Gannon University Announces Biomedical Engineering Program Expansion
Posted: October 17, 2013
Gannon University's biomedical
engineering program has announced expansion plans and a
relocation to the W. Eighth St. building currently occupied by
Gannon University's Erie Technology Incubator (ETI).
Rapid growth in the field and
technological advancements created the need for a dedicated
facility that will eventually occupy 4,480 sq. ft. on the second
floor of the W. Eighth St. building. The biomedical engineering
program previously shared classroom and laboratory
space with the mechanical engineering department in the Zurn
Science Center.
The new facility will incorporate a
robotic device that can be used for understanding how the brain
controls movements, and a motion capture system that records
detailed movements used in a range of physical activities, such as
running, walking or athletic applications.
The department will also employ an
electromyography system measures the electrical activity of muscles
and correlates that activity with the force that
the muscle generates to produce a comprehensive mathematical model
of the process.
Gannon's biomedical engineering
program focuses on biomechanics-the study of force and motion on
the body. Students learn how to build computer
simulations for the movement of bones, ligaments, muscles, or the
circulatory system to design implants or other medical devices
that can help people recover from injury or illness.
Students gain ample hands-on
experience in the region's only biomedical engineering Motion
Capture Center while utilizing robotic devices to understand
how the brain controls muscle movements. The lab also houses an
electromyography system that measures electrical activity of
muscles, and correlates that activity with the force that the
muscle generates.
The program includes course
offerings in biomaterials, biomechanics and biomedical systems
modeling while also including curriculum from Gannon's current
mechanical engineering, biology, chemistry and computer science
programs.
According to an article in Forbes
Magazine, "The Best And Worst Jobs For 2013," biomedical engineer
ranked second. The Forbes article projected a 62% rate
of job growth for biomedical engineers and an average annual salary
for professionals in this field of about $81,540.
"Right now, we are seeing a very
rapid development of the technology. Staying on top of the
technology is what we're trying to do by setting up this facility,"
said Assistant Professor Davide Piovesan.
In addition to the relocation to the
ETI building, Gannon's biomedical engineering students will benefit
from the creation of a new Human Performance Laboratory in
the University's Rec Center, now being modernized on W. Fourth
St.
"The idea is to put together an
experimental aspect so that we will work with the human performance
expert to do the modeling part of the particular
movement studied," Piovesan said.