From left to right, top to bottom: Biomedical sciences student Hala Abu Nahia, biomedical engineering student Lianna Marraffino, biomedical engineering student Nika Momeni and biomedical engineering student Megan Yiu.
Published on Friday, May 13, 2022
Through a generous donation from the Leacross Foundation, which aims to amplify opportunities for female-identifying individuals to succeed in STEM fields, four Toronto Metropolitan University students from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science have received placements at iBEST-based research labs from May to August. The donation of $100,000 will cover a stipend for each intern and allow hosting researchers to purchase lab equipment and supplies for training and mentorship.
Hala Abou Nahya, a third-year biomedical sciences student, received a placement at the Tsai Lab to work with Scott Tsai (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Warren Lee (Unity Health Toronto) on the project, “Microbubble-enabled gene delivery for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treatment”.
Lianna Marraffino, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student, received a placement at the IAMLAB to work with April Khademi (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Kiran Jakata (University Health Network) on the project, “AI-based lymph node metastasis segmentation for breast cancer pathology images”.
Nika Momeni, a third-year biomedical engineering student, received a placement at the SAR Lab to work with Sri Krishnan (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Venkat Bhat (Unity Health Toronto) on the project, “Visual analytics of multimedia content for mental health applications”.
Megan Yiu, a second-year biomedical engineering student, received a placement at the WiS Lab to work with Virgilio Valente (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Steve Lin (Unity Health Toronto) on the project, “Flexible heart patch for real-time monitoring of cardiac function”.
“We are happy to be able to offer, in partnership with the Leacross Foundation, four Women in STEM Summer Internship positions to a diverse group of students from science and engineering backgrounds,” said iBEST co-director Michael Kolios. “Along with opportunities to observe and take part in research at an institutional level, these students will have access to collaborative networks, interdisciplinary research leaders, state-of-the-art technology and clinical experts. With mentors from both academic and clinical backgrounds, these students will be exposed to a breadth of experience and knowledge unparalleled in the field, paired with practical applied skills training using advanced medical technology.”
Read about other opportunities at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology.
