Biomedical engineering student wins prestigious national award

April 28, 2021

For the second time in the last four years, a Mississippi State engineering student has been selected as the recipient of the C. William Hall Scholarship from the Society For Biomaterials.

Kaylee Bundy

Biomedical engineering major Kaylee Bundy recently earned the C. William Hall Scholarship from the Society For Biomaterials.

Kaylee Bundy, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, was presented with the award at the society’s virtual annual meeting on Thursday, April 22.

“It was such an incredible honor to receive the award named after Dr. C. William Hall,” Bundy said. “During his lifetime, Dr. Hall managed research on the production of artificial organs. I used to say my dream job would be to help construct artificial organs, so reading his story was very encouraging and inspiring. Though it would have been fun to attend the meeting in person, I am thankful that technology allowed us all to meet together virtually, even during a pandemic. It was very humbling to see my name and picture across the live conference stream.”

A native of Covington, Louisiana, Bundy earned the prestigious award based on her outstanding scholastic achievement and her stated objectives for future research. During her time at Mississippi State, she has spent time researching with LaShan Simpson, an associate professor of agricultural & biological engineering within MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering.

“I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. LaShan Simpson,” Bundy added. “I have been performing research in her lab on cardiovascular disease for the past three years, and she has provided incredible leadership to help me succeed. I am very grateful that Dr. Simpson encouraged me to apply for this award and for all her help and guidance over the years.”

Previous Winner from MSU

Bundy joins former Bagley College of Engineering student Jenna Mosier, who earned the recognition in 2018. The award honors the memory of the Society For Biomaterials’ first president, Dr. C. William Hall. The scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior undergraduate pursuing a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering or a related discipline.

The Society for Biomaterials is a professional society that promotes advances in biomedical materials research and development by encouragement of cooperative educational programs, clinical applications and professional standards in the biomaterials field.

Mississippi State’s Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering is jointly administered by the Bagley College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in three distinct program areas: biological engineering, biomedical engineering and agricultural engineering technology and business.

Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu. It can also be found on FacebookTwitter, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.

By Philip Allison