Program Review Report
Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering and Computing
January 15, 2009
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary………………………………………………………...………………
3
2. Response to Recommendations from Previous Reviews…………………………………...
5
3. Program Description…………………………………………………….………………….
3.1 BME Academic Programs………….………………………………………………….
3.2 Student Chapter Activities………………………….……………………….………...
3.4 Research Funding and Scholarly Productivity…………………….……………..........
3.5 New Faculty in 2008……………………….………………………………………….
3.6 Individual Faculty Accomplishments in 2007-2008………………………….……….
3.7 BME Partnership Program…………………………………………………..…...........
3.8 BME Endowed Programs…………………………………………..………………….
3.9 Departmental Quantifiable Goals……………………………………………………...
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12
4. Major Changes to the Program………………………….…………………………………..
4.1 Changes in the Discipline……..……………………………………………………….
4.2 Student Demand…………………………………..………………………….………..
4.3 Occupational Demand………………………………………………..……….……….
4.4 Societal Needs……………………………………………………………………..…..
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12
13
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5. Academic Programs Student Learning Outcomes………………………………………….
5.1 BS Program Student Learning Outcomes……………..………………………………
5.2 BS Program Assessment plan………………………………………………………....
5.3 Changes made to the BS program based on the Continuous Improvement Process......
5.4 MS and PhD Program Student Learning Outcomes…………………………………...
5.5 MS Program Student Learning Outcomes………………………………………….....
5.6 PhD Program Student Learning Outcomes……………………………………………
5.7 MS and PhD Program Assessment plan……………………………………………….
5.8 Changes made to the Graduate Programs……………………………………………..
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14
14
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16
17
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6. Strengths that support achievement of program goals………………………………..…….
17
7. Weaknesses that impeded the achievement of program goals……………………………...
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8. Opportunities to explore in the achievement of program goals…………………….………
19
9. Threats to overcome in the achievement of program goals………………………….……..
20
10. Budget…………………...…………………………………………………………….......
20
11. Major findings and recommendations…………………………………………………….. 20
11.1 Departmental Priorities over the Next Five Years………………..…………………. 21
2
1. Executive Summary
In 1999 the Biomedical Engineering Institute was established in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering to house the academic programs and to serve as an umbrella organization to unite
the participating Florida International University (FIU) programs with the clinical and industrial
partners in the development and maintenance of an interdisciplinary program in biomedical
engineering (BME). The institute form of structure was utilized at the time because the faculty
who constituted the core BME group were housed in either the Mechanical or Electrical &
Computer Engineering departments. In 2003 the Department of Biomedical Engineering was
formed out of the Mechanical Engineering Department from the Biomedical Engineering
Institute. The vision of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) is consistent with
Florida International University’s vision and states that “The Biomedical Engineering
Department at Florida International University (FIU) will become the prime resource for
biomedical engineering education, training, research, and technology development in Florida;
and become nationally recognized as a model for servicing the needs of the clinical medicine and
the biomedical industries through workforce and technology development”. The BME
Department houses the BS, MS, and PhD degree programs in Biomedical Engineering. The
department also offers an undergraduate minor in BME. Students who major in biomedical
engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering may also enter the combined
accelerated BS/MS program. This five year program seamlessly combines the baccalaureate
degree with the Master’s in BME.
Summary of the Current State of the Program
The BS program started in fall 2002, is accredited by ABET, and currently has a headcount of
over 264 students, with over 80 graduates. The MS program, which was started in 1999, has 20
students, with more than 80 graduates. The PhD program, started in 2004, has about 28 students
and 4 graduates. There are currently 7 tenure/tenure track FTE and 2 full time instructors. The
department has 4 staff members (one funded by C&G), which includes the undergraduate
laboratory instructor and a receptionist on an OPS line.
The Department provides educational and research programs with the major theme of
Engineering Living Systems at the Tissue, Cellular, & Molecular Level with the medical focus
areas of Cardiology, Neurology and Oncology. The research focus areas include: (1) Bioimaging and Bio-signal Processing, (2) Bio-instrumentation, Sensors, and Devices, (3)
Biomaterials and Bio-nano-technology, and (4) Cellular and Tissue Engineering. The BME
faculty has a clear vision for its role in the University, the community, and the nation. To
communicate this vision, the following statement was developed. The mission of the Biomedical
Engineering Department is to integrate academia, clinical medicine, and the biomedical industry
in
 the education and training of the next generation of biomedical engineers;
 research and development activities leading to innovations in medical technology;
 the transfer of that medical technology to commercialization and clinical implementation;
and
 the continuing development of biomedical engineering as a profession, its impact on the
delivery of health care, and its role in the sustainability and growth of the local and national
economies.
3
The BME Department is positioned to be a prime resource for biomedical engineering education,
training, research, and technology development in Florida. FIU is one of only two institutions in
the state of Florida that offers BS, MS and PhD degrees in BME, the other being at the private
University of Miami. The faculty had $1.8 million in research funding in 2008. The department
has over 25 clinical and industry partners in South Florida, and is taking a leadership role in the
development of the new College of Medicine at FIU. A comparison with BME programs in
Florida and benchmark programs is provided in section 3 of this report.
Biomedical Engineering at FIU: History, Accomplishments, and Return on Investment
1997 $250,000/year for three years from a Quality Improvement Program Award established
the Cardiovascular Engineering Center as a resource to the cardiovascular device industry
1998 $100,000 gift from Norman Weldon, co-founder of Cordis Corporation, to support BME
undergraduate research assistants
1999 $1 million Special Opportunity Award from the Whitaker Foundation – established the
Biomedical Engineering Institute
1999 MS program established – 80+ graduates, currently enrolls 20 students
2001 $10 million endowment from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and the state – supports
endowed faculty positions, scholarships and fellowships, research seed funding, lecture
series, and infrastructure for biomedical engineering
2002 $600,000 NSF Partnership for Innovation Award – established the BME Partnership
Program – current membership includes >25 clinical organizations and biomedical
companies. Also established the Institute for Technology Innovation, a unit of the Pino
Global Entrepreneurship Center
2002 BS program established – >80 graduates, currently enrolls >260 students
2003 The Department of Biomedical Engineering was established
2004 PhD program established – currently 4 graduates, enrolls 28 students
2004 Miami Children’s Hospital funds the MCH Professorship in NeuroEngineering, a joint
faculty position between MCH and FIU Biomedical Engineering
2006 $1.4 million endowment from the Ware Foundation and the state established, and
permanently supports a post-doctoral fellow, in the Laboratory for Brain Research and
Neuro-Engineering Applications
2006 BS program receives ABET accreditation in fastest time possible
2006 Annual research awards total over $1.8 million -$200,000 per FTE tenure-track faculty
2007 $1 million awarded from the Florida 21st Century World Class Scholar Program – for
establishment of joint BME/College of Medicine faculty position for the new Wallace H.
Coulter Professor, Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson.
