Message from the Chair
These are exciting times for biomedical engineering and for IIT's Department of Biomedical Engineering which has now entering its sixth year of existence.
We have benefited significantly from the growing interest in the challenging careers, research and entrepreneurial opportunities offered by the field of biomedical engineering. The number of applicants has grown continuously since we inaugurated our undergraduate program in fall 2002. We are attracting an exceptional group of undergraduates, with mean SAT scores exceeding 1300. Students are already earning nationally competitive undergraduate scholarships. The University has invested heavily in new and improved facilities. In fall 2004/5, we celebrated the opening of 4 new undergraduate biomedical laboratories and in winter 2007 the new departmental space in Wishnick Hall was ready for occupancy.
Likewise, our doctoral program has grown rapidly; we now have over 30 doctoral students. Several of these students have been awarded nationally competitive fellowships.
Faculty Expand Research Capabilities
Our faculty and their research interests have also grown rapidly. We now have ten tenure-track faculty and two senior research associates. One of the faculty, Mark Anastasio, has received a prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. Several faculty have received the Sigma Xi Young Investigator award. The faculty has attracted more than $10 million in research funding during the past six years from a variety of organizations, including the Whitaker Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Argonne National Laboratory, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Mid-West Eye Bank and Cancer Center.
Partnerships, Centers Increase Visibility, Opportunities
Faculty interests are broad and varied, extending outside to a range of institutions and organizations. For example, in the Chicago area we have established a series of linkages with the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. Through our partnership with the University of Chicago, we offer a joint curriculum in computational neuroscience and neural engineering in which students attend courses at both universities. We have established a strong relationship with Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in the area of medical imaging and with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago through a joint faculty position there.
We also have established a Center for Integrated Neuroscience and Neuroengineering with the University of Chicago. Bob Pritzker, IIT Board of Trustees chairman, is leading fundraising efforts for this Center. The Center is one of three centers that are being established under the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering that will focus and expand the interdisciplinary research efforts of faculty in IIT's Department of Biomedical Engineering. The Pritzker Institute has also established an Engineering Center for Diabetes Research and Education which involves faculty from the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering. A Center for Medical Imaging has been established by faculty in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, who interact with faculty from a number of medical centers, including the University of Chicago. This Center has recently moved into a new research space within Technology Park on the IIT campus.
Bright Students, Brighter Days
As chair, I take great pride in seeing how far we've come in such a short time. We are attracting bright students and dedicated, talented faculty. We are making major strides in achieving recognition through national funding and the interdisciplinary partnerships that will bring even greater opportunities.
Looking ahead, we see an even brighter future. We are excited about our major investments in our undergraduate teaching facilities, our graduate research laboratories and the growing strength of education and research alliances with local, national and international organizations.
Professor Vincent T. Turitto
Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Director, Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering