Tools

Spencer exchanges ideas as visiting professor at Brazilian university

A professor from KU will spend a month at the University of Sao Paulo in Bauru, Brazil, as a visiting professor, teaching and participating in seminars about biological interfaces.

Paulette Spencer, the Deane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of KU’s Bioengineering Research Center, in August will speak to dental students about methods for assessing the interaction between bioengineered materials and internal biological matter.

“I will be discussing how we use a nondeconstructive method to assess how synthetic materials interact with biological tissue using focused sound,” Spencer said.

Spencer said she would be able to accomplish multiple goals while in Brazil.

“The students there are talented and committed,” she said. “Hopefully, we can bring some of them to KU to work on research with us.”

One of the most interesting aspects of working with students and researchers in another country is to see how work methods and tools differ, she said.

“What I come away from my trips there with is a new appreciation for the work they do there,” she said. “They keep the same standards of sterility and research as we do here in the U.S., but in many cases, they are using tools that are years old. It shows me that they are learning how to do more with limited means, and in some cases, they get better research results because of the effort they put in.

“I am involved with a program for providing dental care for inner-city youth that is heavily subsidized. We use state-of-the-art equipment, which is excellent but can be costly. Meanwhile, they provide similar excellent care with the resources they have.”

Spencer has been a distinguished professor at KU since 2007. She received her degree in pediatric dentistry in 1978 and her doctorate in oral biology and physics in 1993, both from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

The Bioengineering Research Center is a catalyst for interdisciplinary investigations focused on a variety of bioengineering studies including

— design and development of new biomaterials

— development of clinical imaging devices and technologies

— biosensor and biomarker development and application

— multi-scale computational modeling

— biomechanics of motion and neural engineering

— manipulation of molecules to further the next generation of nanotechnologies and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents

For more information about bioengineering at KU, visit http://bio.engr.ku.edu.