March 2015

VOLUME IX | MAR 2015 | ISSUE 5

THEPIONEER.GATECH.EDU

PIONEER

IMPULSES

A series of glimpses into the heartbeat of BME.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

From the Editor in Chief PIONEER Hi all!

Established 2007

EDITOR IN CHIEF Jonathan Austin

My name is Jonathan Austin, and I am the new Editor-in-Chief for Pioneer. I am thrilled to be able to work alongside our officers and staff, both new and old, and I look forward to serving the organization in what should be an exciting year for the newsletter. As with every spring semester, we had to bid farewell to many of our senior members as they embark upon their final semester here at Georgia Tech so we wish them all the best! Our past recruitment season, however, has given us a plethora of eager, new faces who will no doubt be able to pick up the reins and help us continue to produce excellent issues.

In this issue of Pioneer, we have a number of interesting articles for your reading pleasure. We continue our Spotlight Series with an article featuring the roots of Dr. Platt’s scientific career and his love of cathepsins. In addition, we have a Review article written by one of our staff who attended the Ebola Symposium in Oxford, England, as well as a brand new series called Whitaker Vignettes focusing on the everyday goings-on within the BME community. In addition, we have a Research Series article featuring Dr. Jo’s lab at Emory, a Biotech Review article about web-based bioinformatics utilities, a piece about the Learning Commons program BME Dinner Jackets, and much more!

For more regular updates on the happenings of the biotechnology community, feel free to like our Facebook page at facebook.com/gtpioneer, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/pioneergt and take a glance at more online content at thepioneer.gatech.edu. If you would like, you can also reach us by e-mail at thepioneer@gatech.edu. Thank you for your continual support, and we hope you enjoy this issue!

FACULTY SPONSOR Barbara Fasse, Ph.D. OPERATIONS SECRETARY TREASURER PUBLIC RELATIONS

Kelsey Williams

STAFF WRITERS Abhinaya Uthayakumar Akanksha Bhatia Shanzeh Farooqui Sarah Gonzales Brandon Holt Ann Johnson Yinglin Li Andrew McNair Alaap Murali Dhara Patel Tanvi Rao Erik Sampayo Linda Tian Nadiya Zafar

EDITORS Catherine Chou

Nader Abdullahi Andrew Akers Sruti Bheri Alexis Blazier Julie Chow Hardika Dhir Elizabeth Johnson Amanda Klinker Meera Nathan Likhit Nayak Melanie Yoshimura

EVENTS AND DEADLINES.....………………………….…..………………..……...……..........4 LEARNING COMMONS.....................................…….………………….…….…….……….....5 SPOTLIGHT..........................………………..………………………..…..…...………...............6 Dr.Manu Platt

RESEARCH SERIES............………………..………………………..…..…...………...............7 Dr.Hanjoong Jo

That’s So BME.....................………….…......…………...…………..……….………..…..........7 IMPULSES............................................................................................................................8 BIOTECH REVIEW............................................…….………………….…….….….………..10 HEALTH..............................………….…......…………...…………..……….………..….........11 BME ANSWERS.................................................................................................................11

Molecular Stiffness of Selectins

by Krishna K. Sarangpani, Bryan T. Marshall, Roger P. McEver, & Cheng Zhu The Journal of Biological Chemistry Infection alert! In this time of sniffles and coughs, how our bodies fight back against the ravages of infection is of particular interest, especially to researchers in Dr. Cheng Zhu’s lab in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. While white blood cells (leukocytes) are known to fight infection, how the leukocytes congregate to a point of infection is an important point of study with selectins playing a key role.

Selectins facilitate this congregation of leukocytes by rolling adhesion, which is, anchoring the leukocytes in place against the flow of bodily fluids. Researchers have found values for molecular stiffness for several selectins (L-, E-, and P-) to be 4.2, 1.4, and 0.85 piconewton/nm respectively. With a greater understanding of the mechanical properties of the molecules that help fight infection, greater therapeutic answers may soon follow.

Cultured Human Bone Marrow–Derived CD31+ Cells Are Effective for Cardiac and Vascular Repair Through Enhanced Angiogenic, Adhesion, and Anti-Inflammatory Effects

by Sung-Whan Kim, PhD, Mackenzie Houge, BS, Milton Brown, BS, Michael E. Davis, PhD, Young-sup Yoon, MD, PhD Journal of the American College of Cardiology The recipe for the perfect stem cell is so elusive even Martha Stewart hasn’t figured it out yet. However, Dr. Yoon-sup Yoon’s lab and fellow researchers are getting closer day by day. In a recent publication, they announced the advantages of short-term cultured EC-CD31(+) cells.

