Six Biomedical Engineering undergraduate students were recently awarded scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year. The following individuals stand out for their commitment to excellence, both in and out of the classroom, and outstanding work ethic and dedication.
Ray L. Watts Endowed Scholarship in Engineering
The Ray L. Watts Endowed Scholarship in Engineering awards $1,000 to students currently enrolled in or admitted to a degree-granting program in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Preference is given to applicants with a 3.0 GPA or above who might otherwise be able to attend the University due to affordability. This year’s 2023-2024 Watts Scholarship winner is Vidhi Patel, a BME undergraduate student working toward her bachelor’s degree.
Patel graduated from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in 2022. She is an undergraduate research assistant in the laboratory of M.K. Sewell-Loftin, Ph.D., assistant professor, and assists in researching the biomechanics of cancer cells. Patel’s research project, “The Analysis of the Differential Impacts of Material and Social Stressors on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” earned Best in Fair, 1st in Behavioral and Social Science, the American Psychological Association Award, the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award and the Mu Alpha Theta Award at a Regional Science Fair. Patel won 2nd place at the UAB Spring Expo for her Prone Stander project.
Patel is an active member of the UAB Indian Cultural Association, Society of Women Engineers, UAB Project Lab, Equal Access Birmingham, UAB Club Tennis Team, and Rangeela, the UAB Bollywood fusion dance team.
UAB Bond-Haggard Scholarship
The Bond-Haggard Endowed Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering is given by Dr. Warren and Mrs. Cindy Haggard in memory of their parents Dr. Dwight and Mrs. Ruth Ann Bond and Mr. Jesse Haggard, and in honor of Mrs. Annie Ruth Haggard for their lifelong support of higher education. This year’s Bond-Haggard Scholarship winner is Eve Scott, a senior BME student working toward her bachelor’s degree.
Scott earned her Associate of Science in Physics from Dalton State College in 2021. She has experience in both neuro-health and electrical engineering and has studied the effects of focused ultrasound on chronic pain and the development of virtual reality environments for movement disorder diagnostics and treatment. She is currently working on a tremor pen device for Parkinson disease and essential tremors. Scott is an engineering intern at Mesa Associated Inc. where she performs routine drafting work based on decisions obtained from engineers and designers.
Scott is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the UAB Ballroom Dance Society. She is active in Elizabeth Lee Methodist Church where she has participated in multiple mission trips and volunteer activities at homeless shelters and assisted living facilities.
Dr. Jack Lemons Endowed Scholarship
The Dr. Jack Lemons Endowed Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering honors the contributions of Jack Lemons, Ph.D., professor emeritus. Over his more than 40-year academic career, almost all of it at UAB, Dr. Lemons has been committed to student training and graduate education. This year’s Lemons Endowed Scholarship winners are Laycee Cordell, Caedman Isaacson, Michael Heim and Jose Ramirez Guerrero.
Laycee Cordell is a senior in BME. Cordell is currently researching auditory habituation in patients with SYNGAP1 genetic disorder in the Neural System Processing and Modeling Laboratory. She has work experience as an intern for Medtronic, a UAB teaching assistant in biology, a student assistant at Bartow Arena, and a Triage Technician and Patient Care Coordinator at Urgent Care Northwest in Jasper, AL. Cordell is an active member of UAB’s Honors College and the Engineering Ambassadors and has served on the UAB School of Engineering Homecoming Committee.
Caedman Isaacson is a senior pursuing both his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. Isaacson holds the UAB Presidential Scholarship and UAB Engineering Scholarship. He has been on the Presidential Honor Roll for three years. Isaacson works both in the laboratory of Yuhua Song, Ph.D., professor, assisting with Alzheimer’s disease drug research, and as a teaching assistant in the UAB School of Engineering. He has successfully designed proposals for both a heart rate monitor system and cardiovascular stent coating, and is currently working on a C02 Simulation Device for Children’s Hospital of Alabama to aid in CPR training for staff members. He is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, UAB Honors College, Project Lab, Engineering Ambassadors, and Cru, a community faith organization.
Michael Heim is a senior in BME and conducts research in the laboratory of Dr. M.K. Sewell-Loftin. He has authored five papers and has shadowed in pediatrics, gastrointestinal surgery and cardiology for a combined 96 hours. Heim received the Britton and Susan Sexton Honors Scholarship in 2022 and the Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship in 2020, 2022 and 2023. He is an active member of the Science and Technology Honors Program and serves as chair of the Peer Mentoring Program on the SciTech Executive Council and as a peer mentor and member of the SciTech Peer Mentoring Committee.
Jose Ramirez Guerrero is a junior in BME. Guerrero conducts research on cardiac epigenetics and chromatin structure in the laboratory of Manuel Rosa-Garrido, Ph.D., assistant professor. Originally from Panama, Guerrero is an INTO UAB student assistant and an international mentor at UAB. He is an active member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) and The National Society of Leadership and Success. Guerrero is the recipient of the ASBA Internship Readiness Program Scholarship and the NSCS New Member Award. He participated in the UAB Honors Summer Research Academy. In 2021, Guerrero completed an internship in Panama at the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies.