Students who enjoy math, physics and chemistry, but who also have a keen interest in biology and medicine, should consider a career in biomedical engineering. Synthetic heart valves, the MRI scanner, and automatic bio-sensors for rapid gene sequencing are each examples of biomedical engineering. Biomedical Engineering (BME) is the newest engineering discipline, integrating the basic principles of biology with the tools of engineering.

With the rapid advances in biomedical research, and the severe economic pressures to reduce the cost of health care, biomedical engineering plays an important role in the medical environment of the 21st century. Over the last decade, biomedical engineering has evolved into a separate discipline bringing the quantitative concepts of design and optimization to problems in biomedicine.

The opportunities for biomedical engineers are wide ranging. The medical-device and pharmaceutical industries are increasingly investing in biomedical engineers. As gene therapies become more sophisticated, biomedical engineers will have a key role in bringing these ideas into real clinical practice. Finally, as technology plays an ever-increasing role in medicine, there will be a larger need for physicians with a solid engineering background. From biotechnology to tissue engineering, from medical imaging to microelectronic prosthesis, from biopolymers to rehabilitation engineering, biomedical engineers are in demand.

Facilities

The facilities available for student research include state-of-the-art, well-equipped laboratories in the Dental School, Medical School, and the College of Engineering, the clinical facilities of the University of Michigan Hospitals, and the Ann Arbor Veteran's Administration Hospital. Students have access to patients and real medical problems with the University of Michigan Hospital on the campus. The University of Michigan's College of Engineering and Medical School have long been regarded as among the finest in the country. Bridging these two worlds is the BME Department, consistently ranked in the top ten nationally in recent years.

Two new buildings house the primary laboratories of the BME Department and help from a Bioengineering Quadrangle including all of the core laboratories in the BME Department, the MRI Center, the Center for Ultrafast Optical Sciences, and Biotechnology labs within the Environmental Engineering Program. The Bioengineering Quadrangle provides world-class facilities for students in the College of Engineering pursuing research in bioengineering, biomedical imaging, bioinformatics, and biotechnology.

Department Laboratories

Active research laboratories in the areas of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), biofluidics, micro- and nanoscale fabrication, molecular motors, microfluidics, biofluid mechanics, neural engineering, BioMEMS, tissue engineering, biomechanics, biomedical optics, biomedical ultrasonics, ion channel engineering, and biomaterials provide physical resources and a rich intellectual environment supporting the studies of both our graduate and undergraduate students. Teaching laboratories include both wet and dry labs, computing facilities, and student project space for design and fabrication of projects.

Accreditation

This program is accredited for the degree B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone (410) 347-7700.