ISSUE ONE VOLUME THREE
SEPTEMBER , 2008
A GT-BMES STUDENT PUBLICATION FOR THE COMMUNITY OF GT-BME
took the initiative to start the unique department. Invited by Georgia Tech and Emory in July of 1997, Giddens and others pushed proposals for A Candid Discussion with the department, developed a Dean Don P. Giddens new curriculum, and of the College of formed a diverse Engineering faculty and adminiWilla Ni ‘12 stration. This ultimately resulted in Biomedical engithe biomedical engineering, the new kid neering department on the block at we see today. Georgia Tech and Though Giddens Emory, took off in holds a PhD. in aero1997 as a pioneering thermodynamics and joint department. a M.S. in aerospace More than a decade engineering, his unlater, I sat down with derstanding of fluid Dr. Don P. Giddens, dynamics also apthe Dean of the ColDean Don P. Giddens talks with Wi!a Ni about the foundations of bioplied to blood flow lege of Engineering medical engineering. Photo by Chun Yong. in arteries. In turn, and one of the founthis application led ders of the Wallace H. dens notes, “While the BME deeper into cardiovascular Coulter Department of Bioresearch field is old, the acaresearch resulting in a nonmedical Engineering, for a demic field is relatively traditional, yet highly benepeek into the beginnings of new.” ficial branch of studies. Like our major. Georgia Tech and Emory Giddens, the majority of the During the 1980s, the University already had a bafaculty he hired came from modern academic biomedical sis of collaborative research diverse backgrounds rooted structure began, according to in the biomedical engineerin other academic fields that Giddens, as a “growing ining field before they undereventually led to applica-
The Beginning: Biomedical Engineering
terest in applying engineering to medicine in research.” Originally research-oriented, biomedical engineering began as an academic discipline in the 1990s. As Gid-
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ISSUE ONE VOLUME THREE
BMES Pioneer Editorial Board
Editor in Chief Alice Chan ’10 Melody Keith ‘09 Layout Editors Allaine Dela Cruz ’12 Beatrice Wan ‘11 Chun Yong ‘12 Features Editor Rebekah Hamrick ’10 Staff Writers Natalia Cuenca ’12 Kirsten Kepple ‘09 Willa Ni ’12 Alysia Rudis ‘09 Rosemary Song ‘12 Development Editors Aileen Li ‘10 Rohan Trivedi ’10 Photographers Michael Glatzer ‘12 Kiersten Petersen ’10 Ludmila Tsai ‘11
What’s Inside? ‣ ‣ ‣
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The History of BME at GT BMED 2300: Franklin Bost New Fun Section! BMED 2210 Comic ‣ ‣ Crossword Puzzle Upcoming Events
SEPTEMBER , 2008
tions of biomedical engineerwith $25 million dollars, ing in research. Faculty with which not only allowed the foundations from mechanical development of the underengineering to applied graduate BME program on mathematics, like Giddens, top of the original doctorate “got more and more interprogram, but also supported ested and stayed there.” translational research. The Their common interest in Coulter donation is comBME research gathmemorated ered them to Georin the namgia Tech, but their ing of the Faculty with diversity enhanced B M E d efoundations the department. partment. The current s t o d a y ’s from mechanical A BME department is integration not only the product engineering to of medicine of an amazing cast and technolapplied of faculty and adogy far surministrators, but passes that mathematics got also of generous of 1997, ingrants from the Whimore and more d u s t r y b etaker Foundation comes more and the Wallace H. interested and aware of Coulter Foundation. t h e a dstayed there. Formed from the vantages generous estate of of a U.A. Whitaker, the Whitaker BME degree. The wide variFoundation in 2000 donated ety of career opportunities $16 million dollars to the for our major reflects that founding of the Georgia Tech growing awareness, but also BME department hence the the origins of our department U.A. Whitaker Building. As in a diverse faculty and an Giddens explains, “The Whiinsightful founding team. taker Foundation believed that for BME to have permaBMED 2300 nence [in the scientific LECTURE community] departments Why Am I Here? needed to be created.” Later in 2001 the Wallace H. CoulMelody Keith ‘09 ter Foundation from the WalAs a student of BMED lace H. Coulter estate 2300 with Franklin Bost, I ofgranted our BME department ten wondered to myself about
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ISSUE ONE VOLUME THREE the class’s purpose. No one seemed to care, especially about the lecture. Are Gantt charts really necessary? And while I have multi-color highlighted the technical report requirements six times, I still seem to lose points on “not following instructions.” What? Amidst my confusion and the overarching apathy that swept over the student constituency, I decided to ask the professor myself. I had a feeling that he wanted to achieve more zeal among the students than which was currently present. “Basically, we
Professor Franklin Bost, CEO of SpherIngenics Inc. Photo courtesy of BME dept website.
