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Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Students who enjoy math, physics and
chemistry, but who also have a keen interest in
biology and medicine, should consider a career
in biomedical engineering. Synthetic heart
valves, the MRI scanner, and automatic
bio-sensors for rapid gene sequencing are each
examples of biomedical engineering. Biomedical
Engineering (BME) is the newest
engineering discipline, integrating the basic
principles of biology with the tools of
engineering.
With the rapid advances in biomedical
research, and the severe economic pressures to
reduce the cost of health care, biomedical
engineering plays an important role in the
medical environment of the 21st century. Over
the last decade, biomedical engineering has
evolved into a separate discipline bringing the
quantitative concepts of design and
optimization to problems in biomedicine.
The opportunities for biomedical engineers
are wide ranging. The medical-device and drug
industries are increasingly investing in
biomedical engineers. As gene therapies become
more sophisticated, biomedical engineers will
have a key role in bringing these ideas into
real clinical practice. Finally, as technology
plays an ever-increasing role in medicine, there will be a larger need for physicians with
a solid engineering background. From
biotechnology to tissue engineering, from
medical imaging to microelectronic prosthesis, from biopolymers to rehabilitation engineering, biomedical engineers are in demand.
The facilities available for student
research include state-of-the-art, well-equipped laboratories in the Dental
School, Medical School, and the College of
Engineering, the clinical facilities of the
University of Michigan Hospitals, and the Ann
Arbor Veteran's Administration Hospital.
Students have access to patients and real
medical problems with the University of
Michigan Hospital on the campus. The University
of Michigan's College of Engineering and
Medical School have long been regarded as among
the finest in the country. Bridging these two
worlds is the BME Department, consistently
ranked in the top ten nationally in recent
years.
Two new buildings house the primary
laboratories of the BME Department and help
from a Bioengineering Quadrangle including all
of the core laboratories in the BME Department, the FMRI Center, the Center for Ultrafast
Optical Sciences, and Biotechnology labs within
the Environmental Engineering Program. The
Bioengineering Quadrangle provides world-class
facilities for students in the College of
Engineering pursuing research in
bioengineering, biomedical imaging, bioinformatics, and biotechnology.
Department Laboratories
Active research laboratories in the areas of
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), biofluidics, micro- and nanoscale fabrication, molecular motors, microfluidics, biofluid
mechanics, neural engineering, BioMEMS, tissue
engineering, biomechanics, biomedical optics, biomedical ultrasonics, ion channel
engineering, and biomaterials provide physical
resources and a rich intellectual environment
supporting the studies of both our graduate and
undergraduate students. Teaching laboratories
include both wet and dry labs, computing
facilities, and student project space for
design and fabrication of projects.
Biomedical Engineering is currently
not ABET accredited.
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