Rapid advancements in bioengineering call for broad public literacy to help individuals better understand the changes these technologies bring to our lives. However, making bioengineering concepts accessible and relevant, especially to non-science majors, is often challenging. To address this challenge, we designed a general education course aimed…

Purpose: Hands-on training in tissue engineering is often associated with specialized labs and expensive equipment, such as CO[subscript 2] incubators. To minimize the use of costly commercial incubators and provide a more vivid engineering experience in a biology lab, we present a hands-on project that introduces medium to large groups of…

Historically, research disciplines have successfully operated independently. However, the emergence of transdisciplinary research has led to convergence methodologies, resulting in groundbreaking discoveries. Despite the benefits, graduate programs face challenges in implementing transdisciplinary research and preparing students for real-world…

Biomedical engineering (BME) spans a wide range of research fields and professional activities. Most BME departments use a seminar series to introduce graduate students to exciting research conducted outside their own university, learn about professional opportunities, and enhance their understanding of related topics (e.g., ethics in BME,…

Bioadhesives are an important class of biomaterials for wound healing, hemostasis, and tissue repair. To develop the next generation of bioadhesives, there is a societal need to teach trainees about their design, engineering, and testing. This study designed, implemented, and evaluated a hands-on, inquiry-based learning (IBL) module to teach…

Successful translation of medical devices requires a clear pathway through the business environment, including regulatory obligations and the protection of intellectual property. Introducing these topics can be challenging for biomedical engineering programs, as students prefer hands-on activities and retain concepts best when directly applied to…

Challenge: As biomedical engineers revolutionize medicine, biomedical engineering programs must adapt to the diverse learning styles of the current student population. Students are learning in new ways and instructional strategies need to be adopted. Novel Initiative: Understanding generational attributes is crucial for developing effective…

Amidst the dual challenges of an eight-month university closure from nationwide public university strikes in Nigeria and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to innovate the delivery of BME graduate curriculum to ensure graduate students continued to progress in their studies. To ensure BME graduate students were engaging in…

Mechanobiology is an interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how physical forces impact biological systems. Enhancing our knowledge of mechanobiology has become increasingly important for understanding human disease and developing novel therapeutics. There is a societal need to teach diverse students principles of mechanobiology so that we…

There are increasing calls for the use of research-based teaching strategies to improve engagement and learning in engineering. In this innovation paper, we detail the application of research-based teaching strategies in a computer programming focused biomedical engineering module. This four-week, one-credit undergraduate biomedical engineering…

In the spring of 2020, brick and mortar colleges had to abruptly adapt to the reality of COVID-19 and transition to entirely online environments in a manner of weeks. This required a rapid (< 2 weeks) acquisition of knowledge and flexibility in using technology, most commonly Zoom. Upon completion of the semester, and after debriefing with…

Recent advances in teaching, many of which incorporate elements of active learning, seek to provide students with learning experiences indicative of real-world problem solving. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one form of active learning that challenges students to address open-ended problems. In this work, we evaluate the efficacy of PBL in…

Team projects and in-class interactions are the hallmark of a freshmen introductory course in biomedical engineering (BME). Our challenge was to continue team activities, mentoring, and the semester-long design project in a virtual environment after in-person classes ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper highlights some of the adaptations…