Preparation for your Sophomore Year in BME

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Preparation for your Sophomore Year in BME
Prof. Kristen Billiar Prof. Yitzhak Mendelson

• February 17, 2009

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Academic Advisor

• Whats an advisor role changes as you progress
• Information/advice on major, courses and projects
• Educational mentoring and career counseling
• An advocate to help you succeed
• A contact person who can direct you to services
  on and off campus
• A person who may write recommendation letters for
  you

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How Should I Prepare for a Career in Biomedical
Engineering?

• First plan to become a competent engineer !
• Acquire a working understanding of the life
  sciences and terminology
• Good communication skills are essential
• Biomedical engineers provide a vital link with
  professionals having medical, technical, and
  other backgrounds

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Where do I find information about BME and about
the concentrations?

• Information on BME major
• http//www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/BME/About/
• Specializations/Concentrations/tracks
• you should try to figure out your general
  interests http//www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/BME/
  
• Basically
• mechanics/materials/TE
• electrical/instrumentation/Sensors/imaging

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What to do before meeting with my advisor to get
the most out of our meeting?

• Read the WPI Undergraduate Catalog (BME relevant
  sections..!)

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What do I need to do before meeting with my
advisor to get the most out of our meeting?

• Fill out a proposed course schedule for upcoming
  year
• Fill out a BME tracking document and tentative 4
  year plan
• Any questions you have about IQP, summer jobs,
  career planning, etc.
• Degree evaluation

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Which courses will be offered next year?

• Watch out for category II classes (check course
  schedules)

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Which courses should I take?

• Course chart in undergraduate catalog
• Information on courses and course pre-requisites
• Pick focus areas/skills needed
• courses that students must have and when
  courses must be completed courses needed
  before MQP etc.
• 3 of 4 of the intro/foundations courses
• BME 3300 Design A-term Junior Year
• Living systems experimental requirement
• BME3111 Physiology C-term (OR could count as
  engineering)
• 1/6 credit BB courses Recommended Background
  1000/2000 BB course
• BB3511 Nerve and Muscle Physiology
• BB3514 Circulation and Respiratory Physiology
• BB2903 Anatomy and Physiology

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How do I schedule in all those courses?

• Forms and sample filled out versions available
  at
• http//users.wpi.edu/kbilliar/service_adviseersrc
  .html
• BME Tracking document to figure out what you
  need to graduate - Fill it in EACH semester!
• http//users.wpi.edu/kbilliar/documents/BME20Und
  ergrad20Tracking20Document20v4.doc
• 4 year plan helpful for detailed scheduling
• http//users.wpi.edu/kbilliar/documents/BME20Und
  ergrad20420year20course20planning20template.d
  oc

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How do I select an IQP?

• Complete or schedule Suff/HU requirement
  sophomore year if possible
• How to find an IQP?
• Off-campus IQP
• global perspectives program apply A-term Soph
  year http//www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/IGSD/
• On campus IQP
• for students not participating in off-campus IQP
  program, be sure to schedule an IQP for junior
  year before leaving for the summer

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Whats the difference between BME biomechanics
track and ME biomechanics concentration?

• What do you want to do?
• Skills and experiences are most important
  (Department less)
• Both accredited by ABET. Both are sufficiently
  flexible
• distribution requirements needed to graduate
• BE department requires greater depth in science
  (e.g., experimental biology, human physiology,
  experimental physiology),
• ME department requires a greater number of
  engineering and design courses
• BE possibly more suitable
• mechanics of living cells and tissues, research
• BME up and coming hot field bilingual
  more broad
• ME possibly more suitable
• design of prosthetics and rehabilitation devices
• ME more established, employers know what it is

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Can I major in Biomedical Engineering and have
the prerequisites for medical school?

• Yes, BME is an excellent premed major!
• Graduating in four years while fulfilling the
  prerequisites requires careful planning and you
  should discuss your goal with your advisor as
  early as possible.
• The only courses not specifically covered
• two organic chemistry lecture courses
• one organic chemistry laboratory
• Two of these can be counted as your two electives
  - the final one will be an extra course. You'll
  probably also want to take biochemistry.
• English work this into your Suff

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How can I improve my job prospects and
marketability?

• do professional/community service
• get a career oriented summer job
• work in a lab on campus, at UMMS, or at another
  university
• see also the BMES Careers site
• http//www.bmes.org/careers.asp

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How do I find a job or research internship over
the summer?

• REU and summer internships are great, but
  competitive
• Talk to students get slides from WPI BMES
  seminar What I did last summer
• Check under student resources http//www.wpi.edu/A
  cademics/Depts/BME/Resources/links.html
• REUs http//www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.c
  fm
• Career Development Center information sessions
• Summer Internships and Cooperative Education
• Given by CDC on academic advising day
• Check our MassMEDIC for Massachusetts companies
  http//www.massmedic.com/

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What is ABET and why should I care?

• American Board for Engineering and Technology,
  Inc. (ABET)
• Official accreditation body for biomedical
  engineering programs in the United States
• also other applied science, computing,
  engineering, and technology
• non-governmental, peer review process that
  ensures educational quality.
• Accreditation ensures the quality of the
  postsecondary education students receive.
• accreditation is not a ranking system. It is
  simply assurance that a program or institution
  meets established quality standards
• desirable in any academic program geared toward
  training professionals
• current licensure requirements require graduation
  from an accredited program as a prerequisite
  requirement for the Professional Engineer (PE)
  license
• Really a FEEDBACK process students and alums
  are the clients
• Educational institutions or programs volunteer
• to periodically undergo this review in order to
  determine if certain criteria are being met
• Generally every six years (if lucky)
• WPI BME accredited in 2003 and 2009
• Current list of accredited undergraduate programs
  at the ABET web site www.abet.org

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Why should I join the BMES chapter? Should I
join BMES national?

• Yes, and GET INVOLVED! Its there for you!
• Info on website under undergraduate programs
• http//www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/BME/Undergradua
  te/ - follow link
• National BMES is a resource for you access to
  the profession
• Skills builder, Resume builder

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Whats a mentor?

• Information/advice on major, courses and projects
• Educational mentoring and career counseling
• An advocate to help your mentee succeed
• A contact person, who can direct you to services
  on campus
• http//www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/BME/Undergradua
  te/advising.html

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Gateway Park
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Questions?