NU Gains Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter

Northeastern University’s latest addition to campus life is a student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The club began late last year when a group of Freshmen students – led by Sienna Magee, Alex Colville and Dan Shores – approached Professors Mark Niedre and Lee Makowski wanting to know more about biomedical engineering education, research and careers. One of the things that emerged from the discussions was the development of a club that could be a tremendous campus resource for undergraduate and graduate students. “This group of students is incredibly enthusiastic and a lot of fun to work with” said faculty advisor Mark Niedre, an Assistant Professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, “they really took the initiative to get this started and had a great vision of what they wanted it to be.” After a year of work, the club officially received BMES Student Chapter status in November.

Interest in the field Biomedical Engineering has grown steadily at Northeastern in recent years. A graduate program in Bioengineering was established in 2009, and a range of minors and course options have been made available to undergraduate students. Many faculty members in the College of Engineering are actively engaged in cutting-edge biomedical engineering related research supported by major Federal and State granting agencies. “I think this club will be a great way to bring together students and faculty alike from across the College of Engineering to develop BME at Northeastern,” said Sienna Magee, the chapter VP and Chemical Engineering sophomore student. Jennifer Langh, Secretary, agrees, “The formation of this chapter has provided a place for us to collaborate and learn about the opportunities available to us as students.”

In the past year, the newly formed chapter has held regular meetings featuring speakers from industry, faculty members engaged in research, and Northeastern students who have worked in campus labs and held co-operative educations jobs in the field. The chapter plans to expand outreach and education activities in 2013, culminating in an inaugural BMES Career Series event in the Spring. This event will help grow links between Northeastern and companies from the New England area. “BMES at Northeastern is a great resource for students looking to do research and eventually work in the field of bioengineering,” says Adam Jaynes, the chapter Treasurer.

The BMES is an international organization dedicated to being the world’s leading society of professionals devoted to developing and using engineering and technology to advance human health and well-being.

The newly established BMES Student Chapter: left to right, faculty advisors Prof. Mark Niedre and Prof. Ed Goluch, Adam Jaynes (Treasurer), Dan Shores (VP), Jennifer Langh (Secretary), Sienna Magee (VP), Alex Colville (President) and Don Gothing (SAC Rep).

Biomedical Engineering Society