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Michael Shuler |
Cornell has a long history of accomplishments in bioengineering by faculty and students, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in this field. Among them are Wilson Greatbatch, who was instrumental in the invention of the cardiac pacemaker; Robert Langer, an alumnus who won the National Academy of Engineering's Draper Prize for his contributions to controlled drug delivery, biomaterials and tissue engineering; and David Lederman, whose company, Abiomed, engineered the first implantable total artificial heart.
The biomedical engineering program was established April 2002 to be the bridge between biology, medicine and engineering. In 2004 the program became the new department of Biomedical Engineering.
We currently have programs for a minor in biomedical engineering, available to all engineering students, an MS/PhD program, and a professional masters degree in biomedical engineering (M.Eng.).
Our vision for both education and research requires that our BME students develop a quantitative understanding of the human body across scales (e.g. from molecules to cells to tissues to physiological systems). In particular, we expect students to be able to relate molecular/cellular dynamics with physiological responses. Such a quantitative understanding of the human body will allow us to more rationally design therapies, diagnostics, and devices to improve human health.
While the MS/PhD degrees focus on research, the M.Eng. degree focuses on professional practice and engineering design.
Undergraduates can combine a bachelors degree with a minor in biomedical engineering and a one-year masters degree. This strategy will enable undergraduate students to develop intellectual strengths in a particular discipline and a breadth of knowledge necessary to be effective biomedical engineers. These students will be well prepared to enter industry and make major contributions to bioengineering and, through translation, to advances in medical devices and therapies.
We are involved in five areas of expertise in biomedical engineering: instrumentation and diagnostics, biomedical mechanics, biomaterials, drug delivery design and production and systems biology. Our graduate field faculty span six colleges and 12 departments, bringing a wide range of expertise to biomedical engineering research.
The initiation of a new department of biomedical engineering is a great challenge. We will expand from 11 to 15 faculty members over the next seven years and now occupy a portion of the New Life Sciences Technology Building--Weill Hall. We will continue to act as an intellectual and educational bridge between engineering, biology, and medicine. Our appointments will reflect that goal of building intellectual bridges.
Our research efforts, combined with the rich intellectual background at Cornell, provide students with unusual opportunities in a wide range of research projects. The University’s Center for Materials Research, the Center for Nanofabrication, and the National Science Foundation-supported Nanobiotechnology Center are particularly important in developing new research opportunities for students. In addition, Cornell has a very distinguished College of Veterinary Medicine that provides a natural linkage to BME. We also have strong ties to the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and these links are strengthening. We are confident that we can build programs that serve students well and research programs that benefit society and extend the boundaries of human understanding.
Michael L. Shuler
