Engineering An Exceptional Learning Environment
Winner
Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award University System of Georgia, Department Division
Crafting new student-centered innovative learning environments for
Our award-winning department has a history of innovation in engineering education. We employ research-based, student-centered pedagogies in a welcoming and collaborative environment that promotes student confidence, independence, and deep learning. We have developed a suite of reform-based courses that, woven together, form a powerful and innovative problem-driven learning curriculum. Inside, we provide a glimpse of what life is like for our students as they progress through what we believe is the leading biomedical engineering (BME) program in the country. “Georgia Tech gave me the problem solving skills, confidence and leadership to tackle enormous healthcare challenges. The reputation of the institution opened doors that accelerated my career beyond any expectation.�
-John Brumfield, St. Jude Medical, Class of 2005
biomedical engineers
Winner
Innovative Curriculum Inspiring Research Joe Le Doux, Ph.D. Associate Director for Student Experience and Learning
Industry Interactions Student Driven Learning
Towards Deep Learning as a Hallmark of our Students
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is a dynamic department that has always been at the forefront of research. The research breakthroughs we’ve made in cardiovascular engineering, regenerative medicine, and more recently in cancer technologies, neuroengineering, immunoengineering and pediatric bioengineering are recognized nationally.
Ravi V. Bellamkonda, Ph.D., Wallace H. Coulter Professor Department Chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech & the Emory School of Medicine President, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
What is not so commonly known is our dedication to fostering deep learning in our students, our award winning culture of innovation in how we teach what we teach. Coulter Department faculty have a strong commitment to shaping the next generation of engineers who are fearless problem solvers and effective communicators. Our biomedical engineers are supremely comfortable working in diverse teams to analyze, design and build simple or complex solutions to unmet healthcare needs. Furthermore, thanks to CREATE-X and other initiatives, we also develop engineers that are entrepreneurially minded. The Coulter Department develops great engineers, and much more – we develop innovators, leaders and creators of our collective future. We are proud to present some of the pedagogical innovations being nurtured in our classrooms, in our labs, and yes, in the BME Learning Commons initiative. We hope that the stories and testimonials we share here will help you see that the Wallace H. Coulter Department is at the forefront of creating the engineering curriculum of the future. This work is inspired by our students, often shaped by our students, and therefore, this is dedicated to them.
Ravi V. Bellamkonda Wallace H. Coulter Professor and Department Chair
Department Chair Welcome
Cultivating Team Problem Solving “Georgia Tech graduates have a unique skill set after graduating from the BME program. This program provides a solid technical background for students and focuses on the steps required to take an idea for an unmet clinical need to the production of a medical device. And with the huge focus on team-based problem solving, they learn to successfully collaborate and contribute to their team’s goals.” - Ann Graves, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, St. Jude Medical
Problem-based Learning Develops Deep Understanding
We use the term problem-driven learning (PDL) to describe a suite of courses that have been informed by the problem-based learning (PBL) approach. Originally designed to prepare medical students for the clinic, the PBL curriculum was centered on having small teams of students diagnose the ailments of simulated patients, with the intended outcome that they would develop a deep understanding of the human body and the cognitive practices of diagnosis. Similar to the medical community, we want our BME students to practice a particular reasoning and problem solving strategy referred to as model-based reasoning, and likewise, to anchor their knowledge in rich, complex cases that they have worked on and “solved”. Barbara Fasse, Ph.D. Director of Learning Sciences Innovation & Research She has been a leader in innovative learning for 25 years. “Problem-based learning helps you think more abstractly and organize your thoughts when dealing with complicated problems. Research is something that has no clear borders or rules; it’s incredibly open, just like PBL. Most problems encountered in other classes have a clear set of instructions and are predictable. PBL teaches you how to deal with unpredictability, just like research.” – BME student feedback
Fasse, a learning scientist who was a member of the founding faculty team in 2000, along with Wendy Newstetter, identified this educational approach as the most viable way to grow integrative thinkers and problem solvers capable of bridging the biosciences, engineering and medicine. Carefully designed, complex, ill-structured problems taken from the real world create the context and the motivation for students to practice the melding of bioscience knowledge with engineering analysis and design.
