Earlier in March, the BTM team got together for a busy three days of presentations, workshops and team building activities to kick off what is sure to be a busy 2018.
On Thursday 1st March, Prof Mia Woodruff opened the BTM Annual Biofabrication Workshop by sharing the importance of collaboration, capacity building and strong research networks to further her incredible research visions. Held in the ‘O Room’ in QUT’s new Science and Engineering Centre, the BTM team welcomed special guests from our affiliate Science and Engineering Faculty (SEF), School of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering (CPME), Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Institute for Future Environments (IFE), QUT’s commercialisation division bluebox, robotics research groups and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s’ Hospital (RBWH) Orthopaedic Unit. We were also joined by 9 new Medical Engineering students, who will be completing their final-year honours projects with the BTM team.
From 3D printed ears to bone scaffolds, burns masks and heart pumps, the BTM research group shared their current research projects traversing biofabrication research for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Congratulations to all the presenters who did a wonderful job in showcasing their research and thank you for the insightful questions, comments and feedback from the audience.
The BTM team then travelled to Mooloolaba for a two-night retreat. We enjoyed group discussions and bonding activities such as kayaking and hiking Mt Coolum! We were fortunate to have great weather which meant we could spend some down time on the beach and plenty of time at the pool. The theme was superheroes for our annual fancy-dress evening, and congratulations to Project Manager Mathilde Desselle who won ‘best dressed’ for her impeccable Harley Quinn costume!
Overall, a wonderful few days and excellent opportunity for the team to come together and celebrate the achievements of 2017 and look forward to what the rest of 2018 will bring!