October 6, 2026
Jacob was selected as a recipient of the Dr. Glen O. Njus Graduate Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering. This provides financial assistance with tuitions, books, research, and professional development. This is awarded based on merit and financial need. Recipients are expected to demonstrate a strong work ethic and a commitment to making a difference in the lives of humankind. Congratulations Jacob!
September 5, 2026
Jacob was invited to talk at the UA CEPS Seminar Series over his work on engineering a biomimetic cardiac hydrogel model to study the role of the extracellular matrix in transplanted stems cells dying quickly after delivery to the injured heart. The role of this seminar series it to provide a platform for graduate students, faculty, and industry leaders from different CEPS backgrounds to present their work and start conversations with people outside of their fields.
May 5th, 2026
Emma graduated with her bachelor’s in biomedical engineering. Congratulations, Emma!
In celebration of her graduation, the iCARE Lab and friends took a trip to K1 Speed and raced against each other in go-karting.
April 30th, 2026
Dr. Zhang was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) – such an election is one of the highest honors in tissue engineering. Her election to the College of Fellows was
“for [her] outstanding contributions to tissue engineering through development of innovations using biomimicry for therapeutic delivery, cell sheet engineering, and microfluidics” – AIMBE
March 6th, 2026
At the 5th Annual BME Research Day, Jacob earned 3rd place among the graduate students and Emma earned 1st place among the undergraduate students. Congratulations to both of them on this outstanding achievement and for representing the lab so well!
January 12th, 2026
The iCARE laboratory moved from Sidney L. Olson Research Center to the fifth floor of the Auburn Science and Engineering Center.
June 10th, 2025
Emma was awarded the 2025 Stephanie Lopina Undergraduate Scholarship. The scholarship typically is awarded to graduating seniors who have presented abstracts at national conferences and/or authored or co-authored one or more peer-reviewed journal articles.
May 12th, 2025
The College of Engineering and Polymer Science awarded Dr. Zhang with the 2025 CEPS Achievement Awards, more specifically, the Louis A. Hill Award.
“Dr. Zhang is recognized for her outstanding contributions across teaching, research and service. A driving force behind the development of the Biomedical Engineering curriculum, she is also a dedicated mentor to both undergraduate and graduate students.” – The University of Akron News
May 7th, 2025
Ashley graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Congratulations, Ashley!
March 28th, 2025
Ashley placed second among the undergraduates at the 4th annual BME Research Day Poster Competition. Her poster, “Monitoring of Chemical Reagent Residuals in Cardiac Tissue Decellularization”, provided many insights into the timeline of the protocol of the synthesis of the cECM hydrogel and it was awesome to see her hard work be recognized!
December 16th, 2024
Dr. Zhang gave her perspective as a biomedical engineer and medical doctor on the effects artificial intelligence could have on the health care system.
Predictions 2025: UA faculty look ahead | The University Akron News | Ohio
October 4th, 2024
Emma presented on her experiences and research within the lab as an undergraduate student. She presented so that other students could learn about not only the undergraduate research opportunities within this lab, but to display that research is another valuable option that they can pursue while determining their future career and academia paths.
May 11th, 2024
Rubia graduated with her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering! Well done, Rubia! iCARE lab went to Saffron Patch in celebration.
April 1st, 2024
Rubia and Emma both received the Karen M. Mudry Achievement Award for winning best graduate poster and best undergraduate poster respectively. Well done, Rubia and Emma!