New Biomedical Engineering Design Spaces Catalyze Creativity

$4 MILLION INVESTMENT IN PREEMINENT BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

BME welcomes students, faculty, staff, and industry partners to our new 14,000 square foot experiential learning, teaching, design, and collaboration spaces in the Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building.

The project features several innovations to enhance the student experience, such as:

Open and welcoming spaces for socializing, building community
Structured and technology-equipped areas for ideation, collaboration, and teamwork
Enhanced prototyping, fabrication, and testing spaces
Specialized simulation spaces for enhanced training and learning
New instructional labs for biomechanics, biotechnology, and instrumentation
Flexible classroom for lecture, active learning, and seminar formats
Infrastructure for co-curricular student groups

The goals of the new space are to foster teamwork and community, integrate professional practice into the BME curriculum, and promote engineering / industry / medicine interactions. “As a department that spans two academic units at Michigan, engineering and medicine, a key feature of this new space is to foster collaboration among engineers, medical professionals, and industry partners as we tackle some of the greatest challenges in medicine.” – Mary-Ann Mycek, Ph.D., Interim Chair and Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

The classroom in seminar mode can accommodate guest lecturers and visitors. Photo: Brandon Baier
The collaboration and study spaces feature meeting huddles, small tables, and plenty of counter space equipped with technology for presentation practice and project teamwork. Photo: Brandon Baier
The collaboration and study spaces feature meeting huddles, small tables, and plenty of counter space equipped with technology for presentation practice and project teamwork. Photo: Brandon Baier
Newly renovated BME Commons space with collaboration and study areas. Photo: Brandon Baier
An emphasis on glass lets natural light enter the space through a large double-sided display case. Photo: Brandon Baier
A large highly configurable classroom space offers opportunities for instruction in lecture, active learning, and seminar configurations. Photo: Brandon Baier
Ideation space flows from the atrium to the Prototyping hub with ample space for project teams to meet. Photo: Brandon Baier
The new spaces flow seamlessly into the existing lab, office, and meeting areas of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building. Photo: Brandon Baier
Students check a project in the 3D printer room of the Prototyping Hub. Photo: Brandon Baier
The open BME Commons lets plenty of light into the spaces through large south-facing windows. Photo: Brandon Baier
BME Prototyping Hub sits in the center of the design spaces and serves as a lab space for students to work on their designs. Photo: Brandon Baier

The new spaces could not have come at a better time. Demand for the BME degree is booming: this year twice the number of undergraduate students declared BME as their major than last year. The department is adding 5 tenure track faculty to its ranks in the coming year and is currently hiring. The BME Masters and BME Ph.D. programs are poised to have a fantastic recruiting season as well. The cutting-edge research being conducted right next to these state-of-the-art labs and design spaces will enhance our collaboration and student opportunities.

“We’re excited to debut these outstanding design and maker spaces, which were created specifically to enhance experiential learning for biomedical engineering students and faculty.” – Jan Stegemann, Ph.D., BME Associate Chair for Master’s Education, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Project Lead. The renovation was introduced with a virtual tour on YouTube earlier this year.