USU to Host Intermountain Biological Engineering Conference

After two years, Utah State University’s Department of Biological Engineering will host the Intermountain Biological Engineering Conference to provide faculty and students an in-person opportunity to share their research.

The event will take place Oct. 28 and 29 at the Eccles Conference Center and is open to university students from across the region. Registration is $40 and includes lunch and access to all events.

Jixun Zhan, the department head for biological engineering, says he’s excited for the upcoming conference and research presentations.

“In addition to oral and poster presentations, we will also have three outstanding keynote speakers from the University of Iowa, University of Utah and Brigham Young University who will discuss their pioneering work at IBEC,” he said.

Those three speakers, Allan Guymon, Brad Bundy and David Grainger, are all leading experts in their fields.

Guymon is the co-director of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and is also the director of the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on Photopolymerization.

Bundy, a professor of chemical engineering at BYU, will present on the power of synthetic biology and engineering magistral biotherapeutics, optimized biocatalysts and at-home biosensors.

Lastly, Grainger has served as the chair for several research review panels and currently serves on editorial boards for six major journals. He will present his research on stem cells.

In addition to presentations and keynote addresses, there will also be lab tours, industry panels, workshops and networking opportunities.

Students from USU, University of Utah, University of Idaho, BYU and BYU-I are all encouraged to attend.

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Writer: Sydney Dahle, 435-797-7512, sydney.dahle@usu.edu

Academic Contact: Jixun Zhan, 435-797-8774, jixun.zhan@usu.edu

Event Contact: Lauren Shanley, 435-797-1041, lauren.shanley@usu.edu