Innovative Curriculum
Fostering Deep Learning “Problem-based learning courses gave me an opportunity to present solutions to BME challenges in front of both classmates and select faculty members. This class helped me become a confident presenter. I also gained from the opportunity to get expert feedback on our projects.� – Ananyaveena Anilkumar, Class of 2017
Learning Through Interactive Cognitive Apprenticeships
Early in my career I became dissatisfied with the lecture-based approach to teaching. Instead, to improve student learning in traditional engineering problem-solving courses, I created a novel student-centered learning environment called the problem solving studio (PSS). PSS brings together elements of an architectural design studio with elements from traditional engineering fundamentals courses.
Joe Le Doux, Ph.D. Associate Director for Student Experience and Learning.
PSS is an apprenticeship learning environment that is team-based and student-centered. Students work in heterogeneous teams of two (a “dyad”), at the same table with another heterogeneous group (forming a “dyad of dyads” at the table), to solve problems on large pads of blotter paper. The pad serves as a shared problem-solving space that encourages students to work together to solve problems in a public forum. The tables are on wheels so students can take ownership of their environment and arrange the tables however they want so that they are comfortable and so that the professor and undergraduate teaching assistants can mill about the room easily and efficiently. The student teams and the problems they are working on are the center of attention in PSS, not the professor. Each group is given a set of problems to solve at their own pace. The students work together to solve each problem, constantly explaining out loud to each other their thinking processes. This is a form of ‘self-explanation’ which is a powerful way to facilitate learning because it prompts students to make inferences beyond the information provided, and because when students compare their understandings and ideas with each other [and with the professor and teaching assistants], they are stimulated to identify and revise any inaccurate or incomplete preconceptions that they may have.
Innovative Curriculum
Group Practice, Faster Learning “PSS teaches you to approach a problem like an engineer. As engineers, we have to take the math and physics into account, but also the real world and what’s feasible in terms of time and money —PSS conditions students to think of all of those variables rather than just one or two.” - Dhara Patel, Class of 2017
BME “Flipped Classrooms” Enhance Learning
Ross Ethier, Ph.D. Professor, Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt, Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering.
Ross Ethier works at the boundaries between mechanics, cell biology and physiology to better understand the role of mechanics in disease, to repair diseased tissues, and to prevent mechanically-triggered damage to tissues and organs.
Biotransport is one of those “tough” courses that covers material that all biomedical engineers are expected to know. The material is engineering-heavy and inherently problem-based. I have partly “flipped” the class format, with students spending equal times in formal lectures and in problem-solving sessions. The real learning occurs in the flipped sessions; the formal lectures are simply a vehicle to convey a few key concepts that are then used in the flipped sessions. Students work in small groups in the flipped sessions, which promotes collaborative problem solving. By helping students in real time as they struggle with complex problems, instructors get a better understanding of the students’ knowledge gaps. More importantly, students get fast feedback on problem solving approaches, and are encouraged to develop good problem-solving habits that transfer to a wide range of topics. Additionally, I have made extensive use of the Tegrity lecture capture system. Every lecture is recorded so that students can review material if needed. Also, a selection of mini-lectures, covering key foundation concepts that students traditionally find difficult, has been prepared. These are 6-8 minutes in length and can be viewed multiple times throughout the term until the foundation concept is solidly acquired.
Innovative Curriculum
Collaborative Problem Solving “The essence of engineering is problem solving. Flipped sessions are a low-pain, high-gain way to immerse students in an environment that teaches good biomedical engineering problem solving skills and habits that will stay with them for life.� - Ross Ethier, Ph.D.
