Biomedical Engineering is a field of engineering distinguished by a basic understanding of biological and medical science. The health care industry is growing steadily and the concern for human health and welfare is greater each year. As a consequence, the need for trained professionals in the basic principles and applications of mathematics, physics, chemistry and the life sciences has become substantive and necessary. Biomedical engineering provides a challenging, stimulating, and diverse field of professional endeavor.

Biomedical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University

The Biomedical Engineering Program at Louisiana Tech University was established in 1972. Its first chair, Dr. Daniel D. Reneau, is now the President of the University. As the seventh ABET-accredited undergraduate biomedical engineering program in the country (in 1978), it has played a continuous leadership role in defining the nascent field of biomedical engineering. The program was one of the first in the country to award a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. The Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science (CyBERS) has been identified as a Center of Excellence at Louisiana Tech University, first by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1985 when it was established, and recently by the University of Louisiana System in a review of all its colleges and universities. The Center coordinates all biomedical engineering research on the campus, such that strong ties are in place with academic programs in Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences, Tech’s Institute for Micromanufacturing (IfM) - another Center of Excellence, and Tech’s Center for Numerical Simulation and Modeling. CyBERS and its closely affiliated Biomedical Engineering academic program have long had international acclaim for its physiological research and its rehabilitation engineering and science research and service. Through partnership with the world-class facilities and researchers in the If M, CyBERS has developed expertise in the growing BioMEMS field. The last 10 years has seen a blossoming of interest by other universities towards Biomedical or Bio-Engineering, such that now over 25 undergraduate and 65 graduate programs exist in the U.S. alone.

Strengths

Outstanding students from around the world come to Tech for undergraduate or graduate study in Biomedical Engineering. The Biomedical Engineering Program at Louisiana Tech University actively participates in this growing field trough a comprehensive program of education, research, service.

The Program offers the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering. Through the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science (CyBERS) and other research centers on campus, faculty, staff and students engage in basic and applied research projects.

The Biomedical Engineering faculty members, each of whom holds a Ph.D. from a distinguished university, have published extensively and attract substantial funding from federal and private agencies. Total external funding exceeds $1.0 million annually.

Located a few blocks from the main campus, the Biomedical Engineering Complex (see picture) consists of two buildings and 63,000 square feet of space. This facility houses classrooms, instructional laboratories, computers, faculty and administrative offices, and research and service laboratories.

Size

Undergraduate enrollment in Biomedical Engineering at Tech is approximately one hundred and sixty students; therefore, the program is large enough to provide the student with a strong academic degree but small enough to give the individual attention that might be needed. Approximately 50% of the BmE students are from outside the state of Louisiana. Additionally, 50% of the BmE enrollment is female and 25% is from under-represented minority groups. The Program is known as one of the premier programs of the University and the State.

The program emphasizes a balance between theory and practical application, and provides the student with a range of career alternatives upon graduation including medical school, graduate school and employment. Internships are also available to undergraduates to help in making these important career decisions.

Graduate enrollment is approximately twenty-five students. Many students come from across the United States and abroad to study Biomedical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University. The Program offers degrees through the Doctor of Philosophy and a joint M.D./ Ph.D. program with LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

B.S. in Biomedical Engineering

The broad departmental objective of the program is to produce B.S. graduates who are equipped to pursue careers in the multidisciplinary fields of biomedical engineering, including medical school, graduate school and employment in industry. The program is designed along broad lines to permit a student to obtain a fundamental education in biomedical engineering and a specialty in one of the following traditional engineering areas: chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. A separate specialty is also available for pre-medical students. As detailed in the catalog, the B.S. curriculum consists of 128 semester credit hours, including 27 hours of biomedical engineering courses, 18 hours of other required engineering courses, 13 hours of technical electives, 7 hours of biological sciences, 18 hours of engineering mathematics and statistics, and 42 hours of general education requirements. The curriculum culminates with a senior design project, spread over the winter and spring quarters of the senior year. The design course provides instruction in structured engineering design and enables the students to choose and solve problems using their previous education.

Due primarily to the success of some of our early graduates, placement from the B.S. program at Louisiana Tech into entry-level engineering jobs has been very good. Each year, over 55% of these graduates pursue employment in industry, 35% pursue graduate study, and 10% enter medical school.

Whitaker Foundation Industrial Internships

In 1997, Louisiana Tech University received a three-year grant from the Whitaker Foundation to establish a biomedical engineering summer internship program. During the first three years of the program, eleven companies and 21 different students have participated in the summer program (for a total of 26 intern-ships), reflecting a wide geographic and professional diversity. The program has greatly increased visibility and respect for our students and will continue for many more years after Whitaker Foundation sponsorship ends.

Accreditation

The Biomedical Engineering Program at Louisiana Tech is one of only twenty two in the United States which is accredited by The Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and was the seventh program to achieve this goal. Graduates of the program are well prepared for taking the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. Established in 1972, the Biomedical Engineering Department remains as one of the oldest, largest and strongest such programs in the United States.