2007 Annual research awards total over $2.2 million -$300,000 per FTE tenure-track faculty
2007 Established a chapter of the Alpha Eta Mu Beta (AEMB) BME Honor Society.
2008 Annual research awards total over $1.8 million -$250,000 per FTE tenure-track faculty
This Program Review was prepared by Anthony McGoron, Acting Chair and Undergraduate
Program Director, with assistance from Wei-Chiang Lin, Graduate Program Director and input
from the faculty. The priorities, strengths, weaknesses, and goals were developed during faculty
and Advisory Board meetings during 2007-2008 and finalized at the department faculty/staff
retreat held December 16, 2008.
4
2. Response to the Recommendations from the Previous Reviews
In 2003 the BME PhD program proposal was reviewed by Thomas Skalak, Chair of Biomedical
Engineering (now VP for Research), University of Virginia. Here we list his concerns (in italics)
and the current state of the program.
1. “The number of faculty (11) is just barely enough at present to cover 5 major areas of PhD
education (about 1-2 people per area)”.
At the time of the 2003 program review there were 6 core faculty with full time appointments,
and 2 with half-time appointments in BME (7 FTE total). There were two affiliated faculty, and
one person who did not ultimately join the department. Since 2003 7 faculty left FIU, including 3
full professors, one associate and three assistant professors (two had affiliated appointments) and
five assistant professors were hired. Today we have the same number tenured/tenure earning
FTE as in 2003 and added two full time instructors, once of whom serves as the undergraduate
advisor. We reduced our defined research areas from 5 to 4. We have a search for a tenure
earning faculty to bring the FTE to 8. A high priority for the BME department is to increase the
number of faculty.
2. The enrollment in the MS program is currently very high (29) considering the number of
faculty members (11). It is proposed that the MS numbers will decrease somewhat as the number
of PhD’s increases, and this is a good idea, commonly implemented by many BME programs.
The number of PhD students for year 5 (36) is about right, considering that there ought to be
about 12-14 faculty by that time. One could envision about 4 PhD students per faculty in the
steady-state for a successful research program.
As of spring 2009 our MS head count was 20 which is 2.9 per tenured/tenure track FTE. Our
current PhD head count is 28 which is 4 per tenure/tenure track FTE. One of the current faculty
members joined in fall 2008 and does not as yet have a PhD student in his lab. Therefore, the
PhD advising load for the faculty is actually 4.7/FTE, not counting Dr Huang. To maintain a
quality PhD program a larger faculty size is needed.
3. No grants administrator is listed among the program personnel, and one person will probably
be needed to handle the grants associated with a full PhD program supported by external funds.
A grant administrator was added to the department in 2003 but was moved to the Dean’s staff in
2008 as a result of state-wide budget cuts. The College has three grants administrators shared
among 5 departments. As the number of grants in the department increases BME will need a
dedicated grants administrator.
4. Facilities are just adequate for the program. They should plan for enlargement as this
program is implemented. The current 8,000 square feet of laboratory space is barely adequate
for initiation of PhD programs for the 11 faculty. Near-term enlargement to about 11,000 sq ft
ought to occur, yielding about 1,000 sq ft per faculty member at minimum, and about 1,500
would be more desirable.
Total research space in BME is 5,596 sq ft, ~800 sq ft/ FTE, well below that suggested by the
external evaluator. Biomedical Engineering research is typically experimentally intensive, often
requiring wet-lab capabilities as well as capabilities for chemical synthesis. The BME
department has equipped a surgical suite in the Animal Care Facility on the main campus.
5
Animal experimentation is critical to BME research programs and thus improvements to the
current Animal Care Facility, in terms of both technical support and space, are required.
3. Program Description
3.1 BME Academic Programs
The department offers BS, MS and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering. Enrollment as of
spring 2009: BS – 209 FT and 55 PT (117 FT upper division); MS – 20; PhD – 28. The
department offers no University Core Curriculum courses. Based on the number of faculty
contributing to the undergraduate program (7 FTE tenured/tenure track faculty plus 2 FTE
instructors), the Student/Faculty ratio was 209/9=23 FT Undergraduate; 117/9=13 FT
Undergraduate upper division (junior and senior status). Based on the number of faculty
contributing to the graduate program (7 FTE tenured/tenure track faculty), the graduate
Student/Faculty ratio was 48/7=6.9. There have been >80 graduates from the BS program. We
have data from 52 students. Of these, 13 have attended graduate school and 3 continued to
medical school.
The BME Department is leading the State in biomedical engineering education. Of the eleven
universities in the State University System (SUS) of Florida, FIU is the only university with the
full slate (BS, MS, PhD) of programs in BME. No other SUS university offers the BS in BME.
Florida Gulf Coast University has recently established an undergraduate BS Bioengineering
program. The only other established BME baccalaureate program in Florida is at the private
University of Miami. Only two other SUS Universities, the University of Florida and Florida
Gulf Coast University, have a Department of Biomedical Engineering (at FGCU it is the
Department of Bioengineering and housed within the School of Engineering in the College of
Business). Florida State University jointly with Florida A&M University (FSU-FAMU) and the
University of South Florida (USF) each has a Department of Chemical and Biomedical
Engineering with only graduate programs.
The student headcount and graduation rates in the BS program have risen steadily since the
beginning of the program in 2002 (Tables 1-3). The number of FTE’s has also risen steadily
(Table 3) despite the fact that BME offers no “service” courses, and three of our core
engineering courses are taken through either ECE or MME. The BME BS program is comprised
of about 40% females and in 2007-08, 60% of the 32 BME BS degrees were awarded to females.
In fall 2008, 50% of the BS graduates were female. The program boasts an active student section
of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and a newly established Alpha Eta Mu Beta
(AEMB) Biomedical Engineering Honor Society chapter. Both societies provide for enrichment
of both undergraduate and graduate students.
The BME BS program is designed to prepare students for a wide range of career opportunities,
including: a) advanced study, b) industrial practice, and c) entrepreneurial endeavors. Of the 36
graduates who responded to our alumni survey, six are currently pursuing graduate degrees of
which two are in Medical School, 20 have obtained engineering positions at large biomedical
corporations (Bausch & Lomb, Boston Scientific, Cordis, Stryker, Beckman-Coulter, Genentech,
Abbott Labs, and the Parkinson Foundation), and five obtained engineering positions at local
biomedical start-up companies such as Bioheart Inc., Bio-Tissue and Gaumard Scientific. We
have the employment status of 52 of the 80 graduates, though many have not returned the alumni
survey. Among graduates who have not responded to our Alumni survey, we know that at least
6
one has been admitted to medical school, two have applied to medical or dental school, four are
currently in graduate school, and one has completed an MBA. Only two that we know of are not
working in a related industry, and only two that we are aware of have not found employment.
The rest are at either large or small biomedical related companies. We are not aware of the status
of the remaining 26 graduates. Five of our alumni received their MS in BME from FIU following
their BS and are now working for companies. Therefore, of the 52 students for whom we have
information, 13 continued to graduate school (25%).
