University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

July 5, 2001

Contact:Paul Francuch (312) 996-3457; francuch@uic.edu

UIC PROFESSOR SELECTED FOR 'FRONTIERS OF ENGINEERING' SYMPOSIUM

University of Illinois at Chicago assistant professor of bioengineering Tejal Desai is among 81 of the nation's top young engineers who will participate in the National Academy of Engineering's seventh annual "Frontiers of Engineering" symposium.

The symposium, which takes place Sept. 13-15 in Irvine, Calif., serves as a forum for outstanding engineers between ages 30-45 to meet and explore topics for possible future collaboration.

Participants were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations in academia, government and industry for having demonstrated engineering leadership ability as well as recognized accomplishments in leading-edge research and technical work.

Desai joined the UIC faculty in 1998 after earning her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Her research has focused on the application of micro- and nanotechnology to bioengineering, tissue engineering and cellular/drug encapsulation.

Last month, Desai was among a group of researchers at UIC and Loyola University Chicago to receive a $1.86 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop lifelike cardiac tissue for possible use in the scaffolding and repair of damaged heart cells.

Desai's research efforts have earned her numerous awards. In 1999, she was recognized by Crain's Chicago Business magazine with their annual "40 Under 40" award for leadership. She was also named that year by Technology Review Magazine as one of the nation's "Top 100 Young Innovators."

Last year, Desai's efforts were recognized when she won the UIC College of Engineering Best Advisor Award. She also won the National Science Foundation's "New Century Scholar" award and the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program "CAREER" award, which recognizes teacher-scholars most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.

- UIC -