Department of

Bioengineering

Engineering innovative solutions to modern problems in medicine and biology


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Undergraduate Design

Penn State Bioengineering students engage in a major design experience that uses skills learned in EDSGN 100 and other engineering, math, and science courses to design, build, and test solutions to projects sponsored by the medical industry and health professionals. Our major design sequence consists of Introduction to Research and Design (BIOE 401), Clinical Correlations (BIOE 440) and Senior Design (BIOE 450W). Together, these courses help students transition from theoretical knowledge of medicine and engineering to the development of practical deliverables addressing an important problem in health and biology. After these design experiences students are better qualified to be leaders in the medical industry or post-undergraduate study because of their improved skills in teamwork, increased proficiency in developing and implementing design strategies, and improved skills in communicating design solutions to problems in medicine and biology.

Specifically, the design experience entails:

(1) Recognizing the need,
(2) Defining the problem,
(3) Planning the project,
(4) Gathering information,
(5) Conceptualizing alternative approaches,
(6) Evaluating the alternatives
(7) Selecting the preferred alternative,
(8) Communicating the design, and,
(9) Implementing the preferred design. 

Students use the "Learning Factory" to implement design solutions through rapid prototyping or machining equipment and the teams meet with the instructor on a regular basis for progress assessment.   At the end of the semester, all student teams demonstrate their working project in a formal College-wide design presentation (named "The Project Showcase") which is open to the general public.

The Learning Factory

The Learning Factory provides modern design facilities, prototyping, and manufacturing facilities, including machining (computerize numerical control, CNC and manual) rapid prototyping, welding, metrology, and a computer aided design (CAD). Training classes are offered in shop safety, machining and welding. Any engineering student can use "The Learning Factory" on a walk-in basis for a course-related activity, and instructors can schedule all or part of the facilities for an organized class activity.

Past Projects

At the completion of the projects students are encouraged to submit their designs to national competitions such as the Biomedical Engineering Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Award (BMEidea) Competition (National competition celebrating student biomedical innovation, sponsored by the National Collegiate Invertors and Innovators Alliance, apps.nciia.org).   In 2007 and 2008, projects from the capstone design class were invited as finalists to the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America’s (RESNA) 2008 student design competition in Phoenix, AZ and Washington DC., respectively.

Below is a summary of past projects. For details on these projects, please follow this link.

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005