December 2025
Welcome to the December Edition of the IIB Newsletter!
November was a meaningful month for the International Institute for Biosensing (IIB), highlighted by our role in BiosVerse™ Week through the special session “Living Earth Twin: Harnessing the Exposome to Reimagine Sustainability,” held on November 5. The event brought together interdisciplinary experts to examine resilience through the interconnected well-being of humans, animals, ecosystems, and non-living systems. This session also marked the beginning of consortium-building for a forthcoming grant opportunity.
As we close out the year, we’re grateful for the growing collaborations and global conversations shaping the future of biosensing and sustainability. We look forward to carrying this momentum into 2026 and beyond.
We’re expanding our reach!
IIB is now sharing news, insights, and stories across multiple platforms. You can now connect with us on:
LinkedIn – for professional updates and collaborations
Instagram /Facebook – for a closer look at our community, research, and impact
Youtube - for the recording of our LectureSeries
Our goal is to make our work more accessible, highlight the people behind the science, and spark conversations that drive innovation in biosensing. Follow us wherever you are and be part of the journey toward shaping the future of health and technology.
CE Credits Now Offered Through IIB & IEEE Collaboration
IIB is proud to announce a new collaboration with IEEE to offer Continuing Education (CE) credits for most of its upcoming Lecture Series. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to advancing professional development and lifelong learning in the biomedical and engineering communities. Participants attending eligible lectures will now have the opportunity to earn CE credits that support their ongoing certification and career growth.
For More info contact IIB
Precision Sensing Credly Badge offered for IIB Lecture Series
IIB is excited to announce that attendees of the IIB Lecture Series can now earn official "Precision Sensing" Credly badges! This digital badge is a recognition of your engagement with cutting-edge research and innovation in biosensing, smart diagnostics, and related fields. Once you've completed 6 hours, your badge will be issued via Credly, a trusted platform for digital credentials. Start collecting hours now — and showcase your expertise in Precision Sensing to your peers, networks, and future collaborators!
For More info contact IIB
Top News Stories -
The News Stories section of the IIB newsletter features recent articles, announcements, and media coverage that spotlight the innovative work, collaborations, and achievements of the Institute for Integrative Biology community. It’s a quick way to stay informed on news that reflects the breadth and impact of our events, research and outreach.
Living Earth Twin Initiative Kickoff gathered an unprecedented mix of experts—from indigenous elders and shamans to academics from different backgrounds, engineers and industry, and economists—to dismantle the silos.
On Nov 5, the International Institute for BioSensing at the University of Minnesota in collaboration with Biomimetics International hosted a groundbreaking workshop on "Living Earth Twin: Harnessing the Exposome to Reimagine Sustainability".
This workshop was the catalyst for a long-term, transformative, interdisciplinary initiative. By fostering dialogue and collaboration among scientists, industry, policymakers, and community stakeholders, the initiative will advance an integrated, systems-level understanding of sustainability in various conditions. "We are moving from a 'data-rich, information-poor' world to one where we can actually see the web of life," concluded Patricia Khashayar. "The work of building the Living Earth Twin begins now."
Strategic Collaboration with Medtronic
The International Institute for Biosensing (IIB) is initiating a comprehensive strategic collaboration with Medtronic, in the context of the Medtronic – University of Minnesota MedTech Innovation Partnership.
This partnership represents a significant opportunity to bridge the gap between our cutting-edge biosensing research and real-world applications. By combining our expertise in sensing technologies with Medtronic’s engineering and commercialization capabilities, we aim to accelerate the development of next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.
To ensure every faculty member has the opportunity to engage with this initiative, we are launching two immediate actions:
1. Open Call for Proposals
Deadline: December 8, 2025 at midnight CT
We are excited to announce the launch of the 2026 Call for Proposals for the Medtronic – University of Minnesota MedTech Innovation Partnership, and this time, biosensing is one of the core areas. As a result, the 3rd RFP cycle is specifically looking for innovative projects that align with the following core technology areas:
- Battery Technology
- Artificial Intelligence / Data Science
- Biosensing
- Biomaterials / Textiles
For more detailed technical information on these focus areas, please contact Jason Stockman ([email protected]).
2. Faculty Interest Survey
To ensure we build a strong, mutually beneficial relationship and structure future aspects of this partnership effectively, we must first identify the most promising areas of synergy and map our internal strengths/needs against Medtronic’s.
This brief survey (approx. 5-7 minutes) aims to understand your perspective on this potential collaboration and identify specific, high-interest opportunities. Your responses will directly shape our strategic approach and discussions with Medtronic.
IIB Funding in Action
IIB Funding in Action We are pleased to introduce Project Spotlight, a section devoted to disseminating the results of recent studies conducted under IIB grant initiatives. These summaries highlight the efficacy of our funding strategy and the rigorous work of our investigators. Read on to explore how these projects are advancing our field and contributing to the global body of knowledge.
