Hasenwinkel named 2006-07 Seinfeld Distinguished Fellow at Syracuse University

Hasenwinkel named 2006-07 Seinfeld Distinguished Fellow at Syracuse UniversityJuly 05, 2006Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Julie Hasenwinkel, assistant professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in Syracuse University’s L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, has been named the 2006-07 Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Distinguished Fellow.

The fellowship was endowed two years ago by SU Trustee Judith Greenberg Seinfeld ’56, an alumna of the School of Education, and is bestowed annually upon a faculty member who has shown evidence of the “passion for excellence, creativity and originality as they have been demonstrated in any field of academic or artistic endeavor, as well as their ability to bring out the best in others.” The first faculty member to receive the fellowship was Arthur Brooks, professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“Dr. Hasenwinkel never ceases to amaze me. Her students rave about her teaching and her drive, and they almost all comment on her high standards for student work. That’s a pretty telling combination,” says Gus Engbretson, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.

“Since arriving at SU, Dr. Hasenwinkel has charged off in new research directions and engineered closer relations with our clinical and basic science colleagues at SUNY Upstate Medical University,” Engbretson says. “Together they have been successful in garnering external support for new research initiatives in nerve regeneration. Her laboratory is a beehive of activity. Her accomplishments as a young faculty member are just outstanding.”

Hasenwinkel joined the SU faculty in 2000. In addition to her cutting-edge research on nerve regeneration and bone cement for joint replacements, she is well known for her teaching. She has developed new courses and enhanced pre-existing courses. Hasenwinkel and Jeremy Gilbert, professor and associate dean for research and doctoral programs in ECS, are the core faculty members of the Biomaterials Group, a group of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate and graduate students who meet each week during the semester to present their research, discuss particular problems, and learn from each other.

In 2004, Hasenwinkel received a Teaching Recognition Award, sponsored by SU’s Meredith Professors. Also that year, Hasenwinkel received a prestigious Watson Grant from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). The Watson grants are designed to recognize and support outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show the potential for leadership and discovery in the field of biotechnology. Hasenwinkel received the award to further her research in the area of neural tissue engineering, particularly on the development of hydrogel-based bridging scaffolds designed to promote nerve regeneration in the central nervous system.

Hasenwinkel received a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University, a master’s degree in bioengineering from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.