The Campaign Brief Great Expectations University of Maryland
 May-June 2008      
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Upcoming Events

June 5: Mayer Mall Dedication
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m., Mayer Mall, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Join the university as we celebrate the dedication of the William E. and Kathy Mayer Mall just outside of the Smith Business School. To RSVP and learn more, contact Tina Murphy at 301.405.3467 or tmurphy@umd.edu.

June 7: Pirates of Penzance Performing Arts Scholarship Benefit
7:30 p.m., Kay Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Support scholarships for performing arts students and enjoy this popular Gilbert and Sullivan production with special guest performer Robert Fischell M.S. ’53, Honorary Doctorate ‘96, benefactor of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (June 8 performance at 3 p.m.).

June 11: 5th Annual Engineering Alumni and Faculty Golf Outing and Banquet
1:30 p.m., Shot Gun Start, University of Maryland Golf Course
Tee off with faculty and alumni of the Clark School of Engineering at this annual golf tournament. All proceeds benefit engineering scholarships.

June 12: Terps Take Manhattan
6 p.m.–8 p.m., Midtown Loft, 267 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y.
Sponsored by the Maryland Alumni Association, this is an event you wouldn’t want to miss featuring Gary Williams ’68, the most winning basketball coach in Maryland history. Join fellow alumni for cocktails, and a breathtaking view of the New York City skyline.

June 24: Baltimore Regional Alumni Event
6 p.m.–8 p.m., Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, Md.
Join fellow Baltimore area Terps and Men’s Basketball Coach Gary Williams ’68 for a fun evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a museum tour featuring Terps teams and other Maryland sports figures.

Building First-Class Learning Environments
On the Wings of Innovation in the Clark School

Bioengineering
Robert Fischell (left) gathered with Interim Engineering Dean Herb Rabin (foreground center) for the ribbon-cutting dedication of the bioengineering wing. David and Susan Fischell, Bioengineering Chair William Bentley and Provost Nariman Farvardin look on. (Photo by Al Santos).
aryland has reason to celebrate the opening of another new facility—the new bioengineering wing that is now home of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Adding to what is already an exceptional environment for engineering students, the space provides an opportunity for faculty and students in bioengineering and across disciplines to conduct highly advanced research in the same laboratory for the first time.

“We’re quite heavily involved in developing new and innovative technologies that use engineering approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat disease,” says William Bentley, the Robert E. Fischell Distinguished Professor and chair of the department.

Bioengineering
Prof. Yu "Tim" Chen (Bioengineering) with students in his Biophotonics Imaging lab in the new bioengineering wing of the Kim Building (Photo by Al Santos).
He also explains that current biomedical devices have a short lifespan. Researchers in his department are trying to come up with devices that can withstand harsh climates and can alter the prognosis of a range of diseases. He likened the technology to a cell phone, which is functional as long as the battery works. These new devices could be functional for a lifetime.

Robert E. Fischell M.S. ’53, Honorary Doctorate ’96, physics alumnus and pioneer of biomedical devices, joined by his sons, generously gave the university $31 million before the public launch of the Great Expectations campaign. A portion of the funds was targeted to create the Fischell bioengineering department.

The new $7.6 million, 7,400 square-foot wing, which officially opened in April 2008, is a cutting edge facility located next to the Nano Center’s Microfabrication Laboratory. In addition to attracting the largest number of engineering students in the school, the facilities are attracting new faculty including Yu Chen whose research is focused on developing “new optical techniques to measure what’s in human tissue beneath the surface. This technology has applications from cancer to all sorts of diseases,” says Bentley.

Bioengineering
Expanded laboratory space in the bioengineering wing provides space for new faculty members and researchers slated to move in this fall.
Also, Bruce Yu, who holds a joint appointment in the bioengineering department and the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Pharmacy, is working on “molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery to develop new ways to diagnose and treat disease,” Bentley says.

The collaboration with the University of Maryland Baltimore has brought more good news. Beginning in the 2008-09 academic year, Maryland will offer a joint master’s of science/medical doctor degree. The master’s will be awarded in bioengineering and the doctoral degree is awarded through the University of Maryland Baltimore Medical School. It’s a win-win for everyone. Bentley says, “We envision a lot of different ways we can connect and bring in students to learn from folks in the clinical environment, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

Click here for the New Bioengineering Wing Fact Sheet.
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Published by the University of Maryland 2008