Five PhD students were admitted into the PhD program in fall 2008 and spring 2009 with an
average GRE score of 1268. As of the end of fall 2008, there have been 4 PhD graduates, three
of them females. Of the 89 MS graduates to date, 30% were female. The Department’s ratio of
RA’s supported by C&G funds to TA’s supported on E&G funds has consistently been greater
than 1:1 and reached 2:1 from 2005 to 2007 (Table 4). In fall 2008 the ratio was 1:1 due to the
loss of two faculty members who were supporting students through extramural funds. The total
number of graduate level FTE’s has also been increasing steadily since 2004 (Table 3). We
expect the Grad II level FTE’s to increase even further as the PhD program continues to mature.
The program will be emphasizing the PhD program with less emphasis on the MS program. The
data in Tables 1-6 are from the Board of Governors website. Tables 5-6 compare the FIU BME
program to other BME programs in the Florida SUS. Table 9 (page 22) compares FIU BME to
state and national benchmark BME programs. The FIU BME department has the fewest faculty
but the largest program, and the greatest expenditures/research faculty in the state.
Table 1: BME BS, MS, and PhD Headcount Enrollment*
BS
MS
PhD
Total
Fall 2003
53
30
Fall 2004
131
42
8
181
83
Fall 2005
190
36
14
240
Fall 2006
227
38
19
284
Fall 2007
244
36
26
306
Fall 2008
264
25
28
317
* MS program started in 1999, BS program started in 2002, PhD program started in 2004.
Table 2: BS, MS and PhD Degrees Awarded in BME
BS
MS
PhD
Total
2002-03
2003-04
8
11
2004-05
8
14
8
11
22
2005-06
11
10
1
23
2006-07
25
14
0
39
2007-08
32
11
1
44
Fall 2008
8
7
2
17
Table 3: BME BS, MS and PhD FTE
2001-02
Lower UG
Upper UG
GRAD I
GRAD II
Total
2
15.4
2.9
20.3
2002-03
1.1
9.4
13.5
4
28.0
2003-04
3.2
11.5
15.4
3.4
33.5
2004-05
1.68
13.5
10.52
3.7
29.4
2005-06
4.2
18.99
10.13
6.19
39.5
2006-07
3.54
29.98
15.54
10.82
59.9
2007-08
3.76
42.94
12.69
20.62
80.0
Table 4: Ratio of C&G to E&G Support of Graduate Students
E&G
C&G
Fall 2003
9
14
Fall 2004
11
16
Fall 2005
8
17
7
Fall 2006
8
16
Fall 2007
13
25
Fall 2008
14
13
Total
Ratio
23
1.56
27
1.45
25
2.13
24
2.00
38
1.92
27
0.93
Table 5: Comparison of Enrollment in BME MS and PhD Programs in Florida SUS
2001
MS
PhD
24
0
0
2
40
10
6
0
FIU
FSU
UF
USF
2002
MS
PhD
33
0
0
0
36
12
23
0
2003
MS
PhD
30
0
0
2
30
25
31
0
2004
MS
PhD
42
8
2
2
23
30
26
0
2005
MS
PhD
42
8
3
1
28
40
25
5
2006
MS
PhD
47
10
4
2
36
44
28
13
2007
MS PhD
48
14
4
3
33
44
31
16
Table 6: Comparison of Degrees Awarded in BME MS and PhD Programs in Florida SUS
FIU
FSU
UF
USF
01-02
MS
PhD
2
0
1
0
13
1
1
0
02-03
MS
PhD
7
0
0
0
17
2
13
0
03-04
MS
PhD
11
0
0
0
13
6
12
0
04-05
MS
PhD
14
0
0
0
19
2
17
0
05-06
MS
PhD
11
1
2
1
3
3
9
0
06-07
MS
PhD
14
0
0
0
8
9
15
0
3.2 Student Chapter Activities
Outside of the classroom, the BME Department supports a very active student BMES group.
The BMES student chapter has over 100 active members. The group has sponsored several
activities including raising funds to send students to each BMES Annual Fall Meeting since
2003. Each year BMES students volunteer and attend the International Symposium on
Endovascular Therapy Conference in Miami. Each year the chapter collaborates with different
collegiate organizations, which has allowed them to organize numerous events including club
fairs, academic fairs, social events, leadership seminars, and research seminars. Each year the
BMES volunteers participate in several special events that strengthen the College of Engineering
and Computing. In 2007 an AEMB Honor Society chapter was started. The AEMB, with 36
inductees and 21 current members, has started a monthly journal club as well as other academic,
community service and social activities. The two societies have teamed up to begin a mentoring
program to better prepare freshmen and sophomores for the rigors of an engineering education
and improve undergraduate retention.
3.3 BME Research Programs
Faculty size and Research Focus
The Department has 8 faculty members (total of 7 FTE) at the rank of Assistant Professor and
above (two are joint positions with Electrical and Computer Engineering). The department has
two full time Instructors, one serving as the Undergraduate Advisor. The Department is in the
process of recruiting a faculty member, with priority given to those at the Associate Professor or
Professor level. The Department’s research programs are in the following areas:
 Bio-imaging and bio-signal processing
Adjouadi, Barreto, Godavarty, Lin, McGoron
 Bio-instrumentation, devices and sensors
Barreto, Christie, Godavarty, Lin, Li
 Biomaterials and bio-nano technology
Huang, Li, McGoron, Christie
8

Cellular and tissue engineering
Huang, Tsoukias
3.4 Research Funding and Scholarly Productivity
In 07-08 the department received $1.8 million in research award funding, and over $6 million
over the last three years from NIH, NSF, AHA, ONR, DOD, and industry (Table 7). In addition,
94 journal articles and another 144 conference proceedings were published over the same period
(Table 8). The Department is deeply involved in translational research, particularly in the areas
of cardiovascular and neural engineering. The Department, with the College of Medicine,
submitted an $11 million Center of Excellence proposal to the State of Florida titled Florida
Center for Advanced Diagnostic Devices. Despite not being funded, this proposal has established
a foundation of collaboration between the College of Engineering (CEC) and College of
Medicine (COM). The BME chair has participated in the interview process for COM research
faculty candidates, and a COM faculty member was on each of the two BME faculty search and
screen committees this past year.
Table 7: Summary of BME Research Programs in the Last Five Years
Research Awards
Research Expenditures
RA (C&G Supported)
FTE Faculty*
03-04
$473,509
$860,000
14
8
04-05
$805,918
$1,130,000
16
9
05-06
$2,040,895
$1,137,000
17
9
06-07
$2,319,273
$1,525,000
16
10
07-08
$1,817,046
$1,290,000
18
9
* Includes two instructor positions
Table 8: Summary of Faculty Scholarly Production for the Last Five Years
FTE Tenure-track faculty
Manuscripts published in major journals
Presentations at major scientific meetings
Research grant applications submitted
Research grant applications awarded
Disclosures
Patent Applications Files (US and foreign)
03-04
7
30
38
16
4
4
0
04-05
7
38
38
27
6
6
1
05-06
7
36
47
30
15
4
5
06-07
8
32
54
19
23
3
4
07-08
7
26
43
23
11
3
4
3.5 New Faculty in 2008
Two new faculty members joined the department to replace faculty who left during or after the
2007-2008 academic year. Yen-Chih Huang received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from
the University of Michigan. He joins FIU as an Assistant Professor following a 3-year post-doc,
also at the University of Michigan. His research is in the area of tissue engineered skeletal and
cardiac muscle. Michael Christie received his PhD in Materials Science Engineering from
Rutgers University. He joins FIU as Instructor and the Undergraduate Advisor following a career
at Johnson & Johnson and after establishing his own materials and quality consulting firm.
