THE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR

Biomedical Engineering is an interdisciplinary area of study that integrates knowledge from engineering with the biomedical sciences. Modern Biomedical Engineering is a very diverse field. Biomedical Engineers work in systems ranging from medical imaging to the design of artificial organs. Some major research advances in Biomedical Engineering include the left ventricular assist device (LVAD), artificial joints, kidney dialysis, bioengineered skin, angioplasty, computed tomography (CT), and flexible endoscopes. Students who choose Biomedical Engineering are interested in being of service to human health but do not routinely interact directly with patients. The Biomedical Engineering curriculum has been designed to provide a solid foundation in both engineering and the life sciences, and provide sufficient flexibility in the upper division requirements to encourage students to explore specializations within Biomedical Engineering. The mission of the BS degree program of the Department of Biomedical Engineering is to provide a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary, biomedical engineering education to students. As a Biomedical Engineer, you can choose from employment opportunities in industry, hospitals, academic research institutes, teaching, national laboratories, or government regulatory agencies. Our overall aim is to produce high-quality, interdisciplinary engineers who are well-prepared for pursuit of further graduate or professional degrees and/or careers in industry. The Biomedical Engineering program is not accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The program is still young, and we will pursue accreditation with ABET in the next cycle. Please see Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/graduate/ for information about the graduate degree options.

OBJECTIVES

Our teaching is designed to impart a strong foundation in mathematics, life and physical sciences, and engineering, as well as knowledge of contemporary issues at the forefront of biomedical engineering research. Students completing the program will be able: to demonstrate ability to conduct measurements on and interpret results from experiments involving living systems; to design experiments, systems, devices, components, and processes to meet real-world challenges for solutions to problems in biomedical research and development; to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems applied to questions in medicine and biology; to work effectively in groups and communicate in oral, written, computer-based and graphical forms; have an understanding of the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context, and a commitment to professionalism and ethical responsibility; be instilled with a sense of need for life-long learning; to use the techniques, skill, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice and for successful pursuit of post-baccalaureate studies.

AREAS OF SPECIALTY

As Biomedical Engineering is defined so broadly, a degree in Biomedical Engineering can mean many different things. Specializing in a subfield of engineering can help to provide more in depth expertise in a focus area. You have the option to choose a specialization in a subfield of Biomedical Engineering through judicious selection of your upper division electives in consultation with a staff or faculty advisor. One of the strengths of the UC Davis program is this flexibility to design your own emphasis of study. Biomedical Engineering includes a number of diverse areas of study including:

Bioinstrumentation

Development of devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease or in biomedical research. This area applies electronics principles and techniques and can involve computer hardware design.

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

The study of living materials or the development of implantable synthetic materials. In this field Biomedical Engineers design materials that are nontoxic, noncarcinogenic, and chemically and mechanically stable to last a lifetime in the human body. This area draws heavily from knowledge in the chemical sciences.

Biomechanics

This is a broad subfield that includes orthopedic/rehabilitation engineering—design of wheelchairs, prosthetics etc, and the study of mechanical forces produced by biological systems. For example, biomechanics allows a better understanding of the fluid dynamics and forces acting on tissue in the artery, to allow design of better cardiology interventions. This field involves more intensive study of mechanics, dynamics and thermodynamics.

Medical imaging

The visualization of living tissues for diagnosis of disease. An imaging scientist can work in areas ranging from developing instruments for imaging, to creating algorithm for three-dimensional reconstruction of imaging data, to generating new contrast agents for enhancing image quality. Depending upon the area of medical imaging of interest, this field can require more in depth study in electronics, chemistry or computer programming.

Systems Engineering

Study of basic biological and physiological processes using engineering principles. Techniques and principles from engineering are applied to understand biological systems at a fundamental level. For example, stresses and strains are studied in cells to better understand how they propel themselves through tissues; modeling of biochemical processes allow engineers to mathematically describe chemical reactions occurring in cells in order to predict abnormalities that may lead to development of disease.

Premedical students

If you intend to apply to medical school you will need to fulfill additional coursework to meet admissions requirements for the various medical school programs. These courses will be in addition to the listed curricular requirements.