BMES

As the professional organization for Biomedical Engineering students, the Louisiana Tech Chapter of Biomedical Engineering Society plays an important role in preparing our undergraduate students for their career objectives beyond the bachelor degree. The organization sponsors speakers, field trips, and social events, and participates in activities at the college and university levels. Speakers have included practicing biomedical engineers and physicians, faculty and professional staff from the Program, undergraduate students, and graduate students. Recent field trips were taken in Houston, TX (NASA, McDonnell-Douglas, General Electric), Jackson, MS (Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center), and San Antonio, TX (Southwest Research Institute).

Alpha Eta Mu Beta (AEMB)

The national honor society in Biomedical Engineering, Alpha Eta Mu Beta, was founded by Dr. Daniel D. Reneau (our current President) under the sponsorship of the former Alliance for Engineering in Medicine and Biology (AEMB). The first chapter of Alpha Eta Mu Beta was established at Louisiana Tech University in 1979. Dr. Napper (Co-PI on this proposal) was a student at Louisiana Tech University at that time and helped organize the first chapter. The purpose of this organization is to recognize and encourage excellence in Biomedical Engineering students. The chapter promotes academic excellence and high moral standards. Much like BMES, it provides opportunities for the development of communication and leadership skills and promotes high standards in academic and professional activities.

Students in Biomedical Engineering

The Biomedical Engineering Program attracts students of the highest quality. Information on students entering the undergraduate program in 1999 indicate the Biomedical Engineering students had the highest ACT score (26.7 average) of all programs in the College of Engineering and Science and in the University.

One hundred percent (19/19) of the 1998-99 graduates seeking employment or admission to graduate or medical school achieved their goal within six months after graduation. Graduates during the last two years seeking admission to graduate school were admitted to prestigious institutions including Rice University, Boston University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, Johns Hopkins University, Case Western Reserve University (receiving one of the two highest fellowships in Biomedical Engineering at CWRU), University of Virginia, Tulane University, and the University of Louisville. During the past 5 years, the pass rate for BmE seniors on the Fundamentals of Engineering examination was 75%. This pass rate is the same as the rate for the entire COES and the Louisiana average.

The Program has had a student on the USA Today Academic All-American Team for 6 out of 9 consecutive years (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2000). Five students have participated in the Baylor College of Medicine SMART Program in the last seven years.

The program continues to attract the best students in the university, many of whom come from out of state to study biomedical engineering here. Two examples of these outstanding students are Jasmine Beslagic and Solana Christiansen. The Outs tanding Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Student Scholarship for 1998-99 was awarded to Jasmine Beslagic, from Bosnia. Jasmine was the Tau Beta Pi President for 1998-99 and under her leadership, the chapter was named Runner-up for the Most Improved Chapter in the nation. Jasmine is employed by Prucka Engineering in Houston. Also in 1998-99, Solana Christiansen, a senior in Biomedical Engineering from Wisconsin, received a national Tau Beta Pi award (Peter & Elsa Soderberg Scholar for 1999- 2000). Solana was a member of the University Cross-Country Team, established the Chamber Orchestra on campus and was the current President of Tau Beta Pi. Before the end of her senior year, Solana had been named the top engineering student in the country by Tau Beta Pi, been named to the USA Today Academic All American Team, and had received a NSF Graduate Fellowship, for which she will attend the University of Michigan.

Department Advisory Board

The Department Advisory Board includes representation from manufacturing, government agencies, rehabilitation engineering centers, hospitals, private medical practice, and medical research. The Board provides input and assistance to the Department on academic, research, and service matters. The Board considers matters such as recruiting, curriculum development, course content, laboratory equipment, program enhancement, and student placement. The Board meets at least once per year to interact with the faculty, staff and students and to obtain first-hand information on the operation of the Department.

About Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University is a state-supported institution of higher education, founded in 1894. The university mission focuses on a quality education for a wide range of baccalaureate programs and selected graduate programs. The university also demonstrates a strong commitment to research, with special emphasis on engineering and science. Enrollment is approximately 10,000 students and the physical plant includes over 130 buildings on 255 acres of main campus and over 1000 acres of farm and forestry land. Louisiana Tech University has a long-standing reputation for excellence in undergraduate engineering instruction. The Biomedical Engineering Program is one of 11 B.S. degree-granting programs in the College. These programs include six engineering disciplines, two technology disciplines, as well as degrees in computer science, geo- sciences, mathematics, chemistry and physics. In addition to these baccalaureate degrees, the College of fers M.S. programs and Ph.D . degrees in Engineering, Computational Analysis and Modeling, and Biomedical Engineering. The College has expanded its research activities in recent years and developed a national reputation in several areas. Much of the research is administered through five College-wide Centers:

· Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Science
· Institute for Micromanufacturing
· Trenchless Technology Center
· Center for Numerical Simulation and Modeling
· Center for Applied Physics Studies

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