3.6 Individual Faculty Accomplishments in 2007-2008
Anthony J. McGoron, Associate Professor and Acting Chair, received a $200,000 grant from the
FL Department of Health to develop Image Guided Therapy for Cancer. The work was initially
supported by a Faculty Research Award for $23,000. Dr McGoron is Co-PI (Norman Munroe,
PI, $400,000) on a NIH funded grant Enhanced Biocompatibility of NiTi via Surface Treatment
9
and Alloying and a participant on an education grant from the NIH to Ophelia Weeks
(Biological Sciences) Quantitative Biology in the Classroom (Q’BIC).
Anuradha Godavarty, Assistant Professor, received an award of $196,640 from the National
Institute of Health to work on A Novel Hand-Held Based Optical Imager for Fluorescence
Imaging of Breast Cancer. Under this award she is developing a handheld-based imaging device
for breast cancer diagnostics using the non-invasive and non-ionizing near-infrared light rather
than harmful x-rays. She also received an award of $52,500 from the Florida Department of
Health to work on a Hand-held Optical Probe for fluorescence imaging of breast cancer and a
$108,800 from the Florida Department of Health for developing real-time coregistration facilities
on a novel hand-held optical imager (recently developed) and demonstrate its feasibity on tissue
phantoms.
Wei-Chiang Lin, Miami Children’s Hospital Associate Professor of Neuro-Engineering, recently
received his tenure and promotion in 2008. Dr. Lin received an award in the amount of $320,214
from the Thrasher Research Fund to work on Optimizing Pediatric Brain Tumor Surgery through
Optical Spectroscopy to Enhance Survival and Quality of Life. The arrangement between FIU
and Miami Children's Hospital has been very successful and the BME department looks forward
to building on that success.
Malek Adjouadi, Professor, Joint Appointment, was promoted to full professor in August 2007.
He received $16,276 from Children’s Memorial Hospital; $87,000 from the Ware Foundation,
and $661,656 form the National Science Foundation. In 2008, he received the FIU Excellence in
Faculty Scholarship Award.
Nikolaos Tsoukias, Assistant Professor, received a $1.4 million award from the National Institute
of Health to study microcirculatory function in hypertension. The title of the project is
Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of Microcirculatory Signaling. He previously
received a Faculty Research Award in the amount of $22,500 to work on In Vitro Models to
Investigate Microcirculatory NO-Ca2+
Chenzhong Li, Assistant Professor, received an award of $186,153 from the U.S. Air Force
Office of Scientific Research to work on Biosensing Approaches for the Evaluation of Toxicity
of Nanomaterials. Dr Li is part of a team in the Advanced Materials Engineering Research
Institute (AMERI) that received $1.9 million for Bio-Nano related research.
Armando Barreto, Associate Professor, Joint Appointment, received yearly installments for two
ongoing NSF grants in 2007-2008: $102,781 in a project as Principal Investigator and $173,199
as leader of the Assistive Technology Thrust and Co-PI of the CREST Center Project.
3.7 BME Partnership Program
The mission of the BME Department is to integrate academia, clinical medicine, and the
biomedical industry into the biomedical engineering education and research programs. To this
end, the BME Partnership Program at FIU was initiated in June of 2001. It is a joint enterprise
of FIU, clinical research establishments, and biomedical companies. Its mission is to foster
excellence in biomedical education and training; support biomedical innovation, invention, and
10
discovery; cultivate biomedical research and development; and promote biomedical engineering
entrepreneurship in South Florida. The Partnership Program provides the structural support to the
clinical rotations and senior design projects for the baccalaureate program. The Partnership
Program also provides graduate students opportunities for applied research through the
Collaborative Technology Innovation Program. This program joins BME faculty with personnel
from one of the Partner organizations and provides funding for joint projects that present the
potential for discovery, innovation, invention, and future commercialization or other external
funding.
An example of the Partnership Program influence on the BME programs is the BME Technology
Expo & Competition. It is a required curricular activity for undergraduate BME seniors. In this
biannual event, individual student teams present their senior design projects. The presentations
are made to a panel of judges comprised of members of the BME advisory board representing
academia, industry and clinical medicine. In addition to providing a venue for students to
display the products of their effort, the event offers biomedical companies and entrepreneurs a
view of FIU’s graduating biomedical engineers and innovative biomedical technology. Cash
prizes, funded by external sponsors, are awarded to the winners and runners-up.
3.8 BME Endowed Programs
The earnings of the endowment from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation grant (approximately
$500,000 per year) fund the following programs:
 Excellence Fund – this is a general use fund for the overall enhancement of the
biomedical engineering education and research programs. ($100,000)
 Graduate Fellowships – provide stipends for graduate students each year. Five PhD and
five MS students received support this year. ($50,000)
 Undergraduate Scholarships – up to five scholarships are provided each year. The
scholarships are for two years. Nine students received scholarship support this year and 5
new scholarships will be awarded to students next year. ($25,000)
 Collaborative Technology Innovation Program – provides seed funding to faculty for
development of their research programs with Partnership Program members. These funds
are also used for faculty start-up. ($50,000)
 Research Center Fund – supports the Cardiovascular Engineering Center. ($25,000)
 Eminent Scholars Chair and Professorship – funds two endowed faculty positions in the
Department. The Distinguished Professor in Bioinstrumentation and Biomeasurements is
held by Joe Leigh Simpson, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of
Medicine. The Eminent Chair position is currently unfilled. ($150,000)
 Young Inventor Program – funds a post-doctoral fellow for up to two years. Banghe Zhu
held the title of the BME Young Inventor for two years. Dr. Zhu’s accomplishments
include: Peer-Review Publications: 3 (published/in press) + 3 submitted; Conference
Proceedings: 9; Presentations (Oral/Poster): 13; Patents: Co-inventor of one PCT patent
filed in Sept 2007. He also helped establish industry collaboration (IDSI Inc., Plantation)
along with grant funding from the company for 2 years and mentored PhD and MS
students in the lab. The Young Inventor Award is currently held by Romila Manchanda.
She received her PhD in Chemistry from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative
Biology CSIR, University of Delhi. She received a Young Scientist Project Award from
the Indian Department of Science and Technology before joining FIU. ($75,000)
11

Lecture Series – provides funds to offer a lecture series each year. Fifteen lectures were
held in 2007-2008. ($25,000)
In 2006 the Ware Foundation awarded FIU a $1.42 million grant to endow the Ware Foundation
Laboratory for Brain Research and Neuro-Engineering Applications, jointly operated by the FIU
BME Department and the Miami Children’s Hospital Brain Institute. In addition, the Miami
Children’s Hospital supports one half of the BME faculty position held by Dr. Wei-Chiang Lin,
which carries the title Miami Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor in Neuro-engineering. Dr
Lin earned tenure and promotion to associate professor this past year.
