Western New England College School Of Engineering Hosts 30Th Annual
Northeast Bioengineering Conference

The School of Engineering at Western New England College hosted the 30th annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference on Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, 2004. The annual regional conference showcases the latest developments in biomedical engineering. Researchers, scientists, and engineers from universities, industries, and hospitals presented their latest work on a variety of biomedical engineering topics. “Western Massachusetts shares in the growing momentum for biomedical technology that is evident across the country,” said Dr. Steven Schreiner, chair of the College’s Biomedical Engineering department.

Events during the day on both Saturday and Sunday took place at various locations on campus. Dr. Paula Ravin, associate professor of Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, was the keynote speaker. In her address on Saturday morning titled: “New Frontiers in Surgical Applications for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease," Ravin discussed recent technology advances for treatment of Parkinson's Disease. She addressed a particular device that has made dramatic improvements in the quality of life for many Parkinson's sufferers.

Four Western New England College Biomedical Engineering students presented their latest works at the conference. Lisa McLeod of Springfield, MA and Peggy Griffin of Hodgdon, ME presented “Measurement of Acoustic Properties of Breast Tissue Phantoms Using Ultrasound” (Faculty Advisor: Dr. Diane Muratore). Heather Hasulak of Piscataway, NJ presented “Design and Validation of a Test Fixture to Model Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome using Cultured Mammalian Cells” (Faculty Advisor: Dr.
Judy L. Cezeaux). And, Jason Scoufield of Philadelphia, PA presented “Development of a Myoelectric Prosthetic Training and Assessment System” (Faculty Advisor: Dr. Steven Schreiner).