The School of Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) has received an unrestricted gift from the Gerald B. Shreiber (GBS) Foundation, a private foundation located in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Through his foundation, Shreiber, board chairman of J&J Snack Foods and uncle of BME professor and department chair David Shreiber, had previously supported the department with a gift earmarked for graduate student support.
A Generous Benefactor
While noting the GBS Foundation’s consistent support of student causes at Rutgers and other institutions over the years, David Shreiber says that “Gerry and the foundation were interested in broadening their portfolio to provide impact through STEM initiatives.”
“Given my position as chair and Rutgers’ role as the leading public research university in New Jersey , representatives from the GBS Foundation — his wife Melanie and daughter Robyn – visited Rutgers and toured our facility,” he added. “I described the many ways that an academic program can have impact through STEM higher education and training, research, and technology development.”
Melanie Shreiber says, “We immensely enjoyed the tour and seeing some of the impressive technology that is being developed. It was beyond fascinating.”
She adds, “This gift in support of BME at Rutgers is an expression of my husband’s passionate and committed support of education initiatives that provide students with opportunities and support their success. The realization through David that the School of Engineering and the BME department share this vision was a critical factor behind the gift itself.”
A Transformative Gift
While over time the GBS Foundation gift will be administered by the BME department chair, a team of department faculty has worked together to describe and identify some of the ways a gift could help transform the BME program and support student development. “I expect we will continue to work together to best leverage this generous gift,” Professor Shreiber notes.
Planned gift funding, he says, currently includes:
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Establishing and supporting a student design suite, that Professor Shreiber describes as a “maker space-like laboratory where students can train in the principles of medical device design and ultimately realize their designs in senior capstone projects”
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Facilitating research opportunities for undergraduates from Rutgers and other universities, especially those schools that lack advanced research opportunities.
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Supporting doctoral student recruitment and retention through fellowships.
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Translating research for clinical devices and technology from the laboratory to the clinic.
The School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering offers exceptional opportunities for students, researchers, and industry partners. Students and faculty regularly engage in interdisciplinary collaboration in genomics, tissue engineering, advanced microscopy, biomedical optics, microfabrication, and more.