The FIU BME Department presents awards for undergraduate students to participate in faculty
research during the summer from the proceeds of a $100,000 gift from Norman R Weldon
received in 1998. The awards support students with an interest in pursuing a career in research
with plans to pursue graduate studies in BME. Two students are selected to conduct research in a
faculty's laboratory for 20 hours each week for 12 weeks over the summer.
3.9 Departmental Quantifiable Goals
The Department will
1. Be the top BME Department in the state of Florida in 5 years in terms of the quality and
productivity of the research and graduates that we produce.
2. Be among the top 25 BME Departments in the US in 10 years.
3. Have at least 13 tenure/tenure track faculty members in 5 years.
4. Have 5 research faculty members in 5 years.
5. Have a staff of 6 (1 professional, 3 clerical, 2 technical) in 5 years,
6. Have the following number of students and trainees per faculty within five years: 30 BS
degree-seeking, 2 MS, 4 PhD, and 1 post-doctoral trainee.
7. Have two PhD students supported on extramural faculty grants per faculty.
8. Produce 1 MS and 1 PhD graduate/faculty/year within five years.
9. Have the following research productivity within five years:
a. Funding level – $200k/year/faculty on average
b. Funding source – targeted at NIH, and therefore our goal is for each senior faculty member
(tenured Associate Professor and higher) to have an ongoing R01 grant or equivalent
c. Training grant – the Department will have ongoing funding for pre- and post-doctoral
training programs
d. Six scholarly publications/faculty/year. Specifically, each faculty will produce an average
two journal publications/year and 4 proceedings/year.
4. Major Changes in the Program
4.1 Changes in the Discipline
Biomedical Engineering has been a defined discipline only since the 1950’s. By 1990 there were
only about 25 undergraduate and 40 graduate BME programs. In 1992, the Whitaker Foundation
initiated large grant programs designed to help institutions establish or develop biomedical
engineering departments or programs. Since then, the number of departments and programs has
risen to almost 80 undergraduate and 90 graduate programs. Biomedical Engineering has its
roots in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and many, including the FIU program, grew from
12
one of these departments. But, BME programs are now largely independent of other programs.
Biomedical Engineering, more than others, has evolved to be multidisciplinary and highly
collaborative with a growing focus on tissue, cellular, protein, and molecular engineering in
addition to the more traditional mechanical and electrical engineering.
BME programs experienced a 12.8% increase in R&D expenditures between FY 06 and FY 07
compared to a 6% increase in engineering disciplines overall (www.nsf.gov/statistics). The
majority of engineering disciplines depend on DOD, DOE, and NSF for funding. NSF funding of
engineering R&D at universities and colleges is almost double the amount received from the
NIH. But Biomedical Engineering research depends largely on NIH funding, which accounts for
more than 50% of all federal R&D funding. Biomedical Engineering, despite being still a
relatively small field, accounts for about 7% of all R&D expenditures, partly because it accesses
a larger pool of potential funding.
4.2 Student Demand
BS, MS and PhD degrees in bioengineering and biomedical engineering are awarded in only a
small number of states (from Engineering Trends www.engtrends.com). Within those states, the
degrees are awarded by a small number of universities. In 2006-07, 10 states awarded 60.8% of
the BME bachelor's degrees (just 29 universities), but only 45.7% of all undergraduate
engineering degrees. The 10 states awarded 65.8% of the BME doctorates (just 28 universities),
but only 43.3% of all engineering doctorates. Since 2000-01, universities in twenty-three states
did not award any bachelor's degrees in biomedical engineering; doctoral degrees were not
awarded in twenty-four states. The Biomedical Engineering discipline remains a popular
engineering discipline among undergraduate students, particularly women. At FIU the number of
students who have identified BME as their major has risen steadily to more than 260 as of fall
2008 (40% female). According to ASEE, the growth in BME undergraduate degrees awarded has
risen 192% from 1999-2007, the largest of any engineering discipline, which should continue for
at least several years. However, there is a bias toward granting advanced degrees in BME,
compared to the other engineering disciplines. The industry in which biomedical engineers work
is more R&D intensive than the engineering industry as a whole. Demands of graduates with
advanced degrees in the medical technology industry (a primary employer of biomedical
engineers) is greater than that in the engineering industry overall. According to the American
Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (www.aimbe.org) at the BS level, 51% of 06-07
graduates continued their education (16% in Medical School), 41% obtained a job, and 8% were
seeking employment. At the MS level, 37% continued their education, 55% obtained a job, and 8%
were seeking employment. The growth of undergraduate BME degrees is also evident in Europe and
Asia. This provides a steady supply of applicants to FIU’s BME graduate programs.
4.3 Occupational Demand
Biomedical engineering combines medical needs with engineering expertise for the enhancement
of health care. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Biomedical engineers are expected
to have a 21 percent employment growth from 2006-2016, much faster than the average for all
occupations. Another area of occupational demand that we should capitalize on with the BME
graduate programs is Medical (Health) Physics. The responsibility of the Medical Physicist’s
clinical practice is to assure the safe and effective delivery of radiation to achieve a diagnostic or
therapeutic result as prescribed in patient care. According to the Health Physics Society – “A
projected shortfall in sufficiently educated radiation safety professionals has placed a burden on
13
industries using radiation to support our nation's health needs. This national shortage is
primarily due to a lack of funding of academic research and educational health physics
programs. Another concern is the anticipated large number of radiation safety personnel
reaching retirement age in the near future”.
The FIU BME undergraduate program was designed to prepare students for advanced study, or
for positions in the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, or biological engineering industries.
However, many of our students also apply for jobs with more traditional biomedical engineering
device companies competing with Electrical and Mechanical Engineering program graduates.
For these students we recommend a minor or a combined BS/MS. However, we are reviewing
our offering of electives to address the needs of these students. Understanding that companies
want new graduate employees to become productive sooner, the BME program has rigorous
senior design and laboratory course sequences.
4.4 Societal Needs
According to the US Department of Labor, “The aging of the population and the focus on health
issues will drive demand for better medical devices and equipment designed by biomedical
engineers. Along with the demand for more sophisticated medical equipment and procedures, an
increased concern for cost-effectiveness will boost demand for biomedical engineers,
particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing and related industries”.
5. Academic Program Student Learning Outcomes
5.1 BS Program Student Learning Outcomes
Based on the needs of the constituents, a set of Student Learning Outcomes was developed which
describe the knowledge and skill set our graduates will have at the time of graduation from the
program. The Student Learning Outcomes are the following:
Graduates of the program will possess the following skills and knowledge set:
1. Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics (including differential equations and statistics),
physical and life sciences, and engineering to carry out analysis and design to solve problems
at the interface of engineering and biology;
2. Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to measure, analyze and interpret data
from living systems;
3. Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs, including systems
that involve the interaction between living and non-living materials, within realistic
constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety,
manufacturability, and sustainability;
4. Ability to identify, formulate, and adapt engineering solutions to unmet biological needs;
5. Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering
practice, including the ability to model and analyze biological systems as engineering
systems;
6. Ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams; and
7. Ability to communicate effectively.
14
5.2 BS Program Assessment plan
A verification process is used to assure that the capabilities our students possess at the time of
graduation match the Student Learning Outcomes. A review loop is designed as a yearly process.
