Thinking strategically and acting collaboratively

In previous issues of this magazine, we’ve indicated that a key guiding principle for charting new directions in research is one of thinking strategically and acting collaboratively. That is, we endeavor to focus on important areas of technology and, in each area, to establish a critical mass of intellectual and physical resources that enable us to have a significant impact on the field. This approach has served us well in areas such as nanotechnology, wireless communications, high-performance computing, and the mitigation of natural hazards. In all but one case, we were fortunate to have been able to launch our efforts from an existing base of excellent faculty. The one exception is in bioengineering.

The term bioengineering encompasses many activities, ranging from the development of medical devices and processes to the remediation of organic wastes. Five years ago, we recognized the need to establish a presence in the field, but to do so, we would have to begin from a virtually nonexistent base. One of the issues that had to be addressed was whether to move in the direction of establishing a separate department, or to integrate activities within existing departments. For two reasons, we adopted the second approach.

One reason was related to the reality of limited resources and the fact that establishment of a new department would adversely affect existing departments. The second reason related to our belief that a bioengineer is first and foremost an engineer. Accordingly, it was felt that our students would be better served by becoming well grounded in one of the traditional engineering disciplines and by appropriately integrating biological/medical issues. For many years this premise has been affirmed by corporations rooted in biomedical technologies through their preference for recruiting graduates with strong backgrounds in fields such as chemical, electrical, or mechanical engineering, with the understanding that they, the corporations, would provide the requisite biomedical background. The same inputs are received today from a range of corporate sectors, such as medical electronics, orthopedics, and pharmaceuticals.

Thus far our strategy has worked well. Within three of our departments (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences), bioengineering has emerged as a major thrust. Significant activities are also under way in our other departments, Electrical and Computer Science and Engineering. Collectively, research encompasses a broad range of topics such as orthopedic implants, biomaterials, reconstruction of medical images, and development of a host of diagnostic tools linked to micro fabrication technologies. Many of these activities were described in a previous issue of this magazine (Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 18-39, 2002), and in this issue we are pleased to report on more recent endeavors relating to research at the intersection of bio and nano technologies, devices for the rapid detection of biotoxins, improvements in radiation therapy, and establishment of a new Center for Microfluidics and Medical Diagnostics. Consistent with our commitment to excellence in both education and research, all of these activities involve extensive participation of undergraduate and, in some cases, high school students.

In this issue of SIGNATURES, we also describe a major change to our first-year chemistry sequence, one that recognizes the importance of advances in molecular and cellular biology to technologies of the 21st century. Effective this past academic year, all of our first-year engineering intents must take a second-semester chemistry course that is strongly linked to molecular biology. We believe this change will better prepare our students for the future, and we are only the second college of engineering in the United States to have implemented such a requirement.

We hope you find the contents of this issue informative, and as always, we welcome your
comments.

Frank P. Incropera
Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of Engineering
H.C. and E.A. Brosey Professor of Mechanical Engineering