Not only do these cells have better anti-inflammatory potential, vessel-formation, cell engraftment and cardiomyocyte proliferation compared to current cell therapy conditions, but they are highly effective for both cardiac and peripheral vascular repair. Such research is hoped to better cell-based regenerative therapies for ischemic cardiovascular disease.

LAYOUT EDITORS Joy Kim

Kevin Bai Candice Cheung Brandi Nevius Diane Nguyen Pearly Pandya Michelle Tourchak Yuyan Wang Yiran Zhao

PHOTOGRAPHERS Morgan Hinchey Dustin Blohm Wanda Chen Paige McQuade Anokhi Patel Maya Rajan Connor Sofia Hyunjun (Fred) Woo Jimmy Zhou

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS…………………….………….…………..…………...…...….......3 REVIEW..........……............................……………..…….……...……….….......…………........4

Hee Su Lee Maithili Appalwar

Lim WEBMASTERS Arthur Shehab Attia

Until Next Time, Jonathan Austin Editor-in-Chief Pioneer

INSIDE PIONEER

Tino Zhang Sameer Mishra

MAR ISSUE 5

COLLABORATORS

Karen Adams Paul Fincannon Courtney Lucas Ferencik Sally Gerrish Katie Byrum Andrea Clark Sage Duddleston Shushmita Hogue Hanjoong Jo Eric McKissick Manu Platt Catherine Wallace

Figure for Cultured Human Bone Marrow–Derived CD31+ Cells Are Effective for Cardiac and Vascular Repair Through Enhanced Angiogenic, Adhesion, and Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Purification of cardiomyocytes from differentiating pluripotent stem cells using molecular beacons that target cardiomyocyte-specific mRNA.

by Ban K, Wile B, Kim S, Park HJ, Byun J, Cho KW, Saafir T, Song MK, Yu SP, Wagner M, Bao G, Yoon YS. Circulation Tidying up one’s latest batch of stem cells is another issue in the forefront of the Yoon lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In the production of cardiomyocytes (CMs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), current practices lead to mixtures of purity levels of 53% CMs and 47% nonCMs at best. These heterogeneous mixtures are especially dangerous as they have been shown to lead to a high rate of tumors. The Yoon lab though is working on a novel approach to generate cardiomyocytes at unprecedented levels of 97% CMs through the use of targeted molecular beams. Furthermore, current CMs purified from this new method have formed zero tumors to date. This novel method of purification may also theoretically be used for other cells, making stem cell treatment more effective than ever.

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REVIEW

LEARNING COMMONS

EBOLA SYMPOSIUM 2015

BME DINNER JACKETS

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By Ann Johnson Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

By Dhara Patel Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

here have been 22,560 reported cases of the Ebola virus since February 10th, with a fatality rate of about 70%. As such, I am part of a team of students working to reduce those numbers and to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks through the Grand Challenges program at Georgia Tech. Our approach to improving the West African healthcare system is to facilitate better communication and to foster relationships between world health organizations and local communities in West Africa.

On January 13th, fellow Grand Challenger Lauren Aycock and I traveled to Oxford, England for the Ebola 2015 Symposia. This conference brought together a wide range of specialists from across the spectrum of infectious diseases and gave us the opportunity to meet the leaders involved with the global Ebola response. Though the Grand Challenges team has far to go before we join the ranks of these leaders, our curiosity and fresh eyes gave us a little insight into the efforts against Ebola. One issue we noticed was how little the scientists interacted across disciplines; for example, modeling experts argued with public health officials that the outbreak could have been prevented altogether if their research had been taken more seriously. Meanwhile, anthropologists showed epidemiologists the amount of time and resources which had been wasted due to a lack of cultural awareness. Lauren and I realized that if these connections had been formed earlier and made more transparent, the number of preventable deaths could have been much fewer.

Ann Johnson attended the Ebola 2015 Symposia this past January. (Photo: Maya Rajan)

The current trend of keeping information private until publication is a barrier to many areas of scientific progress; a need for public acknowledgement, regardless of the arena, can sometimes inhibit effective communication and efficient problem-solving. As such, our team is working to help foster interdisciplinary communication between the organizations involved in the Ebola prevention effort by creating a transparent data-sharing platform tailored to their needs. This situation serves as a reminder to those of us here at Tech (who can tend to get caught up in our individual projects) that large-scale change is not restricted to the laboratory and is contingent upon collaboration.