Innovative Instructional Labs: Problem-based Protocol Development
The major focus of the instructional laboratories at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is to help students develop innovative approaches to understand and tackle biomedical problems. This is accomplished by students working in teams and coming up with research proposals which will be amenable for testing using model cell culture systems. This innovative problem-based, project-driven approach enables the students to do hands-on research, gain expertise in cutting edge techniques/technologies, and acquire analytical skills that are critical for advancement of their careers.
Tatiana Netterfield, undergraduate student, biomedical engineering program, Class of 2016.
This pedagogical approach has produced exciting outcomes with regard to strategies for intervention of biomedical problems. Additionally, during summer, the instructional labs also provide opportunities for Peking University undergraduates to learn advancements in various cell/molecular biology techniques and their applications to biomedical engineering.
Innovative Curriculum
Authoring Protocols Instead of Following “I was given the opportunity to design my own experiment, where the conclusions can be used to shed light on an unknown aspect of cancer cell biology. Being able to learn and practice critical tissue culture and molecular biology techniques will be useful to me in my future career. These skills are the basis for both basic and translational research studies performed in industry and academia.� - Tatiana Netterfield, Class of 2016
Students Design Their Own Self-directed Lab Experiments
Research labs are problem driven by definition, yet transferring these practices to the curriculum in instructional labs is rare. Typically, instructional cell biology labs tend to be procedures-driven where students are given predetermined materials for following a set of prescribed steps to complete a standard protocol—for example, an exercise in doing a Western Blot or an ELISA, without an opportunity for thinking about and planning for execution of the technique best suited to the problem and analyzing the data for appropriate conclusions.
Bala Pai, Ph.D., is the Director of the Wallace H. Coulter’s Department’s Instructional Laboratories. Many of these labs are in the U.A. Whitaker building.
In open-ended, unscripted labs (versus the typical practice of providing material “kits” accompanied by a “recipe” for enacting a technique), students apply engineering skills and fundamentals to conduct original experiments of their own design. One consistent observation across the five years since these courses have been offered is that this type of reflective learning/teaching is time consuming for both the students and the instructors. Traditional lab instruction methods are easier—everyone knows what to expect, everything is controlled and predictable, class after class, semester after semester. Nevertheless, our commitment remains steadfast to put in the extra time and energy required to create an “options wide-open” laboratory experience for our student and for providing them with the guidance they need, wherever their projects may lead. We are invigorated by the knowledge that our students’ learning is more robust than that of a control group against whom we compared the curriculum outcomes in the prior (traditional) course design, the quality of the students’ performance, and acknowledgment from students who recognize and appreciate the power of independence and confidence in the lab setting.
Inspiring Research
Self-directed, Cumulative Learning “Problem-based learning (PBL) is something I had never experienced until I came to BME at Georgia Tech. After I experienced it, I couldn’t imagine how I had ever learned any other way. Being able to struggle through a complex problem with several of your peers helps one learn how to look at something from numerous perspectives. My BME PBL classes have given me both the knowledge and skills I need to succeed in a real-world workplace situation in which one must work with team members of different backgrounds to solve problems and achieve goals.” - Bharat Sanders, Class of 2016
International Insight Delivered by Ireland Program
Every summer, biomedical engineering (BME) students from Georgia Tech fly to Galway, Ireland to earn course credit and get exposed to international biomedical device manufacturing. The west side of Ireland has become the European capital for the healthcare and medical device industries. The majority of the companies (e.g. Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, Abbott, etc.) are international.
Raja Schaar, MAAE, is a Lecturer and Design Instructor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. She is an industrial designer who teaches courses in engineering design, wearable design, and entrepreneurship. She also co-manages the BME machine shop and does research on K-12 STEM and STEAM education.
