The Department of Biomedical Engineering Community and Student Engagement Committee organized the first Biomed ENGAGE DESIGN showcase late last month to provide undergraduate and graduate students with an opportunity to inspire and engage with the next generation at the Engineering and Architecture Academy at Springdale High School.

The event, hosted in the school's gym, brought close to 250 high school students participating in the Engineering and Architecture Academy program. The students got an up-close look at medical devices, research models and other prototypes that covered a range of topics from regenerative medicine, genome engineering, neural engineering, biomedical imaging, machine learning and organ-on-chip platforms.

Professor Raj Rao said the design showcase was conceived to engage with the next generation to excite them about biomedical engineering and biodesign in particular.

"We hope that these community engagement efforts will help advance educational opportunities for many and promote advocacy efforts within our communities. An equally important outcome is providing our trainees at the undergraduate and graduate level an opportunity to communicate the impact of biomedical engineering and biodesign and how it relates to our daily lives," said Rao, chair of the committee.

According to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a nonprofit organization that represents the most accomplished people in the field of medical and biological engineering, many educational programs are undergoing tremendous change as the fields grow and take on new shapes, as research funding becomes more difficult to secure and as the student population and their desired academic experiences shift. The institute notes an urgent need for all stakeholders to advocate for medical and biological engineering and its benefits to society.

The Biomedical Engineering Department has invested in the Community and Student Engagement Fellowship. Fellows are chosen based on their leadership potential and ability to contribute to new initiatives and programs. Current fellows serving a two-year term include Vitali Maldonado and Nimisha Tandon. In this capacity, the fellows coordinate with Rao and assistant professor Leonard Harris to determine the best approaches for community engagement, student success and wellness, and to contribute to creating a more equitable, diverse and welcoming place to learn, work and conduct multidisciplinary research across intellectual boundaries.

Maldonado, a Ph.D. candidate, emphasized the importance of active community engagement to inspire the next generation of biomedical scientists, entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals. "I am grateful for the fellowship provided by the department, as it provides me an opportunity to engage with the community to promote and advocate for biomedical research and education. The Biomed ENGAGE DESIGN showcase improved my ability to explain scientific concepts to high school students, further emphasizing that communication is an important skill for any future role I pursue. Additionally, this event allowed me to expand my connections both within the university and beyond in our local communities,", he said.

Learn more about the Department of Biomedical Engineering's Community and Student Engagement Committee.