Recap: Aadeel Akhtar’s Return to Illinois

Aadeel Akhtar, Illinois alumnus and the CEO/Founder of PSYONIC, Inc., returned to Illinois November 9 to give a Frontiers in Miniature Brain Machinery lecture on his company’s innovations in prosthetic technology.

Attendees talk with Dr. Akhtar after the lecture and interact with the new prosthetic technology.

After the lecture, Dr. Akhtar invited attendees to interact with PSYONIC’s newest prosthetic, which responds to gestures through the web camera on a laptop.

Attendees interact with the new prosthetic technology, which responds to gestures through a web camera.

MBM trainees and faculty continued the discussion with Dr. Akhtar over dinner afterward.

L-R: Taher Saif, Ryan Miller, Samuel Okyem, Aadeel Akhtar, Miles Norsworthy, and Taylor Jorgensen pose with prosthetics over dinner.

Many thanks to Aadeel for such a great visit!

For more information on the lecture, including abstract and bio >>

Front: Hee Jung Chung, Aadeel Akhtar, Taylor Jorgensen. Back: Taher Saif, Samuel Okyem, Ryan Miller, Miles Norsworthy.

Overview

Discoveries relevant to our brains, which influence and control such a wide range of actions, emotions, and thoughts, have relied on two complimentary approaches: cognitive and behavior studies and brain cell and tissue biology studies. Our research traineeship program utilizing miniature brain machinery, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), combines these two paradigms to train the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce to advance discovery. Our students are recruited from neuroscience, cell and developmental biology, molecular and integrative physiology, chemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering, bioengineering, electrical and computer engineering, and psychology to foster a culture of innovation and translational research, and will significantly impact efforts to understand and control brain activities ongoing at other institutions.