Outcomes measure data are collected for a calendar year, and these data are reviewed at our
annual Faculty and Staff Retreat. At each Retreat, we first evaluate the appropriateness of the
measure and measurement tool, and then determine if the outcome was met. If a modification to
the measure or measurement tool is required, data will be collected for one additional term
before assessing whether the outcome is still being met. At any point when an outcome is not
met, modifications to the curriculum are required. The measurement tools, which are inherently
derived from the curriculum, are then modified as needed and data collected for another year.
The assessment plan includes two sets of outcomes measures: a Primary set, and a Secondary set.
The Primary set of outcome measures has prescribed acceptance criteria. If the acceptance
criteria are not met, action must follow (typically modification of the curriculum, if the measure
and measurement tool are appropriate). The Secondary set of outcome measures does not contain
specific acceptance criteria. These data are used to help understand the possible reasons why the
Primary outcome measures were not met, if applicable, and point to possible remediation
measures. For example, one Primary outcome measure is a rating of student performance on the
senior design project by a panel of judges representing members of our Advisory Board. If, over
the course of one year of student design projects, the rating for a specific Outcome does not meet
the acceptance criteria, then the secondary measures would be used to determine where, for
example, in the curriculum that Outcome is not adequately covered. The Secondary outcomes
measures are, for the most part, tied to specific courses. Each of the courses, in turn, has a set of
course outcomes that relate to Student Learning Outcomes. We would then look at the courses
that contribute to that Outcome and analyze the secondary outcome measures to determine where
changes in the program may result in improvement of that Program Outcome. Each of the eight
Student Learning Outcomes is evaluated similarly.
5.3 Changes made to the BS program based on the Continuous Improvement Process.
Major changes to the BS program occurred after the initial ABET review in 2005 and consist of
removing one of the life science requirements and replacing it with a BME elective, requiring
students to attend 10 research seminars, and requiring students to have at least a 2.0 GPA in
engineering courses for graduation. A lab component was added to EEE 4202C, Medical
Instrumentation. This required purchasing multiple sets of instruments and assigning two TA’s,
one for the course and one for the laboratory component. Students learn to implement basic
circuit and amplifier design and gain hands-on experience with the instruments and transducers
that will be used in the Undergraduate Laboratory courses. This was initiated during summer
2007. Prior to the most recent ABET visit in October 2008 EEL 3111L, Circuits Lab was added
to the program. This has not yet been approved by the curriculum committee. In addition, we
continue to add instruments to our undergraduate laboratories. More than $64,000 was used to
purchase instruments to support undergraduate education in 07-08. The primary actions taken to
improve the program since 2005 are given below. The decisions of implementing these changes
were made during the Annual Faculty and Staff Retreat or during regular faculty meetings. The
semester at which the change was implemented is given in parentheses.
1. Students are required to attend 10 BME research seminars. (Fall 2006)
15
2. The Chair, undergraduate program director and undergraduate advisor present the program’s
outcomes, objectives and assessment process to the incoming students each semester in BME
2740, BME Modeling and Simulation. (Spring 2006)
3. Removed one of the life sciences courses and replaced it with a fourth BME elective. The
program now requires four BME electives. (Fall 2007)
4. Requiring that students have a ≥2.0 GPA in engineering courses in addition to a ≥2.0 overall
GPA for graduation. (Fall 2007)
5. Standardized the expectations for the senior design course by requiring all students to follow
the same project report outline and provide the same information thus demonstrating that all
BME program outcomes were met through a capstone design project. Design History File
and Device Master Record added to the Senior Design Requirement (Spring 2006)
6. Formed a committee of five members to evaluate the students’ presentations and reports in
the BME 4090, Design Project Organization course. In this course students form teams and
develop a proposal for their senior design project, which is completed in BME 4908 Senior
Design Project during the following semester. (Spring 2007)
7. All Senior Design project proposals and reports are submitted to www.turnitin.com for a
similarity analysis and determination of plagiarism. (Spring 2007).
8. Added a lab component to EEE 4202C, Medical Instrumentation (formerly ELR 4202C).
This required purchasing multiple sets of instruments and assigning two TA’s. (Summer
2007)
9. Modified the Program Objectives to further emphasize graduate achievements rather than the
student’s education. (Summer 2008)
10. Purchased new equipment to support the undergraduate laboratory. (every year)
11. Added EEL 3111L, Circuits Lab as a program requirement (Fall 2009)
12. Changed EGM 3503, Applied Mechanics from three to four credit-hours. (Fall 2009)
13. Updated textbook requirement, co-requisites and pre-requisites, and course content of
individual courses. (multiple semesters)
5.4 MS and PhD Program Student Learning Outcomes
Based on the needs of the constituents, a set of Student Learning Outcomes was developed which
describe the knowledge and skill set our MS and PhD graduates will have at the time of
graduation from the program. The Student Learning Outcomes include the MS or PhD proposal,
MS thesis/report, and PhD dissertation evaluations carried out by the thesis/report/dissertation
committee members using corresponding rubrics. The publication and conference presentation
records are obtained from the graduates’ vita submitted upon graduation. An exit survey is
collected at the time of graduation. The departmental seminar attending and online training
records are maintained by the departmental secretary while the students are in the program.
A review loop is designed as a yearly process. Outcomes measure data are collected for one
calendar year, and then reviewed at the annual Faculty and Staff Retreat. At the retreat, the data
are used to determine if the student learning outcomes mentioned above have been met over the
past academic year. In addition, the appropriateness of the assessment tools are discussed and
evaluated. In case a modification is made to a measurement tool, data collection are performed
for an additional term before the student learning outcomes are reevaluated. At any point an
outcome is not met, possible remedies are proposed and discussed during the retreat. Details of
the Assessment Plan and results can be obtained from the SACS review for MS and PhD
16
programs submitted in 2008. During the retreat in December 2008, the graduate program student
learning outcomes were reviewed, modified, and approved by the entire faculty. In addition, the
assessment tools were reviewed, modified, and approved as well.
