Biomedical Engineering

New discovery could make a risky heart failure treatment safer

Alexander James Servantez — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 18:58:38 +0000

New discovery could make a risky heart failure treatment safer Alexander Jame… Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:58

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) designed to improve blood flow throughout the body can aid nearly 26 million people globally struggling with heart failure. But these implantable devices come with risks. New research by Assistant Professor Debanjan Mukherjee suggests that studying patient blood flow patterns could help determine who’s at risk of dangerous side effects from LVADs and lead to improvements that could make them safer.

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Robots and chemistry isn’t just a fun combo. Bruns says it’s the future

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 22:30:26 +0000

Robots and chemistry isn’t just a fun combo. Bruns says it’s the future Alexander Jame… Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:30

Assistant Professor Carson Bruns is leading the charge on an NSF-funded project that he and his team like to call "robochemistry." Their goal is to create robotic sidekicks that can assist chemists with burdensome or unsafe tasks that they may routinely encounter in a wet lab. But that's not all: this unique blend of bots and beakers can also inspire youth interest in science.

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Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 21 May 2025 20:01:24 +0000

Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections Alexander Jame… Wed, 05/21/2025 - 14:01

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram, in collaboration with Laura Blumenschein, has received a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a tiny robot super team capable of navigating a complex maze of machinery and squeeze through the tightest of spaces—like the guts of a jet engine—to potentially perform non-destructive evaluation faster, cheaper and better than ever before.

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Engineering Projects Expo 2025: Explore new inventions and technologies created by CU Engineering students

Michelle Wiese — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:45:18 +0000

Engineering Projects Expo 2025: Explore new inventions and technologies created by CU Engineering students Michelle Wiese Mon, 04/21/2025 - 09:45

On Friday, April 25 at the University of Colorado 51��ý, engineering students will present their capstone design projects at the annual Engineering Projects Expo. This year's event will feature projects from mechanical engineering; computer science; electrical, computer and energy engineering; biomedical engineering; and civil, environmental and architectural engineering.

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CU 51��ý, Western Colorado launching biomedical engineering partnership in fall 2025

Emily Adams — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 18:01:40 +0000

CU 51��ý, Western Colorado launching biomedical engineering partnership in fall 2025 Emily Adams Wed, 03/05/2025 - 11:01

The University of Colorado 51��ý’s College of Engineering and Applied Science has found great success with its biomedical engineering degree, which launched in 2020. Last year, undergraduate applications for the program were up 32%.

Building on that student interest, as well as industry demand, CU 51��ý and Western Colorado University’s Rady School of Computer Science & Engineering will launch a biomedical engineering degree in Gunnison starting in fall 2025.

“Today, and for the foreseeable future, the U.S. needs more engineers to create sustainable solutions to address society’s most challenging problems. Our Western-CU 51��ý partnership students have the skills and sensibilities to make a positive impact on the Western Slope and Colorado,” said Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students in the Western-CU 51��ý Partnership Program enjoy the personalized learning of a small, rural university and the resources and rigor of a top-tier engineering school, with access to state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment.

“Western’s partnership with CU 51��ý continues to create incredible opportunities for our students. Expanding it to include biomedical engineering speaks volumes about Western’s commitment to training our students for high-impact careers in areas that will fuel Colorado’s economy,” Western’s President Brad Baca said. “We’re proud to collaborate on a program that will produce engineers ready to meet the challenges of the future."

This particular biomedical engineering program will focus on functional biomechanics and equipping students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to innovate in the areas of physical trauma recovery, orthopedic design, sports science and rehabilitation engineering.

Faculty member Mel Peddle is obtaining her EMT certificate to ensure her trauma knowledge is as current as possible. Peddle is particularly excited for the hands-on aspects of the program.

“Our BME program will have a trauma focus under the broader umbrella of functional biomechanics,” she said. “Students and faculty will work with local organizations like the hospital and emergency medical services for community-based projects as part of the curriculum.”

The degree is highly interdisciplinary and integrates principles of engineering, biology and medicine to create solutions related to everything from prosthetics to dialysis. Students will be prepared for careers or graduate/medical school upon graduation.

The Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering at Western Colorado University.

Although the first cohort of students hasn’t officially begun yet in Gunnison, Interim Director Kevin Terry notes, “our upcoming biomedical degree program has already allowed us to work with Western’s High Altitude Exercise Physiology program to develop methods for tracking swim stroke patterns in the pool for swimming injury investigation.”

Because the WCU campus sits at an elevation of 8,000 feet, biomedical engineering students in Gunnison will have the unique opportunity to study and design solutions for athletes and patients living at high elevation.

Since getting its start in 2019, the Engineering Partnership Program has seen significant success in the mechanical engineering major, with valuable community and industry collaborations and employment contracts signed by 95% of 2024 graduates, who earn an average starting salary of $78,000.

“As the state’s flagship university, we are proud to partner with Western to serve Colorado through producing some of the most highly qualified engineers,” Molenaar said.

Terry agreed, saying, “Our engineering program offers a unique blend of hands-on learning and rigorous coursework that empowers our students to graduate as highly competitive professionals.”

Applications are still open for the first cohort of biomedical engineering majors with the Western-CU 51��ý Engineering Partnership Program, who will start in fall 2025 with a planned graduation date of spring 2029.

A degree in aerospace engineering in Gunnison is also slated to welcome its first cohort in fall 2026.

Questions can be directed to Western Colorado University Admissions or radyschool@western.edu.

The biomedical engineering program in Gunnison will focus on functional biomechanics and equipping students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to innovate in the areas of physical trauma recovery, orthopedic design, sports science and rehabilitation engineering.

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The first cohort of biomedical engineering students at CU 51��ý graduated in spring 2023. Since then, the program has grown to more than 350 undergraduates.

Diamond in the rough: Research could help better detect, target cancer cells

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:57:05 +0000

Diamond in the rough: Research could help better detect, target cancer cells Alexander Jame… Fri, 02/14/2025 - 09:57

Associate Professor Xiaoyun Ding and his team in the Biomedical Microfluidics Laboratory (BMMLab) stumbled across an interesting anomaly during a cell sensing project that used different forms of acoustic waves to measure cell mechanics. The group discovered a new wave mode never seen before that can unlock a new level of cell manipulation capabilities.

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Rentschler, Aspero Medical awarded $4.5M for endoscopy advancement

Alexander James Servantez — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 21:43:46 +0000

Rentschler, Aspero Medical awarded $4.5M for endoscopy advancement Alexander Jame… Tue, 02/11/2025 - 14:43

With the help of a $4.5 million award through the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative, they are working to bring two new products to the market that will transform procedures in the small bowel region.

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Laurel Hind honored with CAREER Award for advancing immune response research

Susan Glairon — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:39:55 +0000

Laurel Hind honored with CAREER Award for advancing immune response research Susan Glairon Mon, 01/20/2025 - 08:39

Laurel Hind, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, has received a $646,000 NSF CAREER Award to study immune system regulation and disease, while also promoting scientific literacy in immunology through a new outreach program.

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