BUGSDM Faculty Join the Division of Materials Science & Engineering

Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM) Professor and Chair of Restorative Science and Biomaterials Dr. Dan Nathanson, Associate Professor and Director of Biomaterials Dr. Russell Giordano, Professor and Director of the Oral AIDS Clinic Dr. Laisheng Chou, and Research Associate Professor Dr. Richard Pober were selected as affiliated faculty members of the Division of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE), a division of the Boston University College of Engineering, in September.

All four BUGSDM faculty members are honored and excited to be selected for this role. They hope to be able to share their areas of expertise with the faculty and students of MSE in an effort to show the real world application of many of the materials they will study.

"A lot of our research has direct impact clinically," said Dr. Giordano. "Students in MSE may spend years working on a small area and never see the relevance of their research, but by working with us at BUGSDM they will be able to see a clear and often times immediate impact."

Dr. Nathanson points out how the affiliation will benefit both BUGSDM and MSE, "This affiliation lends itself to all kinds of possibilities. MSE students will benefit from our expertise in the clinical application of materials, while BUGSDM students will benefit from learning more of the science behind the creation of these materials from the extremely skilled and knowledgeable MSE faculty. There may also be an opportunity for collaborative research projects, internships, externships, and mentorships, as well as shared equipment and facilities."

The MSE program, which is currently in its first year, has 18 students enrolled with more expressing interest. Dr. Giordano serves on the MSE Graduate Applications Review Committee and the Steering Committee.

"The overall goal of MSE is to provide a top-notch, world-recognized materials science education for the students at Boston University and to do that in an interdisciplinary manner where we have interaction with a number of departments on the Charles River and Medical Campuses," said Dr. Giordano.

"This is an honor not only for these faculty members but for the entire Goldman School of Dental Medicine," said Dean Jeffrey Hutter. "The faculty members selected for this achievement have demonstrated expertise in a growing area of interest and I look forward to seeing the collaborations that will be made possible by this affiliation."