Since officially kicking off in spring 2009, the bioengineering minor is gaining attention among engineering undergraduates. Six students have already graduated with the minor, each prepared with a unique set of skills based on their interests in the field.
Matthew Britten, who graduated this fall with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, is among the first to have received the minor. Back when he was deciding what to study, he nearly opted to go down the medical school path before deciding engineering was where he wanted to be. “I was pretty excited when I realized that I could get a flavor of the biomedical side of things and expand my major through the bioengineering minor,” he said.
Of the four specializations, Britten opted to take the biomaterials and biomechanics track of the program because it addressed his interest in things like anatomy, kinesiology, and orthopedic implants. The other three tracks in the program are bioinformatics and systems biology; biomicro systems; and biosystems and environmental engineering. “The minor offers a more free-thinking learning environment and teaches students a variety of new things that complement their engineering studies,” Britten said.
Britten especially enjoyed taking a course in biomechanics, where he applied concepts he works with in engineering—structures and moving mechanical parts—to a person. Additionally, he appreciated the difference in laboratory work and finding that the lessons he learned through biology and chemistry classes came in handy during his mechanical engineering courses.
The scientific perspective on medical issues that is integrated through the minor is important for solving important issues, according to the program’s director Peter Reilly. “Bioengineering will become a larger and larger part of engineering in the future,” Reilly said. “This minor is one of the best ways for engineering students to acquire some bioengineering knowledge while majoring in traditional engineering disciplines.”
That sort of thinking is exactly why Britten decided the program was a good fit for him. “Things are shrinking and are becoming more biologically based every day,” he said. “Bioengineering is influencing things more than people probably realize and has so many implications—it’s really becoming an important field and engineers need to know more about it.”
Fourteen students are currently enrolled and plan to minor in the program as they work on their bachelor’s degree in engineering.