The U of A’s first graduating class of students to receive the BSBmE degree: Back row: Jimmy Vo, Nathaniel Alexander, Peter Kleindl, William Ryan. Front row: Anh Vu, Katelin Cherry, Anna Heintz, Paul Goodchild
In the fall of 2012, U of A students gained additional degree options: the new department of biomedical engineering began granting bachelor’s degrees and doctorates, in addition to the master’s degree in biomedical engineering that was previously available through the department of biological and agricultural engineering. The biomedical engineering program can prepare students for medical school, give them the skills they need to work with complicated medical devices or pave the way for a career in medical research. This program also creates new opportunities for the U of A to coordinate and collaborate with the rapidly growing local healthcare industry. Over the past year, the college has hired three new biomedical faculty members and begun renovation work to create additional office, classroom and lab space in the John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall. While the new department is an important step for the college, the U of A has a long history of research and education in the healthcare field. In fact, in May of 2013, eight undergraduates received Bachelor of Science degrees in biomedical engineering, having completed most of their coursework as biological engineering majors. This features section presents a look at the healthcare field in the College of Engineering, including an introduction to our biomedical engineering researchers, a summary of the research conducted at our Center for Innovation in Healthcare Logistics, an overview of the innovative and cross-disciplinary healthcare research across the college, and stories from our alumni who are working in the healthcare field.