Implementation Of A Novel Biomedical Systems Engineering Concentration Within An Established And Eac Of Abet Accredited Interdisciplinary Electromechanical Engineering Program

This paper reports on the progress made in implementing a faculty-driven highquality biomedical systems engineering concentration within an established and EAC-of-ABET accredited five-year interdisciplinary electromechanical engineering program. The concentration was introduced in the fall of 2005 at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. The authors describe the uncommon context in which this concentration was established, the preparation, the market research, the competitive landscape, the resources needed, and the curriculum. Samples of student design projects are discussed. In addition, the authors provide their thoughts and tips on duplicating this endeavor at other institutions. The authors also discuss scaling up this experience to other established engineering programs where other nonengineering subspecialties can be implemented in order to bestow great additional value to the newly graduated engineer. Background: A faculty-driven, high-quality biomedical systems engineering concentration was implemented within an established and EAC-of-ABET accredited five-year interdisciplinary electromechanical engineering program 1 . Of note is that under EAC rules, the existing electromechanical engineering program had simultaneously met the accreditation criteria for electrical engineering and for mechanical engineering. The graduates of this program are true interdisciplinary engineers. A graduate of this program is as comfortable in tackling a thermofluid problem as he/she is comfortable in designing the electronic hardware and writing the control software to control a mechanical apparatus. In addition, the graduates have excellent laboratory and machine shop skills. A biomedical systems engineering specialization was established in the form of a concentration within a well established electromechanical engineering program. The addition of the concentration required only limited additional resources. The result is a high-quality program that is competitive with other biomedical engineering programs offered in Massachusetts. The program has attracted a substantial number of students, and has expanded opportunities for our graduates. The Electromechanical Engineering Faculty Committee 8 , composed of eleven faculty members drawn from various disciplines, thoroughly researched, planned, and obtained administrative approval for the program, implemented, and is continuously assessing and finetuning this novel concentration. The endeavor was very much faculty driven. The faculty exercised care so that the addition of the new concentration did not alter or weaken the structure of the existing electromechanical engineering program but rather strengthened it, and provided greater opportunities for the graduates. The choice of elective courses from the life sciences, P ge 14691.2 co-op employment in the biomedical field, and design projects with life-science applications made the implementation of this concentration possible. The graduates continue to receive their Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering but with added strength in biomedical engineering–the student’s transcripts will indicate the student’s completion of the biomedical systems engineering concentration. Historically, many of our Electromechanical Engineering students have shown an interest in biomedical engineering by choosing their junior and capstone design projects in biomedical engineering. Some of these projects were outstanding and won top regional awards from ASEE, ASME, and IEEE. There was a clear interest by the electromechanical engineering students in expanding their knowledge into biomedical applications. In addition, a number of faculty members have an interest in biomedical engineering, and had conducted research in ultrasonics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in biomechanics, and medical devices. Finally, within a five mile radius of Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, there exists the greatest concentration in the U.S. of world-renowned hospitals, and biotechnology and medical device firms. The faculty assembled an external interdisciplinary Industrial and Professional Advisory board of the highest caliber to provide advice and recommendations on the major issues related to the creation of the new concentration. The Approach: AFeasibility Study: A formal survey of all electromechanical engineering students at our institution was conducted. The results indicated a strong interest in a biomedical systems engineering concentration within the existing electromechanical engineering program. A study of the available resources also indicated that a concentration in Biomedical Systems Engineering offered to the electromechanical engineering majors was indeed feasible. It was confirmed that Wentworth had all the resources, human and material, to initiate such a set of courses with minimal risks and significant anticipated benefits. Also, given the location of Wentworth in the heart of the Longwood Medical Area, the potential existed for extensive collaboration in the form of co-op and research projects. In addition, as described in the following sections, the labor market and constituency and available resources were researched, and were found to be favorable to introduction of the biomedical program. BThe labor market: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of Labor) indicated in its 2005-2006 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2 that biomedical engineering is expected to be a fastgrowing occupation in the near and intermediate future. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has added standard occupational classification for “biomedical engineering” to be included in the forthcoming labor market reports and forecasts. This reflects the coming of age of biomedical engineering as a distinct discipline, and recognizes its increasing presence in the labor market. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, 2005, industries with the highest levels of employment in biomedical engineering include scientific research and development, services, pharmaceuticals and medicine, medical equipment and supplies manufacturing, general medical and surgical hospitals, and electronic instrument manufacturing. In addition, in the same publication, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that Massachusetts is among the P ge 14691.3 states with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation, and is a top-paying state in this occupation. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the greater Boston area is one of the top metropolitan areas in the country with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation, as well as one of the top-paying metropolitan areas for this occupation. The indications are that biomedical engineering is a lucrative career choice for students in our geographic area. CWomen in engineering are more attracted to Biomedical Engineering: In its review of the 2005 literature publications, the Society of Women Engineers Magazine 3 indicated the following: “Women continue to account for a small percentage of graduates in the largest fields of engineering but they accounted for almost one-half, 45.5 percent, of graduates in the relatively new area of biomedical engineering.” Women students were expected to be a substantial constituent of the biomedical concentration program. We are in the fourth year of implementing this concentration, and a large proportion of our women students have gravitated toward this concentration. In addition, anecdotal information gleaned from some of the women in the freshman class leads us to infer that the biomedical systems engineering concentration has attracted new women students who normally may not have considered a career in engineering or enrolling at Wentworth. DThe local competitive landscape: Three local universities offer biomedical engineering degrees: Tufts University, Boston University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. A thorough analysis of the programs at these three institutions leads us to believe that a graduate of the electromechanical engineering program with a concentration in biomedical engineering will be very competitive (if not better prepared) in performing biomedical engineering work with respect to the graduates of these neighboring institutions. In the following, BS-level programs in Massachusetts are discussed and compared. The following results were obtained: Tufts University: Tufts University 4 offers a Bachelor of Science degree with a first major in electrical, electrical and computer, or mechanical engineering, and a second major in biomedical engineering. There is no stand-alone biomedical engineering program. A total of ten courses must be taken. No more than five of these courses can be taken to satisfy the requirements of both the first and second major. The second major requires only one, three-hour core biomedical engineering course, “Introduction to Biomedical Engineering”, at the sophomore level. The remaining courses are chosen as electives among several engineering, biomedical engineering, mathematics, science, and humanities courses.