5.5 MS Program Student Learning Outcomes
1. Apply advanced engineering and life science technology to solve biomedical engineering
problems
2. Demonstrate professional oral and written communication capabilities
3. Develop awareness of (1) professional ethics, (2) the societal impact of biomedical
engineering discipline, and (3) the value of life-long learning
5.6 PhD Program Student Learning Outcomes
1. Expand the body of knowledge in engineering and/or life science applicable to medicine
2. Develop critical thinking skills necessary to identify, assess, and address unmet biomedical
engineering needs
3. Demonstrate professional oral and written communication capabilities
4. Develop awareness of (1) professional ethics, (2) the societal impact of biomedical
engineering discipline, and (3) the value of life-long learning
5.7 MS and PhD Program Assessment plan
A verification process is used to assure that the capabilities our students possess at the time of
graduation match the Student Learning Outcomes. The assessment tools utilized in the
verification process include:
1. MS or PhD proposal, thesis, report and dissertation evaluations
2. Turnitin “Originality” evaluation
3. Conference presentation/attending
4. Publication in journals
5. Exit survey
6. Departmental seminar attending
7. Online training (e.g., IACUC and IRB)
5.8 Changes made to the Graduate Programs
In the past five years the BME Department has begun to emphasize its PhD program, consistent
with the mission of the institution and the recommendations of the external graduate program
evaluator in 2003 (Section 2). Starting fall 2008, financial support is limited to PhD students so it
is expected that fewer MS students will be admitted to the program. The research-track MS
students will be required to produce an MS thesis, instead of a non-thesis report, to complete
their degrees with the expectation of a peer-reviewed journal paper and presentations at scientific
conferences. We expect these changes to create an initial decline in the overall graduate student
graduation rate. To improve the quality of the PhD program, the department has established a set
of minimal graduation requirements for the PhD students. They are: (1) PhD graduates will
present in at least one scientific conference and/or publish in at least one conference proceeding;
(2) PhD graduates will publish in at least one scientific or medical peer reviewed journal as the
first author, with an average publication per graduate of at least 2; and (3) PhD graduates will
attend 25 or more departmental seminars. Lastly, an annual graduate student survey will be
17
carried out at the graduate student orientation each fall to assess the effectiveness of the program
in terms of preparing our graduate students for their profession.
6. Strengths that Support the Achievement of Program Goals
At its annual faculty/staff retreat in December 2008 the faculty in BME assessed its strengths and
weaknesses as they pertain to BME’s ability to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals and
objectives. The rapid growth in number and quality of students serviced by BME – at 264
undergraduate (not including students enrolled in the minor), 20 MS, and 28 PhD students as of
fall 2008 is an indication of the appeal and success of the BME programs to date. The newest
class of PhD students with GRE scores averaged 1268 indicating the FIU BME program’s
potential and appeal to quality applicants. The programs potential was also recognized early on
by the Wallace H. Coulter (WHC) Foundation that endowed $5M to FIU in 2001 to support
Biomedical Engineering. With a $5M match from the State of Florida, the WHC Foundation gift
creates a financial anchor from which the BME program was built. A $1M gift from the Ware
foundation (plus $400K match from the state) in 2006 supports a collaboration with Miami
Children’s Hospital.
Furthermore, BME’s identification of industry as a customer of its products – graduates and
transferable technology – attracted biomedical industry and clinical organizations to its
Partnership Program. Three nationally recognized biomedical companies, ten local companies,
three clinical organizations, and three additional academic institutions are members of the
Partnership Program and are represented on the Advisory Board. The Board meets yearly and is
a source of advice and support for BME. In addition, the Partnership Program’s Collaborative
Technology Initiation Program provides $200K per year in seed funding for industry-clinicalacademia collaborative research, half provided by the participating industrial advisory board
member. These factors, coupled with internal resources and with BME’s extraordinary cultural
and ethnic diversity, make Biomedical Engineering a responsive, accommodating, flexible, and
agile unit. This agility made collaboration with departments within the College of Engineering,
FIU, and other institutions and organizations second nature for BME.
BME Strengths
1. W. H. Coulter Foundation Endowment – permanent funding
2. Active Clinical/Industrial Partnership Program
3. Local network of research and industry contacts
4. Ability to collaborate with other life Science programs including the Colleges of Medicine
and Public Health and Social Work, and Arts and Sciences.
5. External collaboration with Miami Children’s Hospital and UM Medical School
6. AMERI/Motorola Nanofabrication Facility
7. Life Science priority of FIU
7. Weaknesses that Impeded the Achievement of Program Goals
BME is young and growing. Many of its weaknesses can be attributed to the fact that it is still in
its developmental stage and therefore lacks experience and manpower. A primary weakness,
shared by other programs in the university, is the relatively low quality of undergraduate
students. The average SAT at ACT scores for BME students entering fall 2008 were 1119 and 25
18
respectively, compared to the corresponding University averages of 1007 and 21. Many students
entering the BME program do not appear well prepared for an engineering curriculum. This
adversely affects retention and graduation rates. The undergraduate program committee is
working to reach out to math and science magnet high schools and to better coordinate with
Miami Dade College to be able to attract the best students into the BME program. Through the
Coulter Endowment BME offers five Undergraduate Scholarships each year. Another weakness
is BME’s below expectations in productivity and funds-generating “power”, based on low
numbers of faculty members, and their relatively early stage of professional development. The
more senior faculty are working to improve the mentoring of junior faculty members. On the
administrative side BME has a shortage of staff with the difficulty to retain experienced
professionals due to the level of effort required of each staff member and the relatively low
compensation offered. Budgetary limitations and a constant shortage of staff make it difficult to
reward excellence and demand accountability. As a young organization with the above
challenges and under the pressure to maintain its growth rate until it achieves a sufficient size,
BME suffers from a shortage of teaching and research facilities and equipment. These, in turn,
make it difficult to recruit and retain established and accomplished faculty. Under such
circumstances, BME faces constant challenges regarding its ability to deliver the educational
programs and achieve its research goals.
BME Weaknesses
1. Small faculty size, early professional stage, and inexperience due to new administration
2. Lack of mentorship for junior faculty and lack of experience with NIH grants
3. Insufficient staff for rapidly growing environment
4. Lack of adequate facilities, equipment, and manpower for biomedical teaching and research
5. Few core research facilities in the College and University (Inadequate Animal Care Facility)
6. Recruitment of and retaining faculty – due to above
7. Poor name recognition for the university hurts graduate student recruiting
8. BME offers no service courses and therefore has lower FTE’s than other departments.
9. Biomedical Engineering Research and student laboratories are expensive to maintain.
10. Moderate quality of students
11. Distance from College of Arts & Sciences and College of Medicine
8. Opportunities to Explore in the Achievement of Program Goals
Opportunities for external funding in the biomedical engineering area will continue to outpace
other sources in the next decade. The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation funds biomedical
engineering research and technology transfer to commercial and clinical application. The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a long-standing supporter of biomedical engineering
research. In 2001, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) was
established to develop fundamental new knowledge, to foster potent new technologies, to nurture
new generation of researchers, and to facilitate crosscutting capabilities. The following
opportunities exist for BME to reach its goals.
19
1. Interaction with growing Biomedical Industry around South Florida
2. Collaboration with Local Hospitals
3. Geographical, Cultural and Environmental Attractiveness for Foreign Students and
Researchers
4. Versatility of our Unit and Program
5. Opportunities Available to Minority Institutions
6. The Establishment of the College of Medicine at FIU
7. Potential for recruiting graduating students since little is currently be done in recruiting
8. Grant writing workshops
9. Potential Funding Sources and Collaborations
 Major funding available from external/government agencies such as the NIH, DOD, NSF,
Florida-Dept of Health, American Heart Association, and local private industry.
 Funding from philanthropic foundations.
 Expand joint or sponsored professorships.