EVENTS AND DEADLINES

FEB 26 The Charles L Liotta Symposium on Advances in Chemistry Celebrating 20 Years of Joyful Science and Service 8:20 AM— Petit Room 1128

MAR 5 Bioengineering Series Dr. Horst von Recum 11 AM — Petit Room 1128

MAR 2 2015 Suddath Award Winner Presentation Havva Keskin 11:30 AM

MAR 10 Breakfast Club Seminar Dr. Xiaoping Hu 8:30 AM — Petit Room 1128

MAR 2 Office hour with the Dean Dean Gary May 2 PM — Petit Room 1128

APR 7 Bioengineering Series Dr. Gerard A. Ateshian 11 AM — Petit Room 1128

Dr. Le Doux’s Tamale Making Fiesta. (Photo: Submitted)

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between six to ten students and a student facilitator talk to and pick the brains of the instructor and their significant other in the hopes of discovering a new side of the faculty member.

So how does a typical Dinner Jacket work? The event itself is held anywhere the professor or facilitator wishes; currently, these events are being hosted in a variety of locations based on the teacher’s convenience and what he or she seeks to impart to the students.

For example, Dr. LeDoux recently held a tamale making fiesta at his home, while Marty Jacobson opened up the machine shop. Other venues have included restaurants like 10th and Piedmont or Raku, with students traveling off-campus in a group. During the dinner,

More than fifty students have already taken advantage of this amazing opportunity and agreed that going to a Dinner Jacket event was both enriching and enlightening. If you are interested in signing up for a Dinner Jacket event, please contact Catherine Wallace at cwallace32@gatech.edu. Most dinner seats are filled within 48 hours of posting, so be on the lookout for new dates!

ant to network over a good meal? Sign up to be part of the BME Learning Commons’ newest program, BME Dinner Jackets! Not only is Dinner Jackets an opportunity to try interesting new foods for free, but it also increases your prospects of connecting to a faculty member or upperclassmen outside of the academic environment. According to the Dinner Jackets Head Coordinator, Catherine Wallace, the concept began when she realized that SAA did not recruit many BMEs for their dinners. At the same time, she found out that the Learning Commons was looking for ways to connect faculty and students. Putting two and two together, Wallace seized the opportunity to adapt a successful Dinner Jackets program for the BME community. What most do not realize (and what makes this program particularly special) is that many professors are often simply too busy to sit down and personally interact with students; according to Wallace, one of the professors that is planning to host a dinner had to schedule it for two months after being asked because of her busy schedule!

The opportunity to learn about a mentor’s problem-solving process and his or her journey to becoming Tech faculty is one of the most valuable lessons a student can receive. Not only can BME Dinner Jacket attendees better connect with the experts giving them knowledge inside the classroom, but they can also gain life advice from those same people about how to pursue a successful career in or even outside the field. There is always a myriad of possible conversation topics at the dinner table – anything from MCATs to travel experiences to being in a marriage where both partners are PhD’s. In fact, if you have ever had a question about a professor (including the department chair, Dr. Bellamkonda, who will be hosting a dinner soon) or wondered from where one of his or her idiosyncrasies came, a BME Dinner Jackets is the perfect opportunity to ask!

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SPOTLIGHT

RESEARCH

GETTING TO KNOW DR. PLATT

VASCULAR MECHANOBIOLOGY

MAR MAR ISSUE ISSUE 55

By Yinglin Li Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

By Brandon Holt Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

ining the hallways of the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences, you will find rows of incredibly unique and intelligent professors, many of who stand at the helm of impressive labs destined to make waves in their respective fields. Of these, Dr. Manu Platt stands out as a prominent figure in the Biomedical Engineering department here at Georgia Tech. I recently had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Platt, and for those of you who have yet to meet him, I would like to introduce you to this lively professor with a smile that will light up a room.

Like many students may have, I initially assumed that most professors were more or less subtle variations of Sheldon Cooper; however, Dr. Platt is yet another example of how personable and interesting our faculty is. With an ear for live music, the ability to appreciate reality TV, and the dexterity to create impressive origami, he is a truly relatable person.

Born in New Jersey, Dr. Platt is the secondDr. Platt is as a renowned member of the global biomedical engineering community, contributing a oldest of six boys and discovered his love for great deal of research to evaluating cathspin’s role in causing diseases such as cancer metastasis, science at the early age of five when his class osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. (Photo: Wanda Chen) went to a national science fair in California.

