BECON MEETING MINUTES
June 11, 2001

A meeting of the NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON) was held from 3 to 4 PM on Wednesday, June 11, 2001, in Room 151 of Building l on the NIH Main Campus. The meeting was an entirely closed session primarily aimed at discussing the June 25-26 BECON 2001 Reparative Medicine Symposium and future bioengineering program announcements. The following text is the minutes of this meeting.

1. NIBIB Update (Donna Dean) – Development activities are proceeding with the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). There are currently four full-time staff members at the NIBIB. Current activities are aimed at completing budget issues, issuing the vacancy announcement for the NIBIB Director, establishing a search committee for the Director position, soliciting candidates for the Advisory Committee, and obtaining addition program and administrative staff.
   
   
2. BECON 2001 Reparative Medicine Symposium (Christine Kelley) - Registration remains open for the BECON 2001 Reparative Medicine Symposium which is scheduled for June 25-26 at the Natcher Conference Center.
   
   
3. NIH/NSF Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Research Training Workshop (Dick Swaja) – The joint NIH/NSF Workshop on Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Training is scheduled for June 14 at NSF Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
   
   
4. BECON 2002 Biosensors Symposium (Joan Harmon and Maren Laughlin) – Coordination efforts have begun for the BECON 2002 Symposium on Biosensors which is scheduled for June 24-25, 2002, at the Natcher Conference Center. Co-chairs Joan Harmon and Maren Laughlin have begun meeting with previous BECON chairs to develop a course of action and a list of needs for the symposium.
   
   
5. NASA Imaging Workshop (Dick Swaja) – The NASA is planning a technology-based workshop on bioimaging at the Marriott Hotel in Greenbelt, Maryland, on July 17-18. The organizers have requested that NIH send some representatives to participate in the discussion of biomedical imaging needs and directions. Information about this workshop is available on the Internet at http://www.nasamedicalimaging.com .
   
   
6. Bioengineering Program Announcements (Dick Swaja) – Letters of intent or the August 14 deadline for BRP applications (PA-01-024) are due at the NIH on July 13, 2001. Plans to re-issue the BRP, BRG, and K-25 program announcement (all of which expire during calendar year 2001) were also discussed.
   
   
7. Nanotechnology Information (Jeff Schloss) - There is still a lot of activity in the nanotechnology area. A major article on nanpotechnology and its potential benefits is planned for a major national magazine, and this will be a good opportunity to advertise applications and advances in biomedical research associated with nanotechnology.

Wendy Baldwin presented a framed BECON 2000 Nanotechnology Symposium poster to Dr. Eleni Kousvelari in recognition of serving as co-chair for the conference which was held in June of 2000.

The next BECON meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18, from 3 to 5 PM in Room 151 of Building l.