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Bradley B. Barth
Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Biomedical Engineering
Faculty Adviser: Xiling Shen
BIO
Bradley Barth entered the Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering in 2015 and has embodied mentorship from the beginning. Barth has served as the course facilitator for the Teaching Seminar for New and Repeat Teaching Assistants, where he offers advice on being an effective TA and brings in guest lecturers to discuss topics such as inclusion and teaching strategies. He was also a teaching assistant for Introduction to Medical Instrumentation. Through those courses, he has served as a formal and informal mentor for junior doctoral students and undergraduate students. Outside of the university, Barth shares his passion for mentoring through programs such as Odyssey of the Mind and the Scientific Research and Education Network.
In Barth’s own research, he focuses on in vivo electrophysiology of the enteric nervous system. His research objectives include functional mapping for peripheral nerves and their role in controlling lower gastrointestinal organs. Specifically, he aims to diagnose, treat, and study the mechanisms of functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders. Barth hopes to pursue a position in a research laboratory in academia with a teaching role at the university level after graduation.
IN HIS WORDS
“I think it’s important as new graduate students are looking for who can they go to, who can they get advice from, it doesn’t have to be through these official mechanisms of a research adviser or a departmental adviser, although they may fill that role for you, it’s not limited to that and I think that’s an important thing to keep in mind.”
On His Work with SciREN
On Balancing Responsibilities
IN THEIR WORDS
Excerpts from Barth's Nomination
“Over the last two semesters as a student in his course, I’ve seen Brad take the sparse curriculum from previous years and expand it into a full seminar that imparts valuable knowledge and skills for serving as effective teaching assistants and creates an encouraging space for discussion and support among our peers.”
“Each week, Bradley facilitates a discussion amongst first- and second-year students and provides them with the opportunity to voice concerns, ask questions, and seek support from more senior members, such as himself. This resource has helped new students join research projects faster than in previous years so they can actively pursue their degree with relevant research more efficiently.”
“Brad is not only the ideal mentor but is also the ideal person to stay in academia as a professor. Over the past two years, Brad has managed his own prolific research, his teaching responsibilities, grant writing and finding collaborators, and educational outreach while still always finding time to technically and morally support new grad students in the lab and in the department.”
“Brad takes a supportive but critical interest in the projects of all the junior members of the lab… He recommends other students and faculty which can help move projects forward, ensures experimental plans will stand up to academic rigor and answer the questions we think they are, and reminds us to always consider what our “story” is (the big picture behind our research).”