MSU biomedical engineering students get real-world experience through innovative partnership with UMMC
Contact: Camille Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擣rom tackling pneumothorax to developing better patient monitoring systems, rising seniors in Mississippi 大象APP鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering are gaining real-world experience through a partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The UMMC-MSU Engineering Excellence in Device Development program, now in its second year, pairs MSU biomedical engineering students with UMMC clinicians and researchers to identify and solve pressing healthcare challenges. During the eight-week summer program, students rotate through multiple projects at UMMC, gaining hands-on skills and a deeper understanding of the issues faced by healthcare providers. They return to MSU to continue developing their chosen project for the remainder of the academic year as part of their senior capstone.
Alex Thomasson, ABE department head, said the program is 鈥渢ruly innovative鈥 and 鈥渂roadens students substantially while they are still undergraduates.鈥
鈥淪tudents get to spend time in a real clinical situational context, actually identify problems themselves and work alongside professionals,鈥 added David Vandenheever, program coordinator and MSU agricultural and biological engineering associate professor. 鈥淭hat is an exciting opportunity and experience that not every student gets to have.鈥
Vandenheever emphasized the importance of biomedical engineering students solving actual problems rather than completing predefined issues created in a classroom setting. Ultimately, he wants students to graduate with this type of mindset and the ability to innovate through collaboration and open-ended brainstorming.
鈥淲e want them to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, where they鈥檙e actively identifying problems that can be solved using engineering principles,鈥 Vandenheever said.
The program is funded for five years with plans to expand the number of participating student teams in the coming years.
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