Biomedical Engineering

Developing tools and techniques to enhance the state of health care is what biomedical engineering is all about. Using engineering principles, biomedical engineers solve complex problems in biology and medicine, with the aim of enhancing health care. They develop prosthetic limbs and joints, artificial hearts and valves, medical imaging systems, diagnostic sensors and monitors, therapeutic devices, and biocompatible materials. They also produce computer models that help doctors and researchers see how biological systems work in people who are healthy and in people who are sick, and provide clinicians with the tools they need to treat patients effectively and efficiently. From catheters to magnetic resonance imaging systems, virtually every object found in an emergency room, operating theatre or laboratory is the product of biomedical engineering--and that's just the beginning.

Success requires more than a solid grounding in engineering. Undergraduates will also need a comprehensive understanding of basic science, biology, physiology and computers. Even more, a good biomedical engineer must be able to think creatively to apply the principles of engineering to the problems at hand.

WPI is uniquely qualified to prepare students for success in this dynamic field. Our program takes them beyond basic technical proficiency with a wide array of research and project opportunities. The WPI campus is a short drive from a medical school, a veterinary school and three major hospitals. In addition, New England is home to the largest concentration of medical device firms east of the Mississippi.

The combination of WPI's advantageous location and its innovative, project-based curriculum offers each student an opportunity to complete research at medical centers, in industry or at on-campus facilities. Quite simply, no other engineering school offers the same combination of educational excellence, leading-edge facilities, exposure to research opportunities, and hands-on, professional-level experience.

Program

The Biomedical Engineering Department offers a flexible major program, including many opportunities for interdepartmental course and project work. In addition, students are encouraged to choose electives that reflect their personal interests and career aspirations.

Students works with an advisor to design a personal program of study within the boundaries of the major requirements. Upon completion of the program they have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of biology, physiology, physics, chemistry, calculus, differential equations, statistics, electrical engineering, computer science and materials science. You will also have taken at least six biomedical engineering courses and developed a strong concentration in either bioelectrical, biomechanical or biochemical engineering.

Subjects of study

Combined B.S./M.S. Degree Program

Students who wish to accelerate their academic career may undertake a five-year combined B.S./M.S. program in biomedical engineering. WPI offers two master's programs: one in biomedical engineering, for students interested in applying engineering to research and development in biology and in medicine; one in clinical engineering, for those who wish to establish engineering careers in hospitals or other clinical environments.

Like all undergraduate programs at WPI, the biomedical engineering major culminates in a Major Project, which requires that students apply their engineering background to a biomedical problem. The project may be performed in association with University of Massachusetts Medical School, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, a local hospital or a medical device company, or in one of the department's many laboratories.

Projects

Projects in biomedical engineering typically focus on one of four activity areas:

Some recent project topics

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that a project could produce an important innovation or contribute to the advancement of biomedical engineering.

Facilities

The Biomedical Engineering Department maintains the following state-of-the-art laboratories to support instruction and research:

Bioinstrumentation and Biosignals Laboratory

This teaching laboratory provides equipment and supplies for computer-based acquisition and processing of biological signals.

Biomechanical Engineering Laboratories

This complex, which contains experimental and computational facilities for the laboratory component of BME courses, includes the Biomechanics/Biofluids Laboratory, the Biomaterials Laboratory and the Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory.

Computing and Imaging Facility

WPI's Computing and Communications Center maintains this facility, which contains network-attached, PC-based personal computers. Open to all members of the WPI community, this laboratory houses computer-based imaging hardware and software to support undergraduate and graduate courses and projects in biomedical imaging and biomedical signal processing.

Projects Laboratory

Because project work is a significant component of a WPI education, the department maintains a dedicated laboratory for Major Projects, Interactive Projects and independent projects.

Physiology Teaching Facility

This laboratory, with its associated animal-holding quarters, contains all the necessary equipment and supplies for anesthesia, surgery and physiologic manipulation in small animals and supports biomedical engineering courses in experimental physiology and small animal surgery.

Faculty Research Facilities

The Bioinstrumentation Research Lab, the Biosensor Research Lab, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Imaging Facility, the Biomaterials/Tissue Engineering Lab and the In-Vivo Optical Imaging Lab are under the direction of individual BME faculty members and may be available, with permission, for project activities.

Careers

With the explosive growth of the health care industry in recent years, most WPI biomedical engineering majors have jobs lined up before graduation--in areas as varied as the field's research opportunities and applications. Because of the solid preparation they receive, our BME graduates have significant advantages over their peers at other universities and are compensated at rates competitive with national averages in engineering.

WPI also prides itself on a biomedical engineering program that effectively instills in students a lifelong love of learning. Many of these individuals go on to pursue advanced degrees at leading universities in the United States and around the world.

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Last modified: November 08, 2006 13:57:43