Introduced to and inspired by research, Platt carried his desire to understand “the way things work” all throughout produce heart burn, rash, fever, head ache, dizziness upon standing, childhood. His mother was a health teacher and often told him to “eat coma, or possibly even death. What is even more fascinating is that, this” or “do that” because they were good for his body, but the curious while modeling these enzymes, Dr. Platt has found certain conditions young Platt wanted to know why they were good.. He further fueled his where the cathepsins would disappear entirely. This led him to deduce passion through science fiction novels like the Xanth series, while his that certain cathepsins will consume each other, and he is now looking complex mind was intrigued by technical things such as the way TVs into the possibility of using these little cannibals against themselves as worked. As he entered higher education, Dr. Platt’s eagerness to learn a potential solution. and natural intelligence began taking him to greater heights, as he was awarded a NASA scholarship that allowed him to intern for NASA in Dr. Platt left me with a quote from Benjamin E. Mays: “Not failure, but three different cities `as an undergraduate. Platt still recalls how much low aim is sin”. On the science front, his lab is discovering methods to he learned on his first project in Huntsville, where he worked with ensure that HIV patients are taking their medication, protecting children diatoms, all the way until his last project in Mountain View, California, with sickle cell from getting strokes, and even engineering human where he researched extremophiles, recombinant DNA and sterilized arteries. On the other hand, he is also involved in project ENGAGES, spacecraft. which gets minority students involved in research, and is even a crucial contributor to the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia, through which he Now, Dr. Platt works across many disciplines but regards his work takes part in the road race each year and engages with the kids. Dr. with cathepsins, the little enzymes that degrade our collagen and other Platt is tackling many vast challenges but fears neither regret nor failure proteins, as his babies. They are the cause of many diseases (including because he has learned to look for his part in any mistake and grow cancer metastasis, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease) and are from it. Sending a message of positivity, belief, and understanding, he also commonly at the root of rotary cuff injuries as they break down our has much to offer to the students of Georgia Tech. Smart enough to tendons. Dr. Platt has tested injectable hydrogels on rats walking on a make a difference, human enough to care about the people around downhill treadmill in an attempt to inhibit these enzymes and counteract him - Dr. Platt is truly a force of progress to be reckoned with. the resulting injury. Many of the drugs for these conditions have negative side effects, so his lab models cathepsins to find solutions that will not

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Dr. Jo conducts research in vascular mechanobiology.

(Photo: Georgia Tech)

ecent research has suggested that changes in the biological mechanics of the cell are the common denominator in the development of atherosclerosis, aortic valve disease, and aneurysms. The expanding field of mechanobiology, located at the meshing between biology and engineering, focuses on using cellular mechanics rather than the origin and genetics of illnesses to understand the physiology and treat the development of disease.

Cells are constantly under stress and strain from the environment, such as from tensile forces, hydrostatic pressures, and fluid shear stresses. In vascular biology, fluid shear stress helps in the regulation of endothelial cells, which line the walls of blood vessels, by promoting responses that control orientation, gene expression, and vascular tone. An abnormal level of shear stress resulting from disturbed blood flow can lead to diseases like atherosclerosis, characterized by a buildup of plaque inside arteries.

Dr. Hanjoong Jo, the Associate Chair for Emory and a professor of the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint institution between the College of Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Emory School of Medicine, conducts research in the expanding field of vascular

mechanobiology with a focus on mechanosensitive genes and nanomedicine related to treating atherosclerosis. Specifically, Dr. Jo’s lab studies both in vitro and in vivo models and uses tools such as microarrays to understand genomic functions and the functionality of mechanosensitive genes in the treatment of disease. Investigating atherosclerosis in carotid arteries of mice, the lab members ligated, or clamped shut, different branches of the artery to manually induce disturbed blood flow and used ultrasound to monitor the blood flow and the development of atherosclerosis in each ligated artery.

To locate the mechanosensitive genes responsible for this, the team extracted, sequenced and further utilized DNA for epigenetic study: namely, reverse transcription was used to measure levels of gene expression in gene array studies and quantitative PCR validation was run to detect and amplify the resulting RNA. From this, Dr. Jo’s lab discovered that partial carotid ligation causes increased atherosclerosis, which in turn decreases expression of atherosclerosis-preventing genes; in fact, advanced atherosclerosis due to ligation had developed in some mice by the fourth week of the study.

