Educational Toolkit for Bioengineering Design, Entrepreneurship and Service Learning

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PROJECT SUMMARY Traditional lecture-based approach of teaching is rapidly becoming obsolete in a world where problems are often multifaceted and cross-disciplinary. This is exceptionally true for biomedical engineering education, where graduates are required to comprehend and apply advanced concepts in the fields of engineering, biology, and medicine, while simultaneously being able to understand the importance of commercialization in dissemination of discoveries. In addition, as the worlds of medicine and engineering continuously merge, biomedical engineers will increasingly often find themselves in environments considered “clinical” – where an understanding and insight of human factors, ethics, community engagement, and social interaction will be instrumental. Towards addressing some of these challenges, we propose the development of an Educational Toolkit for Bioengineering Design, Entrepreneurship and Service Learning. This novel educational program will enhance the biomedical engineering education by implementing several additional curricular components. These team-based courses include: 1) A junior-level Clinical Needs Finding clinical immersion course with a Service-Learning dedication. Students observe and identify healthcare gaps and disparities; and innovate projects that are directly relevant to our local healthcare community. 2) A junior-level course in Computational Tools for Biomedical Engineering Design, teaching the essential tools that are required for engineering design and prototyping. 3) A senior-level course in Entrepreneurial Bioengineering, focusing on commercialization, technology transfer, and start-up potential. 4) A 3-semester spanning Service-Learning class in which students mentor local high school pre-engineering design teams focused on biomedical and healthcare topics. If the goals of this program are met, students will gain valuable understanding about the role of a biomedical engineer in a clinical setting, build a network of peer and program faculty support, and develop a deeper understanding of the career opportunities in science and medicine. They will possess an understanding about design and commercialization in an engineering context, but are sensitive to aspects beyond science, such as health disparities and ethical challenges. Furthermore, by emphasizing the community engagement aspect in the two novel Service-Learning courses, we are encouraging the students to be the best possible stewards of their education, in growing to serve the communities around them, and inspiring the younger generation of engineers.