A product design from one of these summer BME classes was selected as a worldwide finalist in UNICEF’s Wearables for Good Challenge. The team, Communic-AID, developed a wearable device that facilitates record keeping, aids in the tracking of medications that have been distributed in a post-disaster context and allows the patient to take part in their treatment. Their device is a wearable wristband with NFC communication technology that stores emergency medical information for individual patients. The catalyst for the team’s project arose from an experience broadening summer program which is a collaboration between the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and the National University of Ireland, Galway. The program is designed for third and fourth year BME students who are interested in an international experience which enables them to combine classroom learning with field trips to medical device companies to learn first-hand about their research, development, and manufacturing practices.
In 2015, one of Schaar’s design class teams in Ireland created a device selected as a top ten global finalist among 250 entries from 46 countries in the UNICEF Wearables for Good Challenge.
Industry Interactions
Exposure to the World’s Leading Biomedical Device Manufacturers “Wearables are the next hot thing in healthcare. Fitness trackers and smart watches have taken off in the market. With the advances in hardware, miniaturization, and the emergence of the Internet of Things, technology is catching up to our aspirations.” - Raja Schaar, MAAE
Reinforcing Engineering Principles with Design Studios
Design courses allow students to learn by doing. Hands-on problem-solving is essential to synthesizing knowledge and the understanding of biomedical concepts in order to be creative problem-solvers and entrepreneurial thinkers.
Wilbur Lam, M.D., Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
Throughout their undergraduate career, BME students have the opportunity to take several design courses to prepare them for positions as real-world engineers and innovators. In their sophomore year, many BMED students take a preparatory engineering design course that introduces students to “design thinking� and technical design skills in a team-based studio course. Teams work through a series of exercises to understand the engineering principles and human factors embedded in the design of existing medical devices. From there, students work to identify and solve documented problems through the re-design of their devices. We challenge students to expand their creativity through a series of iterative design development exercises with a heavy emphasis on visualization through drawing, modeling, and CAD (computer-aided design).
Lam is a hematology/ oncology specialist treating patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is helping to create the next generation of medical devices.
By moving through this process in a scaffolded way, students are empowered with design strategies to act as problem-solvers in their research labs, competitions, and in industry. A symptom of an experiential design course is increased creative and entrepreneurial confidence which has been demonstrated by the many teams who compete and place in competitions campus-wide, nationally, and internationally.
Industry Interactions
Experiential Design Develops Better Design Strategies
“After taking our biomedical engineering design courses, students are able to directly apply their knowledge of engineering principles and human factors to the design of medical devices.� - Wilbur A. Lam, M.D., Ph.D.
Creating Entrepreneurs: the CREATE-X program
Raghupathy (Siva) Sivakumar, Ph.D., leads CREATE-X at Georgia Tech. He is the Wayne J. Holman Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. He currently serves as the co-founder, chairman and CTO for StarMobile, Inc.
CREATE-X is a Georgia Tech initiative designed not only to build entrepreneurial confidence among students at Georgia Tech, but also to explore and discover new opportunities while students are in school and build future companies.  Startup Lab is the signature element of CREATE-X LEARN. In Startup Lab students learn about the process of customer discovery and how to understand market demand. Startup Lab is a semester-long, hands-on class for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech to learn how to launch a technology startup. It combines in-class lectures with out-of-class learning. Students discover a compelling business model by going out and interviewing people. They must commit 6 hours a week of time outside of class time to be successful.  Idea to Prototype (I2P) is the signature element of CREATE-X MAKE. Through I2P, students are given guidance, academic credit, and funding to create functional prototypes of their ideas. To help advance an idea’s potential value, students perform basic research, analysis, building, and testing leading to a proof of concept prototype.  Startup Summer is the signature element of CREATE-X LAUNCH. Georgia Tech Startup Summer is a faculty-led, student-focused, 12-week intensive course for student teams to launch startups based on their ideas, inventions, and prototypes. Teams optionally receive a $20,000 investment in order to pursue their dreams.
Many biomedical engineering student projects become strong candidates to participate in CREATE-X opportunities, discover their marketplace viability, and obtain startup funding.
