Friday, October 31, 2014

Biomedical Engineering and Concentrations

Michigan State University is going to add a new department, the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME). The MSU Bio Engineering Facility has been under construction for a while now and is scheduled to open this summer. Here is the link to the article about the new department for more exciting details:

http://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2014/10/24/department-biomedical-engineering-bme-approved

Currently Michigan State does not offer biomedical engineering as an undergraduate major or minor, but it is offered as a concentration. The biomedical engineering concentration is available for biosystems, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering majors in addition to materials science and engineering majors. These concentrations are one way students can complete their technical engineering electives requirements. There are many concentrations available, including biochemical, environmental, food science, bioenergy, and manufacturing engineering. You can find the degree requirements and concentrations for the different majors here.

I am doing a biomedical concentration within chemical engineering. I took a class in genetics last year, and next semester I am taking a eukaryotic cell biology class. Right now, I am in a mechanical engineering class focused on fluid flow and heat transfer in the human body. It is like the fluid flow and heat transfer class for my major, except it covers how some of those assumptions and models change when applied to the human body.

One day in class, our professor brought in an infrared (IR) camera. We were discussing the idea of using an IR beam to detect fevers, and therefore illness, in people leaving airplanes. By taking IR pictures of multiple students in class, we saw that everyone had varying surface temperatures, especially in the forehead region where we were focusing our analysis. I have side bangs, so my hair can get in the way of a temperature reading. So, there are limitations to this method of sickness detection.
A picture of me taken by my professor, Dr. Wright, using an infrared camera
I think that it is great that MSU is bringing people together from various colleges and disciplines to do collaborative biomedical research. I really enjoy taking classes with professors and students from other departments, especially because engineers work with all kinds of people to get things done.
biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering. - See more at: http://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2014/10/24/department-biomedical-engineering-bme-approved#sthash.zGyN2IcH.dpuf
biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering. - See more at: http://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2014/10/24/department-biomedical-engineering-bme-approved#sthash.zGyN2IcH.dpuf

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