Dr. Dustin Tyler |
Dr. Dustin Tyler, Nord Distinguished Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, would like to announce the creation of a new student organization with design and entrepreneurial focus, Case's Rising Engineers and Technological Entrepreneurs (CREATE). The organization's mission and purpose is:
"to involve students of all levels in the design process by connecting real-world problems from companies and hospitals with student-run teams and provide the necessary resources for design, testing, and refinement of students' solutions.
The program emphasizes interdisciplinary and experiential learning; the design process; ethical demands of modern engineering and leadership; and communication."
The initial discussions and development of the group were lead by Lauren Smith, Kevin Chen, and Jeff Barnes, beginning in October of 2006. Now, the President of the organization is Jeffrey Barnes, a BME and MEM student as well as a veteran of EBME 380. He has been instrumental in forming the core of this group and its structure. According to Dr. Tyler, the group's faculty advisor, he deserves the lion's share of credit in bringing CREATE to a reality.
During the spring of 2007, Jeff has given the organization substance and recruited its initial members. "I am delighted to report that underclassmen have been very enthusiastic about the opportunity to get involved with 'real' engineering projects, while seniors from EMBE 380 have taken leadership roles to help teach design elements to the underclassmen," says Dr. Tyler.
During the spring 2007 semester, 30 or more BME students have been involved in CREATE. This summer, CREATE is running a "Summer Design Experience." There are 18 BME students, ranging from freshman to seniors, involved with 5 different projects to address clinical needs at UH, Case, and the United Cerebral Palsy foundation. The organization is utilizing space on the first floor of Wickenden as a home for design and fabrication of prototypes. Project support comes from the Medtronic educational grant to the BME department and from project sponsor support, where available. CREATE will be seeking other funding from NCIIA, Case Alumni Association, industry sponsorship, and others in the coming months to continue the development and growth of the organization.
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