Giving Students Confidence to Make Ideas Real
Industry Interactions “With their creativity, energy, and enthusiasm, young people are translating today’s scientific knowledge into tomorrow’s healthcare solutions. Undergraduate biomedical engineering students are especially well positioned to apply novel ideas to create the next generation of medical devices, diagnostics, and therapeutics. CREATE-X provides them the entrepreneurial confidence to transform these ideas into startup companies.” - Wilbur A. Lam, M.D., Ph.D.
Real Clinical Immersion Experiences
Clinical Observational Design Experience (CODE) brings students into active emergency departments where they discover problems in healthcare. Students spend 6-8 hours a week in two different hospitals where they begin to understand how healthcare is delivered and discover the problems faced by clinicians and patients.
Jeremy Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D. is a practicing, board certified Emergency Physician. He is a faculty member in the Emory School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine and teaches resident physicians and medical students in the Emergency Care Center at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Most clinical immersion programs for engineering students suffer from having very limited time and limited access – essentially the students only see what their “client” wants them to see. Having extended periods of time for observation lets them understand the broader context of the problems as they see similar issues play out at the different facilities and as they learn to identify how the problems they identify effect different stakeholders.
Each year, the Coulter Department immerses hundreds of students in actual healthcare settings, which is very difficult to accomplish.
Students Get Real-world Learning
Industry Interactions “When my students are in the Emergency Department, they get to see healthcare as it really is, not the prettied version we clinicians want them to see. This lets them see things that I, as the physician trying to care for the patient in front of me, will never see. That is what leads to great insights and innovation.� - Jeremy Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D.
Hands-on Prototyping Delivers Technical Knowledge
Advanced manufacturing processes require a corresponding depth of technical knowledge. The BMED Prototype and Innovation Laboratory allows students to receive extensive training from faculty members on every aspect of the various prototyping and manufacturing relevant to the problems faced by biomedical engineers in school and in industry. Students are mentored through the initial design phase of their project, whether it is in support of ongoing research by faculty, for a personal entrepreneurial venture run by the students themselves, or for a class project such as BMED sophomore or capstone design classes.
Marty Jacobson is a lecturer, design instructor, and machine shop manager in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He has a background in industrial design and traditional craftsmanship, along with ten years of experience in product development spanning the process from inception and business development to marketing.
By becoming immersed in the complexities of detail design for manufacturing and physically building their prototypes themselves, student teams allow for innovation opportunities into the prototyping and testing phase, and can respond to incorporate these innovations with greater agility. An increased number of refinement iterations results in more thoroughly tested and vetted designs, the success of which can be clearly seen in the quality of the final prototypes and design ideas produced by the students who take advantage of these 3D resources.
Printing Medical Devices
Industry Interactions
We build and test ideas, learning as we go “The experience I gained through the biomedical engineering machine shop drastically changed how I view the engineering world. Due to the shop experience, I now see through the number-based properties of a design or idea, and into the machining and production properties. As a shop assistant, I value sharing this knowledge with my classmates, and I am always thrilled to see another BME student interested in putting time into learning the manufacturing process. The shop course offers an irreplaceable opportunity for engineers to learn a side of engineering that can’t be taught in a lecture.” – Patrick Strane, Class of 2013
Capstone Design: Inventing Solutions for Unmet Needs
The biomedical engineering Capstone Design course is a fantastic culmination of an undergraduate biomedical engineering student’s education. Capstone is a challenging yet fulfilling experience where soon-to-be engineers tackle real-world unmet clinical needs identified by healthcare and industry members. Student teams work in four main phases of the design process; Empathy, Discovery, Epiphany, and Assembly. They immerse themselves in the clinical environment to gain empathy, discover what the key needs are for various stakeholders, brainstorm ideas for solutions, and manufacture working prototypes of their design. James Rains, P.E., is a Professor of Practice and the Director of BME Capstone in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He guides BME students during their final capstone projects. Many of these projects have repeat clinical industry sponsors.
