DECEMBER 19, 2022 — Rena Bizios, UTSA’s Lutcher Brown Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering, was honored by Sigma Xi, the international scientific honor society of science and engineering, with the William Proctor Prize for Scientific Achievement. This award recognizes visionaries who have made outstanding contributions to scientific research and successfully shared their research with colleagues in other disciplines.
Sigma Xi awarded the prize to Bizios at its inaugural International Forum on Research Excellence. According to the requirements of this award, Bizios had the opportunity to designate a junior colleague to receive a $5,000 Grant in Aid of Research. She chose to designate that prize to fellow UTSA biomedical engineer and assistant professor Marissa E. Wechsler ’15, who will use the funds to expand her research in biomedical engineering using soft biomaterials in biosensing, drug delivery and tissue engineering.
The William Proctor Prize marks the latest achievement for Bizios, who is a professor of biomedical engineering in the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (Klesse College).
the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (Klesse College).
“Rena Bizios continues to exemplify what it means to be a pioneer in biomedical engineering,” said JoAnn Browning, the David and Jennifer Spencer Distinguished Chair for the Dean of Engineering. “The William Proctor Prize is a testament to the impact Bizios has had on her profession and on the undergraduate and graduate students she has educated, guided and inspired.”
Among those Bizios has inspired is Wechsler, who says she was fortunate to have Bizios as her undergraduate research advisor.
“She encouraged me to pursue training in biomedical engineering and research as a career,” Wechsler said. “She opened doors for me. She led me on a great path.”
In Bizios, Wechsler saw a strong, female role model—someone who “saw potential in me I never knew I had,” she said.
Wechsler was the first student to enroll in UTSA’s undergraduate program in biomedical engineering and was part of the program’s first graduating class in May 2015. She participated in UTSA’s Minority Biomedical Research Support-Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (MBRS-RISE) and the Maximizing Access to Research Careers-Undergraduate Student Training for Academic Research (MARC-U*STAR) programs, where her research focused on optimizing the effects of electric current on the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, the bone-forming cells.
Wechsler was also the first UTSA engineering student to receive the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
After graduating from UTSA, she received her master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and completed a year of postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado Boulder.
In 2021, Wechsler returned to UTSA and joined the biomedical engineering faculty—where she now counts her mentor as one of her colleagues.
Asked about her future in academia, Wechsler says that, like her own role model, she is a mentor first.
“Having received so much support and guidance, I want to be an impactful mentor,” she said. “The students I mentor, I see in them what Dr. Bizios saw in me. They have so much potential.”
“Both Drs. Bizios and Wechsler represent the groundbreaking research taking place at the Klesse College—work that is advancing the reputation of UTSA as a Tier One research university and is crucial to solving society’s grand challenges,” Browning said.
“Grand challenges are frequently grand research challenges,” Browning said. “Innovators like Drs. Bizios and Wechsler will ensure that UTSA continues to fulfill its mission to meet humanity’s needs.”
UTSA is preparing to submit an application package to establish a dedicated UTSA Sigma Xi chapter for fall 2023.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The Secular Student Alliance is proud to present guest speaker Dave Troiano, Board Secretary for the Greater Houston Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This event will emphasize how reproductive health care is intertwined with separation of church and state.
Student Union, Willow Room (2.02.12), Main CampusThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusJoin us for a tribute to Willie Velásquez, honoring the legacy of Willie Velásquez, a pivotal figure in shaping the history of Latino and Hispanic participation in the American voting process. Delve into his life and contributions as a champion of Latino voting rights. Moderated by UTSA's Teresa Niño, the event will feature influential voices, including Jane Velásquez, María Antonietta Berriozábal, Dora Oliva, and Anthony Gonzales.
Buena Vista Building, Gregory Luna Room, Downtown CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.