Karim Budhwani, a materials science and engineering (MSE) and biomedical engineering (BME) graduate student, presented to the Alabama Commission for Higher Education (ACHE) on December 4, 2015 in Montgomery, Ala. Representing the Alabama Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ALEPSCoR), specifically the Graduate Research Scholars Program (GRSP), Budhwani described his research to develop improved drug delivery techniques for treatment of cardiovascular disease and various types of cancers.
As a GRSP student, Budhwani is among the brightest and best scholars contributing to the state’s vision of economic growth and prosperity. Funded by the Alabama Legislature through the ACHE, GRSP is designed to develop the next generation of Alabama industrial and academic leaders and aid in the growth of high technology companies in Alabama. Each December, a GRSP student is selected to present to the ACHE Commissioners.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we already live in a knowledge society today and, therefore, I am delighted and proud to be part of UAB; an institution that actively fosters constructive and creative encounters with a view to building invaluable bridges – between the scientific community and the general public – that ease our continuing evolution into a knowledge society,” Budhwani says.
Budhwani’s efforts included assistance and expert guidance from his mentors including several professors, namely Mansoor Saleh, M.D., Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Donald Bucshbaum, Ph.D., Department of Radiation Oncology, from the School of Medicine as well as Palaniappan Sethu, Ph.D. and Vinoy Thomas, Ph.D. from the School of Engineering.
Established in 1979, the Department of Biomedical Engineering became a joint department between the Schools of Medicine and Engineering in February 2014 to capitalize on the strengths of UAB faculty in research, education and patient care.
To find more information about these programs, contact Christopher Lawson, Ph.D., professor of physics, who serves as executive director of ALEPSCor and director of GRSP.