These design solutions directly improve the health and quality-of-life of patients throughout the world. After the teams showcase their final product at Georgia Tech’s biannual Capstone EXPO, the largest of its kind, many student teams choose to continue their work by forming startup companies to drive their product further along the path to commercialization. In general, Capstone represents the fundamental nature of biomedical engineering: the genuine interest and motivation to advance human well-being through engineering and technology.
“During the 2014-2015 academic year, biomedical engineering student teams won “Best Overall Project” at both of Georgia Tech’s Capstone Design Expos (Fall 2014 and Spring 2015).”
Industry Interactions Capstone design teams invent new biomedical products, improve medical procedures, and advance technology “Through Capstone Design, I have witnessed biomedical engineering students tackle clinical and industry challenges and come up with new and novel solutions-many of which have been patented. Nothing is more rewarding than to see our industry sponsors marvel at the new ideas and working prototypes built by our students near the end of the projects.� - James Rains, P.E.
Skunkworks for Deep Learning: The Learning Commons Movement
The National Survey of Student Engagement, in-house surveys, and discussions with students showed that many biomedical engineering students at Georgia Tech longed for more contact with their peers, older students, alumni, and faculty. In response to this need, we created a student-owned organization called the “Learning Commons Movement.” The Learning Commons’ goal is to unleash our students to be agents of change within the department to foster deep learning and to build community. One outcome was creating a comprehensive mentoring program. Dhara Patel, Chair, BME Learning Commons
Today, all interested BME freshman are assigned a mentor. We have created a vertical mentorship of mentoring families that includes freshman, older students, and alumni mentors. We have 100 alumni and approximately 150 mentors supporting this effort.
She is an undergraduate BME student, Class of 2017, and works as an undergraduate research assistant at Georgia Tech.
The BME Learning Commons Movement has also spurred industry panels, BME day (where mentors meet mentees), a mentor retreat, faculty dinners, and our new FOCUS academic support program.
Ultimately, we are embedding resources into a student’s social network to improve the success of our students.
Student and Alumni Mentors Making a Difference
Student Driven Learning “The BME Learning Commons is a department initiative to help augment the growth of our student body into intrapreneurial, holistic engineers who collectively serve as driving forces for innovative change. We do so by not only impacting the BME curriculum through programs such as FOCUS leaders that provide additional academic support, but also outside of the strictly academic scope by providing students with a common space to learn together and develop new ideas for inventions, research, etc. We are Tech’s largest departmental mentorship program that allows incoming students to truly foster relationships with their senior peers.� - Dhara Patel, Chair, Learning Commons, Class of 2017
Peer to Peer Learning: FOCUS Program
FOCUS (Facilitated Open Collaborative Undergraduate Study) is a new BME tutoring program. FOCUS is an accurate acronym, because the point of the program is to focus on specific academic subject areas each night according to the BME undergraduate students who comprise the inaugural tutoring team, and who are filling an important gap.
Durazi Savasir, undergraduate biomedical engineering student, Class of 2017. Lead teaching assistant, BME HealthReach. HealthReach is an educational outreach program operating as a special topics class within the Coulter Department.
“When you get deeper into your concentrated major specific courses, it’s harder to find tutors,” explains Nima Mikail, a third-year student. “So it’s nice to have a group of like-minded individuals who already took some of these classes that can help students who might be struggling.” So, for five nights a week during prime study hours, biomedical engineering students can just drop in to the BME Learning Commons and ask for help from the tutor working that night. FOCUS tutors are like a team of academic super friends, each with a specific super academic power, or focus area. It’s the collaborative, drop-in approach to the FOCUS tutoring program that sets it apart from something like, say, the 1-to-1 tutoring program offered through Georgia Tech’s Center for Academic Success. That program requires a student to make an appointment with a tutor.
