ABET Self-Study Report for the Biomedical Engineering Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY July 1, 2019 submitted to the Engineering Accreditation Commission ABET 415 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Confidential The information supplied in this Self-Study Report is for the confidential use of ABET and its authorized agents, and will not be disclosed without authorization of the institution concerned, except for summary data not identifiable to a specific institution. Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ....................................................................... 3 CRITERION 1: STUDENTS .................................................................................. 6 CRITERION 2: PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES .......................... 15 CRITERION 3: STUDENT OUTCOMES ........................................................... 22 CRITERION 4: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ............................................ 26 CRITERION 5: CURRICULUM ......................................................................... 45 CRITERION 6: FACULTY .................................................................................. 62 CRITERION 7: FACILITIES ............................................................................... 69 CRITERION 8: INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT ................................................... 75 PROGRAM CRITERIA ....................................................................................... 79 Appendix A – Course Syllabi ............................................................................... 83 Appendix B – Faculty Vitae ............................................................................... 173 Appendix C – Equipment.................................................................................... 210 Appendix D – Background Information of to the Institution ............................. 214 Appendix E – Assessment Materials .................................................................. 227 Appendix F – Additional Materials .................................................................... 240 Acronyms ............................................................................................................ 248 Signature Attesting to Compliance ..................................................................... 249 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION A. Contact Information Juergen Hahn, Ph.D. Professor and Department Head Department of Biomedical Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th St., JEC 7049 Troy, NY 12180-3590 (518) 276-6548 E-mail: [email protected] B. Program History The first biomedical engineering class graduated with a B.S. degree in 1967. In its initial phase, the program placed a strong emphasis on the application of electrical and mechanical engineering principles and methods to physiological systems and their clinical or pathological changes. Students were educated with a rigorous foundation in electrical or mechanical engineering and a deep understanding of physiological living systems. During the past two decades, the explosive growth of new biological knowledge at the cellular and molecular level has fundamentally changed biomedical engineering, both in general and here at Rensselaer. Current faculty expertise and interests reflect these changes with a focus on developing new tissues, devices, and systems based on fundamental biological and engineering principles. The undergraduate curriculum has changed accordingly and is subject to continuous modifications and updates based on suggestions and feedback from the program’s constituencies. The last ABET review took place November 24-26, 2013. Since then, the following major changes have been made: The number of lecturers and professors of practice in the department has grown from 1.5 to 6. The number of full-time tenure and tenure-track faculty has remained reasonably constant at 13: two people left the department, one retired, two new tenure-track faculty were hired and we have one ongoing search. We have restructured our curriculum such that students have more flexibility with regard to their specific tracks (biomaterials, biomechanics, and bioimaging/bioinstrumentation). Each track now has a unique set of core classes and the track electives are modified into BME Technical Electives to allow students to choose between depth and breadth. This modification was based on input and review over multiple years of data obtained from outcome scoring, alumni surveys, and senior exit surveys. C. Options The biomedical engineering program offers concentration tracks in biomechanics, biomaterials, and bioimaging/instrumentation. These tracks are not noted on the diploma. 3 Students are advised with respect to their chosen track by their assigned faculty advisors, as well as individual consultations with faculty members whose research interests align with their chosen track. The tracks consist of three required classes per track. Additionally students choose two BME Technical Electives courses from a list of approved courses. Also, they are encouraged to engage in hands-on undergraduate research projects, either through the formal Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute-wide Undergraduate Research Program (URP), or informally through sponsored research projects or directed studies for class credit. Students have the option of obtaining a dual degree by fulfilling all degree requirements for two curricula. Common to both majors are the Rensselaer requirements of 24-credit-hour mathematics/science and 24-credit-hour humanities and social science courses. Students need to be assigned advisors from both programs and their degrees need to be cleared by both programs. Students will receive a diploma noting both majors. D. Organizational Structure The BME program is the sole undergraduate degree program within the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is led by Department Head Dr. Juergen Hahn. The BME department resides within the Rensselaer School of Engineering, led by Dean of Engineering Dr. Shekhar Garde, with the assistance of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Dr. Kurt Anderson, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs Dr. Liping Huang, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Matthew Oehlschlaeger. The Dean of Engineering reports to Provost Dr. Prabhat Hajela who reports to President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, who in turn reports to the Board of Trustees. The Biomedical Engineering Department executes and oversees the various components of its undergraduate program as follows. The Department Head Dr. Juergen Hahn and the Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Dr. Eric Ledet have the primary responsibility for the undergraduate program. The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meets 1-3 times per semester to discuss the BME curriculum, advising, accreditation, and other topics. Committee members include the Advising Coordinator and Degree Clearance Officer (Dr. Uwe Kruger) and the advisor for the pre-med program (Dr. Mariah Hahn). In addition, the department is supported by the Laboratory Manager, Mr. Stephen Kalista, who oversees the undergraduate teaching laboratory. Overall administrative and business assistance is provided by Ms. Mary Foti, Ms. Kristen Bryk, and Mr. Brian Gambacorta. E. Program Delivery Modes The Biomedical Engineering Program uses a traditional lecture/laboratory, on-campus delivery mode. F. Program Locations The program is offered on the Troy campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Students have the option to participate in the study abroad program that allows for the transfer of courses taken at participating foreign universities to meet degree requirements. The transfer 4 of such courses is subject to the approval of the BME Degree Clearance Officer, relevant faculty members who teach equivalent classes at Rensselaer, and the School of Engineering Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. G. Deficiencies, Weaknesses, or Concerns from Previous Evaluation(s) and the Actions Taken to Address Them The most recent ABET Final Statement for Rensselaer’s Biomedical Engineering Program is dated August 14, 2014 and constitutes the final statement for the ABET EAC visit on November 24-26, 2013. The final report identified no Deficiencies, Weaknesses, or Concerns. H. Joint Accreditation The Biomedical Engineering Program is not jointly accredited and does not seek joint accreditation by more than one ABET Commission. 5 GENERAL CRITERIA CRITERION 1: STUDENTS A. Student Admissions First-year students are admitted by the Undergraduate Admissions Office, based on criteria that include standardized test scores, subjects completed in high school, recommendations, and high-school grades. A student who is admitted to the School of Engineering may major in any engineering department/program. There is no administrative limitation on the number of students majoring in the biomedical engineering program. Although students may indicate their preferences at the time of admission, they are not required to designate a major until their third semester at Rensselaer. The biomedical engineering student demographics are notably diverse, with slightly over 50% of each program year class being women and/or under-represented minorities. The number of freshman and sophomore students indicating an interest in biomedical engineering is approximately 90 – 120 per class. B. Evaluating Student Performance Student performance is monitored throughout