Students at Gannon University have a new major to choose–Biomedical engineering–and It’s the first such program in northwestern PA.
For those who don’t know exactly what that means, biomedical engineering is essentially a combination of engineering and medicine. It’s led to advancements like MRI machines and regenerative tissue.
Dr. Melanie L. Hatch, dean of the College of Engineering and Business at the university in Erie, says she thought of developing a biomedical engineering program at Gannon after noticing that this major was growing in popularity nationwide. Gannon already had strong engineering and health sciences programs, so she thought it was a perfect match.
The biomedical engineering program, which is now part of the college’s mechanical engineering department, is focused on biomechanics. That refers to the idea of studying the structure of muscles and joints and how they move, then developing technologies to improve that. Designing a prosthetic limb is one example of engineering and biomechanics in action.
Gannon also received an $80,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust, which gives money to colleges in northeastern states. That grant covers about two-thirds of the cost for new biomedical engineering lab equipment.
Hatch says the program was ready after 18 months of development, so Gannon decided to offer the major to students this spring rather than waiting until fall, as was the original plan. One student has already declared a biomedical engineering major and the college plans to start recruiting others soon.
Source: Dr. Melanie L. Hatch, Gannon University
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen