MAJOR CONUNDRUM BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (BME) Interviewee: Miles Arnett ’22 from Worcester, MA If your heart is in the lab (literally), biomedical engineering (BME) might be the major for you! Biomedical engineering is the intersection of biology, medicine, and technology. Biomedical engineers work to improve the quality of human and animal life by studying how doctors and patients interact with medical equipment. This allows them to improve devices, drugs, and other therapeutic treatments, paving the way for future innovations in the medical field. Their work includes everything from imaging technologies to prosthetics to biocompatible drug delivery systems. At Tufts, the BME major is divided into three focus areas: regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and biomedical devices. Projects range from silk-based nanocircuitry to lab-grown hearts, with endless possibilities in between. For example, some Tufts students have become pioneers in the field of tissue engineering and others have created dissolvable bioelectronic devices. As part of his class research to develop an artificial brain implant, Miles Arnett even grew neural cells on a scaffold! These impressive BME projects are all possible thanks to a committed 30
student body interested in medicine and biology and professors who are more than willing to support these passions. Furthermore, through Tufts’ co-op program, students gain valuable hands-on experience in many different BME subfields and combine problem-solving and innovative thinking with technical knowledge. So, whether you find yourself in a lab with other students or in a lecture taking notes, you’ll be ready to change the world as a Tufts BME! CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (CHEME) Interviewee: Emily DeWolf ’21 from Rutland, VT Do you find tiny things cute? Chemical engineering (ChemE) may be right up your alley, considering how small molecules can be! Chemical engineering seems easy to understand at first. After all, it’s simply chemistry plus engineering, right? Add a little bit of this, a little bit of that, cook at 365 degrees, and voilà! However, the field is much more complicated than you think. As Emily puts it, “ChemE is basically a mixing pot of science. If you are interested in how physics, chemistry, and biology come together...you’ll get a taste of it here.” Chemical engineers design almost all the equipment and processes used in manufacturing plants. They also develop chemical
