Sponsor

 

Objective

This research education program fosters undergraduate biomedical engineering students to build upon their theoretical knowledge and develop multidisciplinary team-based problem-solving skills for careers related to public health. Program participants, future generations of biomedical engineers, will be better prepared to pursue careers creatively involved in problem solving and the design of solutions for the health care of the future.

 

Student Teams

Participants used team-based, open-ended design projects to better prepare themselves for future work and addressed a critical barrier to progress in the biomedical engineering field; moreover, these teams used new course characteristics to shift their undergraduate biomedical engineering education pardigm. Participants gained knowledge of team-based projects that have better prepared them for an interdisciplinary work environment, resulting in improved biomedical engineers to perform activities applicable to innovative device research and development for biomedical design.

Biomedical engineering design team at annual poster competition

 

Women and Diversity Participation

Women and diversity participation in the student teams addresses a critical barrier to progress in the biomedical engineering field. The program successfully attracts and retains individuals from diverse populations, including populations underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research on a national basis. The program has diversified through increased participation of talented individuals from underrepresented groups.

 

Multidisciplinary Environment

Participants benefit from using a unique, multidisciplinary arrangement within a 10-mile, geographic radius that provide appropriate experience to help prepare them for similar projects in their future careers and teach the process of solving clinically based problems using novel engineering designs. Collaborators from University of Tennessee (UT) Knoxville, UT Graduate School of Medicine (GSM), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have participated in the program.

 

Clinical Immersion

Participants use biomedical design project problems to better prepare for innovative device development to address barriers in the biomedical field; furthermore, the UT Graduate School of Medicine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory provide trainees with additional experiences to help teach the process of solving clinically based problems. Participants gain experience clinically shadowing doctors in a several hospital department environments directly concerned with patient health. Through clinical shadowing, literature/patent searches, and project planning, the initial 10-week period of the program serves as a springboard for subsequent design activities. The clinical shadowing provides an immersive training environment through activities in a clinical setting and discussions about professional protocols.

To find more about the clinical immersion period, click here.

 

Open-ended Biomedical Design Projects

Design projects help prepare students for innovative device development, bringing together student teams with multiple project advisors to work on possible solutions, and using multiple research environments in those solutions. Participants gain systematic knowledge of the design process organized by general principles and life cycle phases of biomedical innovations. This process has given participants the opportunity to evaluate and ensure innovations suit functionality and performance requirements. The open-ended biomedical design projects foster students to build upon their theoretical knowledge and develop problem-solving skills.

To find more about the design projects, click here.

 

Program Director (top)

Jeff Reinbolt
Dougherty Engineering Building, Room 207
865.974.5308