ISyE Seminar Series: Primal-Dual Methods with Stepsize Search for Nonconvex Minimax Problems
Collaborative Project: Biosensing of Alpha-synuclein Phase Separation Using Nanoparticles
PI: Hye Yoon Park (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), co-PI: Yongdae Shin (Seoul National University)
This project was conducted in the context of the International Institute for Biosensing's first faculty mobility funding to facilitate international activities at SNU – travel support for the faculty, postdoc, or graduate student - aligned with the IIB's mission to promote collaboration with partners at the SNU campus.
The collaborative project between the Park Lab at the University of Minnesota (UMN) and the Shin Lab at Seoul National University (SNU) has made significant progress over the last year. The primary goal of the project is to develop a novel nanoparticle-based photonic sensing platform for the single-molecule detection of alpha-synuclein oligomerization and condensates, which are implicated in Parkinson's disease. The project successfully launched its initial phases, including planning, design, and protocol development, facilitated by an exchange visit of UMN team members to SNU in the summer of 2025.
Results from prior collaborations between the two labs have been also disseminated through seminars at Seoul National University, Chung Ang University, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Direct knowledge transfer through in-person collaboration, combined with broad dissemination of research findings, is expected to accelerate project progress and help address complex scientific challenges.
Upcoming Events
Join us for insightful seminars that delve into the world of biosensing and its foundational principles as well as its wide-ranging applications.
ISyE Seminar Series: Primal-Dual Methods with Stepsize Search for Nonconvex Minimax Problems
When: December 3rd, 2025 at 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Where: Lind Hall 325
Professor Necdet Serhat Aybat is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. In this talk we discuss Gradient Descent Ascent (GDA) methods with adaptive stepsizes for solving nonconvex-strongly concave (NCSC) minimax problems.
ISyE Seminar Series: Deep Learning with Nontrivial Constraints
When: December 10th, 2025 at 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Where: Lind Hall 325
Professor Ju Sun is an assistant professor at the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities (UMN). Despite the sweeping success and impact of deep learning in numerous domains, imposing explicit constraints is relatively new but increasingly pressing in deep learning (DL), driven by, for example, trustworthy AI that performs robust optimization over complex perturbation sets and scientific and engineering applications that require respect for physical laws and constraints. In this talk, we will (1) survey DL problems with nontrivial constraints across science, engineering, and medicine, (2) highlight the NCVX computing framework we have recently built, which provides deterministic solvers to solve constrained DL problems, and (3) invite the optimization community to solve the stochastic constrained DL problems.
The IIB Precision Sensing Distinguished Lecture Series is designed to foster discussion on novel topics, innovative solutions and grand challenges in the field of Precision Sensing. These lectures are a fantastic opportunity to share insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and connect with fellow professionals in the field. If you have missed the previous talks please visit IIB Youtube Channel.
Stay Tuned for the 2026 Lecture Series List …..
Call for Papers
Seventh World Conference on Remedies to Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality
Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice
Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
August 3 – 5, 2026
Submission Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2026 at 11:59pm CST
For three days next August, academics, legal scholars, civic leaders, policy makers, advocates, and activists committed to eliminating racial and ethnic inequality will gather to share the latest research, cutting edge programs and projects, and emerging approaches to develop new remedies to reduce economic inequality around the world.
The Seventh World Conference on Remedies to Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality will foster a dialogue between those conducting rigorous academic research and those delivering practical programs to generate new ideas and tactics based on the latest evidence from academia and successful community efforts.
The conference will discuss and propose solutions along four themes:
- Global Collaboration for Impact, Community, & Ubuntu
- Youth & Leadership in the 21st Century
- The Future of Prosperity and New Economic Models
- Human Rights, Dignity, and the Future of Democracy
This Call for Papers is open to all academics, legal scholars, civic leaders, policy makers, advocates, and activists from across the globe – whether they focus on a single region or nation, or offer a cross-national/cross-continental perspective. Each proposal should be submitted in support of one of the four themes.
Research Opportunity Announcement for D2D at the Minnesota State Fair
Aug 27 – Sept 7, 2026
Submission Deadline: January 20, 2026
We invite faculty, students, and staff from the University of Minnesota to take advantage of this unique
opportunity to quickly and efficiently recruit fairgoers as participants in minimal-risk, human-subjects research at the Driven to Discover Research Facility (D2D) at the Minnesota State Fair from August 27 – September 7, 2026.
D2D allows fairgoers to participate in research in a fun, innovative, and convenient way. Most studies take under 20 minutes. D2D allows researchers to reach a more diverse pool of participants and meet recruitment goals in a matter of hours or days. Over 52,000 fairgoers visited D2D during the 2024 Fair.
Learning Resources
Discover valuable learning resources to enhance your knowledge and skills with tools, courses, and materials to support your growth.
Advanced Cardiac Course: Physiology and Anatomy
The Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP) is offering Advanced Cardiac Physiology and Anatomy (PHSL 5510), a week-long intensive course (January 5-9, 2026). It enrolls students from the University of Minnesota and from biomedical engineering companies in the metro and surrounding areas. The course will be offered for no credit to non-students, or for 2 or 3 credits to University students (3 credits requires added research project). The class will meet from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM for one week: lectures, small group discussions, demonstrations and participation in a human gross anatomy laboratory will be included. There will be a keynote lecture after class on Monday evening.