2018 was a big year for Drexel University. Thanks to DrexelNow, you can relive the year's top stories concerning faculty, staff and students who were involved with some of the biggest news and events on and off campus.

A battery-powered applicator — as small and light as a watch — is the first portable device to heal chronic wounds with low-frequency ultrasound.

The U.S. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education (ASPIRE) Competition named Dr. Kara Spiller of Drexel University as the 2018 U.S. nominee to represent the United States for the APEC-wide ASPIRE Prize.

The University was included among the colleges and universities in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents report authored by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (POA).

Students in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems who take BMES-596 are invited to observe on surgical floors at Hahnemann University Hospital and flex their imaginative muscles through final projects.

Dr. Peter A. Lewin, Richard B. Beard   Distinguished University Professor and Director,  Biomedical Ultrasound Research  and Education Center, was the recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Philadelphia Section 2018 Benjamin Franklin Key Award. The award recognizes   an electrical   engineer for outstanding technical innovation and technological   contributions that have had significant   practical applications. The award emphasizes technical innovation, such   as a system (design and application), a significant improvement to a system, or patents of clear technical and technological achievements, which demonstrate intellectual, industrial, economical, or human benefits. Dr. Lewin was awarded several patents in the field of ultrasound and has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific publications.

Hollywood legend M. Night Shyamalan will address the class of 2018 at Drexel’s University-wide commencement ceremony on June 15 at Citizens Bank Park. The director, producer, screenwriter and actor — whose breakout hit, “The Sixth Sense,” appeared nearly 20 years ago — is known for filming and setting his movies in and around Philadelphia, hiring locally and utilizing area vendors, and showcasing some of the region’s best-loved attractions and locales.