Ahoya August 2018 Newsletter

Dr. John LaDisa receives $1.5 million NIH grant to study congenital cardiovascular disease 

Dr. John LaDisa, Lafferty Professor in Engineering and associate professor of biomedical engineering, has received a $1.5 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to define vascular changes that occur in patients with coarctation of the aorta.

A congenital disease that affects 5,000 to 8,000 people annually in the United States, coarctation of the aorta is characterized by a severe narrowing of the main artery that delivers blood from the heart to the body.

Collaborators on the grant include the Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, University of Florida and Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

More on LaDisa's NIH grant online.

Podcast: Dr. John Borg on the shock physics of engineering

While growing up, Dr. John Borg experimented by launching rockets. Today, he's still researching the effects of explosions and collisions. His specialty lies in shock physics, the research of understanding how material responds under extreme conditions.

Hear more from the chair and professor of mechanical engineering, who has studied the implications for subjects as diverse as earthquakes and the knuckleball, in the latest Illuminating Intellect podcast.

Opus Dean to speak at Milwaukee event on women in manufacturing

Dr. Kristina Ropella, Opus Dean of the Opus College of Engineering, will be a panelist at ManpowerGroup's "It's a Woman's World: Manufacturing's Future in the Digital Age," Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Rockwell Automation Global Headquarters. Learn from women who are leading innovation, seizing opportunity and empowering others to shape the future of digital manufacturing. Register online.

Craft is on tap

"When someone said they would prefer a domestic beer," said Jim McCabe, Eng '87, "I would point to the brewery 30 feet away and say, 'It doesn't get more domestic than that.'"

More online on McCabe and other Marquette alumni leading the way in the explosion of craft breweries in Milwaukee.

Awards and accomplishments:

• Four students from the Opus College of Engineering placed first for their project, "AI Ready Research Portal," at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine Hackathon in National Harbor, Maryland. The project developed a portal to search and anonymize radiology reports and images with the ability to link to pathology and genetics information from patients of the Marshfield Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Medical College of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin – Madison. More online.

• Dr. Patrick McNamara, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, received the 2018 Way Klingler Young Scholar Award. This award recognizes young scholars in critical stages of their careers with the funds to support a one-semester sabbatical. Dr. McNamara will be investigating how the country's aging drinking water distribution systems impact the type of bacteria present in drinking water. More online.

• The Opus College of Engineering's Engineers in the Lead (E-Lead) program received the 2018 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. E-Lead was selected based on their efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives. More online.

OCOE in the news: 

• Role of augmented reality for utilities workers: The Opus College and We Energies teamed up to test the ergonomics of using augmented reality in an industrial environment and to determine if it is distracting for utilities workers. More from Energy News.

• Study finds artificial sweeteners can lead to obesity and diabetes: A new study from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University links artificial sweeteners to obesity and diabetes, claiming sweeteners change how the body processes fat and uses energy. More from the Chicago Sun-Times.

• Post-doctoral fellow named Hero of the Week: Dr. Kyana Young, post-doctoral fellow in the Opus College, was named the Shepherd Express Hero of the Week for her work to bring water research opportunities to students at Milwaukee Public Schools. More from the Shepherd Express.

Upcoming events: 

It's a Woman's World: Manufacturing's Future in the Digital Age hosted by ManpowerGroup
Tuesday, Oct. 16
7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Rockwell Automation Global Headquarters, 1201 S. Second Street, Milwaukee

Emerging Contaminants in Water and Wastewater Short Course
Tuesday, Oct. 23 through Wednesday, Oct. 24
Raynor Memorial Libraries, 1355 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee

Second Annual Undergraduate Research Day
Friday, Oct. 26
More information to follow in the coming months.