on an international and practical scale,” Arefin said. “I strongly encourage UT students to keep submitting their work to high-impact conferences. These experiences open doors to mentorship, collaboration, and career-defining opportunities that go far beyond the event itself.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])