Department hosts seventh annual research symposium

Meghan King | Posted on May 13, 2025
  6. BME Affiliate Professor and Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Benjamin Sanchez Terrones speaks during his keynote
    Jim Young/ UIC Engineering
    Students, staff, and faculty walk around the 7th Annual UIC Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium looking through the variety of research posters
  8. BME senior Alex Grosvenor presents his reseach during the new elevator pitch session during the 7th Annual UIC Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium
    Jim Young/ UIC Engineering
    BME senior Alex Grosvenor presents his reseach during the new elevator pitch session during the 7th Annual UIC Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium
  9. Robert Uyetani Collegiate Professor, Associate Department Head, Director of Graduate Studies Salman Khetani speaks at the annual research symposium
    Jim Young/ UIC Engineering
    Robert Uyetani Collegiate Professor, Associate Department Head, Director of Graduate Studies Salman Khetani speaks at the annual research symposium

The Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering and the UIC student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) held the seventh UIC Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium on April 18.

This year’s symposium featured a keynote speech by BME Affiliate Professor and Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Benjamin Sanchez Terrones. BME alumna and current AbbVie Senior Scientist Grace Brown also presented during the symposium. Brown graduated from UIC with her bachelor’s in biomedical engineering in 2017 and her PhD in biomedical engineering in 2022.

“The elevator pitches and posters for everyone are a new format we tried this year, and I got a lot of positive feedback as everyone was given some stage time and then more one-on-one interactions with passersby in the poster session,” said Salman Khetani, Robert Uyetani Collegiate Professor, director of graduate studies, and associate head of the department. “Each poster and elevator pitch also got three judges to score them.”

Overall, many commented that they appreciated the opportunity to hone their skills for national and international conferences, to build the UIC student researcher community, and to form professional networks and collaborations across UIC.

Winners from this year’s symposium include:

First Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Undergraduate: Ruth Mathew

Second Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Undergraduate: Alexandria Sterenberg, Itzy Hernandez, Lina Kiswani, Lorena Oritz, Osayenmwen Omozusi, and Rixzie Jimenez

First Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Graduate: Adith Srivatsa

Second Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Graduate: Francesca Molinari

Third Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Graduate: Derrick Wells

Fourth Place Elevator Pitch Presentation Graduate: Alfa Rossi and Marc Camardo

First Place Poster Presentation Undergraduate: Django Allegretti, Alexandria Sterenberg, Itzy Hernandez, Lina Kiswani, Lorena Oritz, Osayenmwen Omozusi, and Rixzie Jimenez

Second Place Poster Presentation Undergraduate: Lane Hamilton, Ruhail Shamsi, and Sophie Nguyen

First Place Poster Presentation Graduate: Sarah McGuinness

Second Place Poster Presentation Graduate: Suzanne Alvernaz

Third Place Poster Presentation Graduate: Francesca Molinari

Fourth Place Poster Presentation Graduate: Derrick Wells and Alfa Rossi