HOST INSTITUTIONS( cont’ d)
University of the District of Columbia Receives NSF Grant in Support Of New Biomedical Engineering Program
The University of the District of Columbia( UDC) recently received a three-year National Science Foundation( NSF) grant entitled“ Integration, Cultivation, and Exposure to Biomedical Engineering at the University of the District of Columbia” in the amount of $ 399,991 to support UDC’ s newly established Biomedical Engineering( BME) Program. Dr. Lara Thompson’ s( Principal Investigator) project goals are to: 1) Integrate new courses in BME; 2) Cultivate prospective students at DC area community colleges and high schools towards the pursuit of a degree in BME at UDC; and 3) Expose and enlighten DC area community college and high school students, UDC students, and UDC faculty to current trends and research in BME. Her long-term goal is to increase the number of women and ethnic minorities pursuing careers and advanced degrees in BME.
Dr. Thompson( Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Director of the BME Program) is working diligently to establish a strong BME research and education infrastructure at UDC, the nation’ s only urban land-grant institution and a historically black college & university( HBCU). Dr. Thompson serves as the Director of 1 of 2 HBCU’ s nationwide that offers a Bachelor of Science( BS) in Biomedical Engineering. In addition, she is the Director of the University’ s new, state-of-the-art BME Laboratory( Center for Biomechanical & Rehabilitation Engineering, CBRE) which focuses on investigations involving balance in un-impaired( e. g., athletes and nonathletes) and impaired subjects( e. g., fall-prone elderly).
The BME program is housed in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences( SEAS). Dr. Devdas Shetty, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, indicates, Biomedical Engineering has emerged as a medium combining medicine and engineering to provide materials, tools and techniques advancing health care research, diagnosis and treatment. Based on the needs of the UDC community, since 2014, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has placed a special emphasis on the academic program and research in the area of Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Shetty says,“ Under the management of the Mechanical Engineering Department, highly motivated students who wish to focus their engineering careers on assisting in the struggle against illness and disease may concentrate their efforts in Biomedical Engineering. The Biomedical Engineering program is designed to prepare students for productive, rewarding careers in the engineering profession, either for entry-level practice in biomedical engineering or for entrance into appropriate graduate programs. Our graduates are expected to become successful practicing engineers in biomedical engineering fields and will advance professionally by accepting responsibilities and, potentially, pursuing leadership roles. In addition, those graduates who enter the health professions will utilize their engineering knowledge in this pursuit. Biomedical Engineers from UDC will be contributing members of multidisciplinary engineering teams, successfully apply the fundamentals of engineering analysis and engineering design to the formulation and solution of emerging technical problems”.
“ Expanding Sponsored Programs and Research Possibilities With Contracts: Understanding The Requirements For Success” June 7-10, 2016 Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, Arlington, VA
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