University Times

Culminating a decade of planning, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has authorized the creation of the School of Engineering's seventh department, bioengineering.

The department represents a trans-institutional effort with the participation of the schools of medicine and health and rehabilitation sciences. At its core is the Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

The department's predecessor, the bioengineering program, had been selected as one of the top 10 programs in the country by the Whitaker Foundation. According to the new department's chair, Jerome Schultz, the establishment of the department represents the combined efforts of faculty, community leaders and engineering alumni. "The support of local and national industry, as well as the individual support of alumni, will continue to be instrumental in helping our department secure its position as one of the leading programs in the nation," Schultz said.

Among the innovations developed by faculty and student research teams in bioengineering are heart assistance devices, aids for prevention of artery occlusion, therapies for diabetes and hormone reduction, monitors for neurosurgery and devices for the disabled.