Welcome to Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer
Welcome to BME at Rensselaer — home to one of the oldest and most reputable biomedical engineering departments in the United States. We combine a strong engineering tradition of problem solving with a high level of scholarship and research. For over 40 years, we have produced outstanding academics, industry leaders and research scientists. As part of the Bio-revolution at Rensselaer we are undergoing large expansion and creating a new face of BME.
Deepak Vashishth, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Head
Under the auspices of a newly established 218,000-sq- feet Center of Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, our faculty and students work closely with other Rensselaer faculty to pursue interdisciplinary research. Additional collaborations are in place with the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovation, Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging, Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, and several Boston, Connecticut, New York, and Rochester area hospitals and medical centers.
At the undergraduate level, we use Rensselaer’s studio model to deliver biomedical engineering content with hands-on experiences. Our “Surgery in the Classroom” initiative allows live video and audio feed between operating surgeons at Albany Medical College and biomedical engineering students in classroom at Rensselaer. Plans are underway to globalize the capstone design experience and provide projects and live contact between students at Rensselaer and their counterparts in developing countries. Study abroad experiences are also becoming a popular choice as we prepare students for a global marketplace.
We are taking ambitious steps to move our Department forward, and we would like to invite you to learn more about us.
Current News Items
Rensselaer Ranked 4th on “The World's Best Engineering Schools” List by Business Insider
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been named one of the top engineering schools in the world. Industry-focused website Business Insider ranked Rensselaer fourth on its list of “World's Best Engineering Schools.” The rankings were based on surveys of engineers, professionals, and entrepreneurs working at technology companies.
For more information, please go here.
New Faculty in BME
Friday, 29 June 2012
Dr. Mariah Hahn (PhD MIT) joins the Biomedical Engineering department faculty as an Associate Professor. Her area of expertise involves engineering of complex tissues through biomaterial design for controlling mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.
Dr. Juergen Hahn (PhD UT Austin) joins the Biomedical Engineering department faculty as a Professor. His area of expertise involves modeling and control of non-linear systems with applications in biological systems (Systems Biology) and chemical processes (Chemical Process Systems Engineering). .
Journal Cover Articles
Monday, 11 June 2012
Cover page articles by BME faculty
August 2011
“Neurite outgrowth is significantly increased by the simultaneous presentation of Schwann cells and moderate exogenous electric fields” by Abigail N Koppes, Angela M Seggio and Deanna M Thompson. The full article may be read here.
Faculty Co-author Biomaterials Journal Article
Monday, 11 June 2012
One of the major challenges in tissue engineering field is the lack of a functional vasculature with adequate perfusion. Biomedical Engineering Department faculty Dr. Xavier Intes and Dr. Guohao Dai have led the team of investigators to develop an integrated platform that combines 3-D tissue printing and 3-D tissue imaging to study vasculature formation in thick tissues. They developed an integrated a robotic 3-D cell printing technology with a mesoscopic fluorescence molecular tomography imaging system, and demonstrated the capability of the platform to construct perfused collagen scaffolds with endothelial lining and to image both the fluid flow and fluorescent-labeled living endothelial cells at high-frame rates, with high sensitivity and accuracy. These results establish the potential of the integrated system for engineering and imaging thick tissue construct in the future. Biomedical Engineering graduate student Lingling Zhao performed the imaging studies, and Vivian Lee designed the method of 3-D tissue printing. Their work has been published in recent issue of Biomaterials journal. For details, please visit, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142961212004012
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Fact Sheet
Research Areas
Degrees Offered
Biomedical Engineering:
B.S., M.S., D.Eng., Ph.D.
Minor in Management
Concentrations:
Biomechanics
Biomaterials
Imaging/Instrumentation
Undergraduate Research and Job Opportunities
Information regarding opportunities for undergraduate research and job opportunities may be found here.
Contact Information
Program Recognition and Student Awards
Our program, as well as our undergraduate and graduate students, continue to excel and shine in national and international competitions. For more information regarding their accomplishments, please go here.
Weinbaum Lecture
The Third Annual Weinbaum Lecture was held on December 9, 2011. Dr. Susan Margulies, Professor of Bioengineering at Penn, spoke about "Biomechanics - A Force for Good."
REU
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Materials and Systems Biology Research in Biotechnology and Biomedicine
Partnership University Fund (PUF) Awards Grant for International Graduate Student Exchange Program
We are pleased to be among the distinguished group of 2010 PUF Laureates (Vashishth Co-PI). For more information please go here.
Undergraduate Seminar Series in Global Health
The second Undergraduate Seminar Series in Global Health was held April 3, 2012. Dr. Eric Ledet of RPI presented a talk titled, "A Tale of Two Systems: Immersion in South African Health Care." For more information on the series and to see the Global Health lectures, please click here.
Support the Department
Click here for information about supporting the Biomedical Engineering Department.