 Collaborations within the University (College of Arts & Science and College of
Medicine) as well as the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University, Mercy
Hospital, Miami Children’s Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Mount Sinai Medical Center
9. Threats to Overcome in the Achievement of Program Goals
Threats to achieving the program goals have been identified. These are outside the control of the
department, but nevertheless were considered as it developed its goals and strategic priorities.
1. High dependence of the university operating budget on state funding
2. Stagnant NIH/NSF budgets
3. Increasing demands for space within the college
4. Increasing demands for a larger faculty
5. Competition from India and China for faculty and students
6. Competition with other BME programs for faculty
10. Departmental Operating Budget from the College.
CATEGORY
OPS:
Adjuncts
0.50 GA's
0.25 GA's
Other OPS
EXP
Fac. Travel
OCO
ALLOCATION
2004-2005
ALLOCATION
2005-2006
ALLOCATION
2006-2007
ALLOCATION
2007-2008
ALLOCATION
2008-2009
$ 20,000
$ 102,000
$ 20,000
$ 102,000
$ 10,000
$ 40,000
$ 10,000
$ 50,000
$ 50,000
$ 40,000
$ 40,000
$ 102,000
$ 10,000
$ 15,000
$ 50,000
$ 8,000
$ 30,000
$ 40,000
$ 112,666
$ 56,250
$ 15,000
$ 50,000
$ 8,000
$ 10,000
$ 40,000
$ 180,000
$
$ 15,000
$ 50,000
$ 7,000
$ 10,000
11. Major Findings and Recommendations
The BME Department at FIU has the largest academic program in the state of Florida and
successful research program (Table 9). However, the department is having difficulty reaching the
goals it set when the department was established in 2003 due to the inability to retain faculty and
20
the lack of core research infrastructure for biomedical related research within the college and
university. Achieving its goal of becoming the top BME department in the state and in the top 25
in the country will require additional faculty and resources. As the research programs continue to
mature and grow, more faculty will be needed to carry the teaching load for a large student body.
Resources are needed to hire research faculty that can support themselves on contracts and
grants. To retain productive faculty, laboratory space and core facilities, especially the Animal
Care Facility, must be expanded, core laboratory equipment must be modernized and resources
for equipment maintenance contracts are needed. Research infrastructure and core facilities have
improved since 2003 but not at the pace required of a research intensive university.
The Department has set as a strategic priority to build on its strengths rather than to add new
research focus areas and to try to attract new faculty and resources to promote and strengthen
those areas. The current strengths include (1) Imaging, materials and sensor development
towards cancer research, (2) Cellular and tissue engineering, biomaterials and computational
biology for cardiovascular research (3) Imaging and signal processing towards neuro-sciences
and assistive technologies, and (4) Nanotechnology towards drug delivery, nanomadicine, and
sensing of disease and environmental toxins. Due to a loss of faculty the department does not
currently have expertise in biomechanics and biofluid dynamics. Therefore the department has
set as a strategic priority to pursue opportunities for joint or affiliated faculty with the
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
BME attracts a high percentage of females at both the undergraduate and graduate level, highest
in the college at the BS and PhD levels. To attract high quality undergraduate and graduate
students, the department needs to increase its exposure at national and international meetings. It
can do this by playing leadership roles in societies and by hosting conferences in Miami. The
25th Biomedical Engineering Conference will be held in Miami May 15-17 2009. We should
consider encouraging the BMES to hold their meeting in Miami. We have put together a
committee and will increase our efforts in recruiting undergraduate and graduate students.
11.1 Departmental Priorities over the Next Five Years
1.
Strengthen cross-disciplinary collaborations with science and health related departments,
and the Applied Research Center (ARC), and increase the number of faculty with joint
appointments. In particular establish collaborations with the College of Medicine.
2.
Broaden funding sources and increase NIH Funding. Biomedical related research must be
funded through the NIH. We have submitted and received grants through the MBRS
SCORE program and faculty in the department currently have undergraduate and (at least
two) graduate students supported through the program RISE.
3.
Fill the vacant WHC Endowed Chair position.
4.
Hire permanent Chairperson to lead the department.
5.
Improve mentoring to help junior faculty be successful.
6.
Apply for training grants, such as NIH T32 training grant and NSF IGERT (Integrative
Graduate Education and Research Traineeship), to support graduate students and post-docs.
7.
Develop mechanisms to increase the number of research faculty and post-doctoral fellows
in the department (but without decreasing the number of PhD students supported)
8.
Take advantage of new cluster hires, for example in the area of bioinformatics,
environmental-toxicology
21
9.
10.
11.
12.
Increase the number and amount of gifts received from foundations to support the
Department’s academic and research activities.
Coordinate with Community Colleges to better prepare their AA students to enter BME.
Currently students are not being advised properly to allow them to easily transfer to the
BME program after their AA. An articulation agreement is being developed with MDC to
allow students from their Biotechnolgy program to enter the FIU BS BME program.
Add to our Advisory Board membership and increase participation of all Advisory Board
members. Develop new academic initiatives and research collaborations. Revamp the
Collaborative Technology Innovation Program.
Student Recruitment
a. To raise the quality of undergraduate majors in BME
b. Develop an Honors College program that will attract the best and brightest students.
c. Continue to add national exposure to the PhD program through research publications
and other advertising means.
22
Table 9: Comparison of BME Departments and Programs in Florida and Benchmark Universities – 2008 Data.
BSE
PhD
Expenditures
Faculty
Tenure Track
Teaching
Non-Tenure
Research
Faculty
BS
Enrollment
MS
Enrollment
PhD
Enrollment
BS
Awarded
Arizona State U
FIU*
1985
2002
1988
2004
$ 3,399,000
$ 1,298,687
$
$
178,895
185,527
16
7
2
2
3
0
405
264
23
21
67
27
92
32
19
11
FSU-FAMU**
SUNY
none
1995
2004
1996
$ 440,000
$ 5,501,735
$
$
29,333
239,206
14
8
1
0
1
15
NA
152
0
14
8
59
NA
25
0
14
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
2000
1966
1999
1966
$32,385,153
$15,880,493
$
$
1,245,583
529,350
15
17
0
1
11
13
534
874
15
41
80
118
81
135
30
42
U of Florida
U Minnesota
none
2000
1997
1972
$ 2,877,000
$ 4,372,921
$
$
179,813
349,834
11
11
0
1.5
5
1.5
NA
381
20
24
57
88
NA
63
22
8
U of Miami
U South Florida**
1993
none
1981
1999
$
$
108,586
NA
8
14
5
0
0
1
199
NA
22
31#
26
16#
43
NA
6
15#
$
227,971
Wayne State U
none
1998 $ 2,211,316
8
1.7
1.7
NA
124
30
NA
Data from ASEE (http://profiles.asee.org/); *MS program started in 1999; ** Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering; ^ Expenditures per tenure/tenure earning plus
research faculty. # Data from Florida Board of Governors Website 2006-2007; NA: Either Not Applicable or Not Available. FAU-FAMU – Florida State University and Florida
A&M University joint program. SUNY – State University of New York at Stony Brook.
40
868,689
NA
Expenditures
Per Faculty^
23
MS
Awarded