The Biomedical Optics Graduates Organization (B.O.G.O) is a registered UT student organization. B.O.G.O was started with the single purpose of cultivating interest in biomedical optics and imaging research in the department of biomedical engineering. B.O.G.O will aim to provide a cross-departmental platform for graduate students to present their research, gain exposure to the research of others in the field and network with other students and professors through a seminar series and social events. B.O.G.O will also provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to interact with graduate students and learn more research opportunities available to them. In addition, B.O.G.O will be a resource for prospective graduate students.
B.O.G.O Seminar Series
The graduate student seminar series will be the flagship event of our organization. This bi weekly event will provide a forum for graduate students to interact and network with each other. Each seminar will typically be 30 to 40 minutes long followed by a 15 minute discussion session. The seminars will be open to anyone interested in optics and imaging. Students preparing for a conference can use this presentation as a dry run. Typically these seminars will see the following:
- Graduate students in the field of optics and imaging
- Undergraduate students working in research labs
- Tutorial sessions by UT professors in specialized fields
- Invited talks by visiting lecturers
This interaction through the seminar series would help generate new ideas, enable cross fertilization of ideas and improve collaboration between research groups.
Benefit to New and Prospective Graduate Students
B.O.G.O will also aim to contribute to Recruitment Weekend every spring. The seminar series and social networking events will provide new graduate students with the opportunity to gain exposure to current research in the department, and meet current graduate students. Current departmental policy allows a student one month after start of classes to choose an adviser. Although most graduate students do make a decision by the deadline, we feel that this kind of interaction will help the student make a much more informed decision.
Benefit to Undergraduate Students
While the organization and seminar series is directed towards graduate students, our activities offer many benefits to undergraduate students as well. Our seminar series fulfills a need for an event that enables undergraduate students to interact with graduate students. Undergraduate students are welcome to attend the seminars. This opens up opportunities for undergraduate students to work with graduate students in research labs. It also provides seniors who are prospective graduate students with an insight into graduate life. The Resources link will provide an updated list of all potential undergraduate openings in various optics and imaging labs.