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W. John Kao earns international honor
The International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering has named Weiyuan John Kao, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of pharmacy and biomedical engineering, an international fellow. Kao, who also serves as an associate dean in the Division of International Studies, will receive the honor in person at the World Biomaterials Congress in Chengdu, China next month. The honorary title is conferred every four years to outstanding researchers and educators in the biomaterials field.
Kao’s work on a material platform for understanding tissue regeneration and healing drew the organization’s praise, but the award is more than just a personal honor for him. “If anything, it definitely gave everybody in the lab a dose of confidence. Doing good science can be tedious, and you have very little idea of the impact,” Kao explains. “These kinds of recognition are always good morale boosters. I want this as a chance to recognize my group.”
The material developed by Kao and his group works as an advanced liquid bandage–a mixture of synthetic polymers and biomolecules that forms a three-dimensional superstructure around tissue damaged by burns or other injuries. This protective layer allows tissue to regenerate unimpeded by the frequent disruption caused by removal and reapplication of traditional bandages. Research into clinical applications of the material is underway with help from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to develop a working prototype.
The fellowship is reviewed and approved by experts in the biomaterials field from all around the world, potentially elevating UW-Madison’s profile in the biomedical engineering field on a global stage. “This is just one of the many ways we hope we can elevate departmental recognition,” says Kao. “That can only be good for the college as a whole too, to always be at the forefront of what people see and what they read.”
Gold’s passion for study abroad brings him to UW-Madison
The seeds of Dan Gold’s international interests were planted even before he was born, when his parents took a year off to travel around the world.
“I remember hearing about that trip and seeing the pictures,” recalls Gold, who lived in the San Francisco Bay area and Northern Virginia while growing up. “It inspired me to do similar things.”
The experience that brought his passion into full bloom occurred in 1987, when, as a teenager, Gold went on an American Field Service (AFS) exchange program to Finland. Prior to that, his only other international experience had been a two-week family trip to Europe.
“Since my AFS experience in high school, everything I’ve done has been connected to international education,” he says.
His next adventure in international education brings him to Madison, as director of UW–Madison’s International Academic Programs (IAP), the office that runs a majority of the study abroad programs offered on campus. He begins May 1.
Gold comes to UW-Madison from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where, since 2002, he directed Asia programs in the Study Abroad Office and lectured in the Department of Asian Studies.
