SEAS, SMD unite to form new department

Biomedical engineering department meets rising demand

Faculty members and students from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the School of Medicine and Dentistry will be united in the new department. In recent years the University has created seven new faculty positions in biomedical engineering, which are helping to address student demand. Biomedical engineering is the fastest-growing major on campus: Last fall more than 50 freshmen announced their plans to major in the subject. Four new courses have been developed over the last few years and a new research laboratory has been built.

The recent developments build on a long history at the University. In 1961 it was one of the first three institutions nationwide to establish a training program in biomedical engineering. Four years ago a formal graduate program was created, and one year later a new undergraduate program was developed.

"This brings the interests of the River Campus and the Medical Center together in a new and exciting way," said Kevin Parker, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "The department provides a nucleus from which to launch powerful teaching and research programs in biomedical engineering. It will help bring faculty and students together and create a unified single high-tech identity to attract the best students."

Lowell Goldsmith, dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, agrees. "This department will strengthen interactions between our Medical Center and River Campus, creating powerful synergies with resulting national impact."

The field of biomedical engineering has flourished as engineers continue to discover new ways to use engineering approaches to understand and aid processes within the human body. Among the issues being addressed at the University: how medical imaging can be improved to detect ever-smaller tumors, and how bones and joints respond to injury and disease.

"There is tremendous interest in taking basic science information and translating it into useful applications," said Richard Waugh, professor of pharmacology and physiology and director of the biomedical engineering program. "Biomedical engineering ... is a field that is growing enormously, and we're excited to be at the leading edge."

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