Dr. Jo’s lab discovered that partial carotid ligation causes increased atherosclerosis, which in turn decreases expression of atherosclerosispreventing genes Attempting to understand the causes of atherosclerosis will lead to further research in drug delivery. Currently, drug development is conducted in vivo and uses various small interfering RNA (siRNA) and anti-microRNA to help regulate atherosclerosis-causing genes. However, it is research in fields such as mechanobiology (akin to that being conducted

by Dr. Jo) which will allow a different perspective in the development of treatment methods capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of the human body while successfully treating vascular diseases.

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MAR ISSUE 5

IMPULSES

IMPULSES

ERIC McKISSICK

3rd Year, BME

What are you doing right now?

I’m learning all about the heart. We’re trying to design a program in LabView to try and identify different parts of the cardiac cycle and the different electrical patterns the heart puts out.

def: a driving force or motivation; an impetus

Would you want to work with heart after you graduate?

One of the biggest problems out there is Heart Disease and I’d like to work with Pfizer to make drugs to help the heart work.

My dream is to make a drug, like Lipitor or Chantix, which people can rely on; the dream is to create that “household name” that can make everybody’s life better.

By Abhinaya Uthayakumar, Morgan Hinchey, David Van, and Jonathan Austin Undergraduate Students in the Coulter Department

SAGE DUDDLESTON

3rd Year, BME

What makes you passionate about BME? Why do you do this?

It combines a lot of things I’m passionate about, from all the biotech applications to the designing of medical applications. I actually work at the shop, and it’s just a really fun atmosphere.

Who inspires you the most or what class inspires you the most?

Dr. Platt’s BMED 3600 reassured me that I’m at the right place. All his cell biology and engineering talks have been inspirational.

What are you making right now?

It’s my friend Erisa’s birthday tomorrow, so I’m making her miniature climbing shoes.

SHUSHMITA HOGUE

3rd Year, BME

What are you working on right now?

We’re in 3110 right now. Basically, we’re dissecting a lot of worms and then putting them into different neurotransmitters to see if the muscles contract or relax. We’ve been working on this for a couple of weeks and will probably be here all night trying to get the right results.

What are you passionate about in BME? Why are you sticking around all night?

Part of it is the people; part of it is when it works. It’s pretty awesome - the feeling of figuring something out on your own when you aren’t given the answers.

More Impulses can be found on our facebook page www.facebook.com/gtpioneer

CATHERINE WALLACE

3rd Year, BME

Could you repeat that?

I’m trying to get put on payroll for being a TA. I found out though that I’m still on payroll as an affiliate - but not being paid - so I could work in a lab here as a high schooler. So, now I have to go get fired to get hired.

What work were you doing?

I was doing cancer research in what turned out to be a really amazing lab. I found them through Dr. LeDoux; his wife was my chemistry teacher in high school. Last spring, I helped them start off their nanotechnology section at a college in Taiwan and all the papers we used were written by people who were teaching me stuff in the lab back here at Tech.

KATIE BYRUM

5th Year, BME

Why do you want to do BME? I want to help make a difference in healthcare and make people healthier so they can lead happier lives.

Is there a field within BME that interests you?

I’m taking a bit of a different path - I’m planning to do my Masters in Public Health. It’s not a very typical route but a lot of the knowledge from BME can help in understanding topics like nutrition or preventative medicine. I want to get into preventative care so I can help people before they have to get devices - kind of the opposite of what I think BME is - but I still wanted to get an idea of what goes into both sides of care.

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PRE-HEALTH

BIG DATA MEETS THE BODY

NEW SECTIONS ON THE MCAT

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By Andrew McNair Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

n April 2003, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium announced that the human genome had been successfully mapped. This accomplishment was a milestone in scientific history and is one of the biggest successes to date in the field of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is an evolving discipline which merges biotechnology and computer technologies in order to “organize, link, analyze, and visualize complex sets of biological data”. While mapping the human genome is an impressive example of a breakthrough in bioinformatics, it is still one among many previous and ongoing developments in the field.

For instance, in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, the Bio-Medical Informatics and BioImaging Laboratory is working to develop “guidelines for choosing bioinformatics tools,” “algorithms for integrated analysis of bioinformatics data,” and software tools “that leverage distributed computing resources for Big Data analysis”.

