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New undergraduate major and graduate degrees build on college鈥檚 strengths

A 3D-printed heart? A robotic surgeon? Biomedical engineering has come a long way from the invention of the scalpel. And now, it鈥檚 getting a boost at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder with a new undergraduate major and graduate programs launching in fall 2020.聽

Mechanical engineering Professor Mark Borden served on the committee that brought the program to fruition and will serve as its first director.聽

鈥淭his a terrific opportunity for our high-ranking program,鈥� said Borden, who teaches Introduction to Biomedical Engineering as part of the existing minor. 鈥淪tudents are going to have their eyes opened by the type of subject matter offered, and they will be inspired.鈥澛�

The career opportunities won鈥檛 hurt, either, he said.聽

鈥淚n fact, Forbes ranked this the No. 1 major, and its national median annual wage is $88,000. For Colorado, it鈥檚 even higher at $96,000.鈥澛�

It鈥檚 also a STEM major that attracts a diverse student body, Borden added.聽

鈥淪o many people who go down this route have a story of someone close to them that was affected by a medical issue,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t moves people to make a difference. Our inaugural class is actually projected to have 50 to 60 students, so right away it鈥檚 keeping up favorably with the other majors in the engineering school.鈥澛�

Anushree Chatterjee, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, is excited about how the program will bolster research opportunities for both students and faculty.聽

鈥淲e have a quality medical school for students to have a larger involvement with, and they can find themselves matching up further with professorial research,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are technologies they can understand for clinical applications. If they have the skills, they can have valuable additional experience for their r茅sum茅, and they can be incredibly helpful in our work.鈥澛�

Won Park, professor in electrical, computer and energy engineering whose research focuses on biomedical uses for nanomaterials, also sees the major as a key interdisciplinary opportunity.聽

鈥淭he school has very strong programs in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, and these are the three disciplines that have a strong component that are relative to biomedical engineering,鈥� said Park, who, like Chatterjee, also served on the committee. 鈥淎erospace and computer science are also important contributors. In my work in bladder cancer, it could help a great deal. We will now be even more free to pursue greater amounts of interdisciplinary research in biology and medicine (with the help of students).鈥澛�

And who knows how many people will have their quality of life improved by the work of an inspired biomedical engineering student or maybe even owe their lives to their ingenuity someday?聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting avenue,鈥� Borden said. 鈥淎nd our students are just the people to take on its challenges.鈥澛