want to introduce the whole design process to students, what you’re studying in biomedical engineering is only part of the process; the
SEPTEMBER , 2008
Product-Realization Process glowing response: “I know goes all the way from idea thousands of doctors here in concept, whether it’s from the the U.S. and overseas, mostly doctor, user, or engineer intercarrying around 3-4 products facing with the clinicians, all ideas around with them, some the way through the developare good, but often they're too ment process, where it brings busy or don't know how to acin the marketing, sales, and tualize it. So those doctors regulatory aspect. The alumni with engineering backgrounds panels say that they want the have a better opportunity for students to have a working working with industry and knowledge of it, ” Bost cheermoving things forward.” Since fully resounded. However, I we're all engineers here, we was still bothered that no one can do some basic math: cared. It just seemed like I was learning more business-y things as opposed to grasping the Doctorhood hardcore fundamentals of + engineering. Bost reiterated ngineering Degree E that “you don't have to = Ability to patent go out and be an engineer. You can do quality r own designs u yo assurance and quality control, learn things from = Your Wildest the manufacturing standDreams Come point. You migrate into technical sales, with soTrue phistication of medical devices these days. It’s not like being a used car I suppose that was fair salesman, you become a conenough, but why is medical sultant to doctors and users of design so important to Bost? the device.” What made him excited about OK, so what about half it? “I spent a lot of time in the the BME student body that hospital just hanging out. I want to become doctors, with spent a week in the operating no intention of engineering room, the delivery room, the design? Why is BMED 2300 emergency room, and one on important to them? I should the floor, just observing the have prepared myself for the environment, how to be in sur3
ISSUE ONE VOLUME THREE gery and not get in trouble[...], how to stand, and how to observe. Particularly, [hospitals are] used to having students (ie, interns and residents), so they're very interested in teaching. The doctors will make room for you to come over to look and see very closely what they're doing. It got me very excited about the profession.” Kind of makes me want to hang out in hospitals. Bost actually had some pretty good post-grad career advice, recommending work in larger companies because “they have established procedures, a lot of resources, training programs, so it's easier to
integrate yourself into the environment; however, you really have to be your own advocate when you get out into business.” He brought up a good point that “employees who wait for their manager to come up with something for them to do is a drudgery. If you have an enthusiastic employee that wants to try new things, it may not happen immediately, but the manager will probably go out of his way to let those things happen.” “I would like the class to give me feedback on what they liked about the class, and what they liked about the lab,” expounded Bost. “I'm not here
SEPTEMBER , 2008 to do research; the only reason I'm here is to teach for the students...and well, for me too, because it makes me feel good.” “Don't view the projects as a task,” he advised, in that there is no final answer at the end of a book chapter. “It is a chance to be a little bit freer.” There’s a unique opportunity behind working with someone who cares about your future, especially someone with technical knowledge, having effectuated the pathway to advancement. I think I want to take advantage of this. As for those who don't care, I’m gettin’ on the success train, see you at the never stop!
Student Voice Section Why are we doing experiments on people and measuring their body fat content in BME 1300? I predict we get zero female volunteers to have their body fat measured by us. I just think it's funny. - Erik Gustafson
Comic by Melody Keith.
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ISSUE ONE VOLUME THREE
SEPTEMBER , 2008
October 2008 Sunday
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Monday
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Wednesday
1 UROP - App Deadline
Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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BMES Conference (1st to 3rd)
IBB Vendor Showcase 5
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BMES Student Research Panel
EXXONMOBIL Info Session
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IBB-Wide Poster Session 14
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FALL BREAK!! 19
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Buzz on Biotechnology Open House 22
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Frontiers in Multi-Scale Systems IBB Breakfast Biology International Launch Con- Club Seminar ference (18th - 21st)
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28 UROP Mentoring Workshop
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