As per these goals, the Bio-MIB Lab has developed a number of bioinformatics tools. One such tool is caCORRECT, a webbased system designed to ensure the quality of high throughput –omics data. caCORRECT works by removing noise artifacts observed in microarray gene expression data to greatly improve the quality and reproducibility of data. Tools like caCORRECT

THAT’S SO BME...

are incredibly useful for ensuring not only the quality of biological data, but also the reliability of experimental results. Another BioMIB Lab bioinformatics tool is OmniBiomarker, an online utility that seeks to improve the reproducibility of biological data, specifically biomarker identification. OmniBiomarker uses the National Cancer Institute’s Thesaurus of Cancer and Cancer Gene Index to identify the most clinically relevant gene ranking algorithms. In practical terms, OmniBiomarker can help “improve downstream prediction performance for applications such as cancer diagnosis”.

Bioinformatics is an incredibly dynamic field with limitless relevance to biomedical research. Researchers have already encountered great success using bioinformatics tools, like caCORRECT and OmniBiomarker, to improve the quality, reliability, and reproducibility of high throughput –omics data while translating raw data into reliable tools for clinical applications.

As the development of widely accessible bioinformatics analysis platforms continues, the number and range of possible clinical applications grows. At the same time, the revolution in bioinformatics symbolized by the Human Genome Project is clearly still underway as dedicated researchers continue to work on optimizing the organization and analysis of biological data.

BY: Michelle Tourchak

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By Nadiya Zafar Undergraduate Student in the Coulter Department

he 2015 version of the MCAT is comprised of four main sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. The last component is new and therefore has a lack of statistical or qualitative data surrounding it. Because of this, as well as unquantifiable factors such as fatigue, test anxiety, less than optimal test room conditions, and recent exposure to the material, the Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has claimed that “Scores from the new exam will not be perfectly precise.” As such, it will be important not to overinterpret small differences in test scores.

realize that they must be culturally and ethnically aware in order to properly treat patients. Medicine is more than just science; medicine is for the people. The purpose of the MCAT is to ensure that in addition to science and math, students also possess interpersonal, intrapersonal, and problem solving skills.”

Further complicating the new system, MCAT 2015 score scales emphasize the center of the scales, rather than the top third, in an effort to “draw attention to applicants who might otherwise be overlooked,” according to the AAMC. This means that students with scores in the center of the scales are likely to succeed in medical school, graduate in four or five years, and pass their licensure exams on the first try.

The minimum courses recommended in order to succeed on the new MCAT are Survey of Biochemistry (CHEM 3511) and General Psychology (Psyc 1101). In addition to these, for the new MCAT sociology components, at least two of the following are recommended: Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1101), Sociology of Health and Medicine (HTS 3086), and Culture/Society (HTS 3070). The Pre-Health office also offers a multitude of resources concerning the new MCAT under the T-Square page for students planning to take the exam.

Georgia Tech’s Pre-Health Advisor, Andrea Clark, summarized the reasoning for the addition of this section: “Medical Schools generally try to review applicants holistically. I believe the main reason that these new sections have been added is to make future doctors

BME ANSWERS

When asked on how to best prepare for this addition, she explained, “In order to be the best prepared for the new sections of sociology and psychology, students should take advantage of the plethora of resources available to them, including taking fulllength practice exams, reading recommended textbooks, or gaining a ‘Health, Medicine, and Society’ minor.”

By ALPHA ETA MU BETA - The BME Honors Society

1. How often should I go visit my advisor?

My biggest advice for students with regards to advisors is to realize the difference between high school and college advising. College is the time to begin taking ownership of your career, meaning an advisor will not tell you what to pursue nor offer a formula for guaranteed success. Rather, the advisors are here to guide you through your career at Georgia Tech and help you with getting into the necessary classes. At the same time, it is imperative to come to advising meetings on time and prepared. As biomedical engineering is one of the largest majors on campus, the advisors will be serving many other students as well, so it is also important to be specific with questions in order to make answering easier for the advisors. If you want to set up an appointment, log in to https://schedule.advising.gatech.edu/ appointments/ with your Buzzport login information.

2. What are some good minors for a BME major? What skills do companies particularly look for?

There are several options for minors and certificates that complement a BME major, including a minor in CS, MSE, Biochemistry or another science or a certificate in Applied Physiology, Biomaterials and Nanomaterials. Our major covers a lot of areas within engineering and science, so think about which classes you have enjoyed the most so far, talk with your academic advisor and Sally and decide what fascinates you the most! Most companies that hire BMEs from Tech are aware that we are all strong candidates, so the most prominent skills they look for are problem solving and collaboration. However, depending on the company and the specific position, other desired skills will vary, indicating that it is best to choose something that you are interested in.