“Tutoring gives me an outlet to get a stronger understanding of what I’ve learned. I typically refine my comprehension of complex topics by helping others learn.” - Durazi Savasir, Class of 2017
Student Driven Learning
Academic Tutoring Above and Beyond
Biomedical Engineering: A Welcome Home for Women Engineers
The Wallace H. Coulter Biomedical Engineering Department welcomed 384 new engineering freshmen students Fall 2015. More than 60% of them are women, the highest percentage ever seen at Georgia Tech for any engineering program.
Yonkyu Jang, undergraduate biomedical engineering student, Class of 2015. “I like applying my engineering knowledge to create new products that help people get better healthcare. Studying and understanding biological systems using engineering principles was very beneficial.�
The Georgia Tech Women in Engineering (WIE) program is dedicated to recruiting top female students into engineering majors and, once enrolled, to ensure the highest level of retention by fostering an environment that encourages curiosity, creativity and intellectual and personal growth. WIE strives to redefine the engineering profession as a positive societal force with the potential to improve the quality of life through the creation of world changing technologies. WIE challenges and inspires women to achieve their fullest potential as engineers and as leaders, and celebrates their accomplishments and successes. The WIE programs are driven by the belief that the success of Georgia Tech’s female students will be a natural result of efforts to improve the overall climate for all students, both male and female. While WIE programs are designed to support and encourage female students, their implementation is inclusive of all students.
Student Driven Learning “Georgia Tech is the number one producer of female engineers in the country.�
- Source: American Society for Engineering Education (2014)
Diverse Perspectives Tackle Problems More Thoroughly, Leading to Better Solutions
Where do graduates go?
Biomedical engineering students are excellent problem solvers and know how to find solutions. Their classroom work combined with internships, co-ops, research, and volunteer experiences make biomedical engineering students very competitive for their next step after graduation. Nearly half of our students go directly into industry. They are in biomedical companies as well as consulting, information technology, gas and oil, and more. Our students are in some of the best graduate schools, medical, dental and veterinary schools in the world. Where BME students typically go after graduating (2004-2015 data): Sally Gerrish, Manager of Student, Alumni and Industrial Relations
47% - Industry 22% - Graduate school 12% - Medical school 10% - Non-industry (i.e. teaching, armed services, research labs) 9% - Unknown (data not available)
BME students joined these companies, graduate schools and medical schools (partial list). Industry: St. Jude Medical Epic Medtronic Edwards Lifesciences CR Bard USPTO CardioMems Clarkston Consulting Accenture Deloitte Johnson & Johnson Zimmer IBM Ethicon FDA
Abbott AirWatch Alpha Omega Engineering Amendia Biosense Webster Boston Scientific Carestream Dental Emory University Hospital Meditech Pinnacle AIS Qgenda Deloitte Proctor & Gamble
Graduate Schools: MIT Caltech Georgia Tech Duke Stanford Yale Harvard UC Berkeley Johns Hopkins Cornell Rice Columbia UC San Francisco Vanderbilt UT Austin
Medical Schools: Harvard Medical School Emory School of Medicine Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine Stanford University Medical School UCLA, School of Medicine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Georgetown University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Baylor College of Medicine Wake Forest School of Medicine Case Western School of Medicine Medical College of Georgia Rutgers, Medical School
Student Driven Learning
“I’ve been told many times by company reps that BME students far exceeded what was expected during their time at the company. Some supervisors have planned a project and our students completed it in half the projected time. Again, they are curious, innovative and hard working. This program produces a very high caliber student. ” - Sally Gerrish, Coulter Department
Coulter Department biomedical engineers . . . Are comfortable solving problems with incomplete information Use design, analytical, and research skills Are able to work with diverse teams Exhibit strong written and oral communication skills Bring creativity, innovation, arts and orthogonal thinking Possess entrepreneurial confidence – the belief in being able to actively shape the world
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No.
BME undergraduate program in the nation
(U.S. News & World Report)
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No.
BME graduate program in the nation
(U.S. News & World Report)
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ~William Butler Yeats “The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men.” ~ John Dewey www.bme.gatech.edu