Faculty Bylaws
The BME Program
Biomedical Engineering (BME) is an interdisciplinary program in the School of
Engineering that involves the application of engineering principles to medical and
biological quandaries. The goal of the BME program is to provide students the
engineering fundamentals and the interdisciplinary training in biological, medical and
physical sciences necessary to solve complex biomedical problems. Our program aims to
be the primary public educational program in BME (at both graduate and undergraduate
level) in New England.
The Objective of this Document
Within this document, we strive to develop guidelines and procedures that govern the
interdisciplinary program in BME, its management, faculty and students.
Background
Many of the problems confronting health professionals today are of extreme importance
to engineers because they involve the fundamental aspects of engineering analysis,
design, and practical applications, all of which lie at the heart of processes that are
fundamental to engineering practice. These medically relevant problems can range from
very complex large-scale constructs, such as the design and implementation of automated
clinical laboratories, to the emerging technologies in artificial organ / tissue development,
nutrient delivery, pharmaceutical development and delivery, biomaterials, and
biomechanics. They encompass the many complexities of remote monitoring and
telemetry and include the requirements of emergency vehicles, operating rooms and
intensive care units.
Biomedical engineers, then, concentrate their engineering know-how on solving these
medical challenges. Since biomedical engineering involves applying the concepts,
knowledge and approaches of virtually all engineering disciplines (e.g., electrical,
mechanical, materials and chemical engineering) to solve specific health care related
problems, the opportunities for interaction between engineers and health care
professionals are many and varied. Biomedical engineers may become involved, for
example, in the design of a new medical imaging modality or development of new
medical prosthetic devices to aid the disabled.
Biomedical Engineering in this document is used as the broad umbrella term to describe
this entire field to also include biotechnology and genetic engineering, that is, the
modification of animal or plant cells or parts of cells to improve plants or animals or to
develop new microorganisms for beneficial ends.
Typical pursuits of biomedical engineers include:
Detection, measurement, and monitoring of physiologic signals (i.e., biosensors and
biomedical instrumentation)
Therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures and devices (rehabilitation engineering)
Devices for replacement or augmentation of bodily functions (artificial organs)
Development of new diagnostic instruments for blood analysis
Computer modeling of the function of the human heart
Development of new diagnostic imaging systems
Design of telemetry systems for patient monitoring
Developments of expert systems for diagnosis of diseases
Design of closed-loop control systems for drug administration
Modeling of the physiologic systems of the human body
Development of new dental materials
Design of communication aids for the disabled
Design of new pharmaceuticals.
Design of fermentation equipment to produce medically relevant products,
Design of novel polymers for drug delivery etc.
Degrees Offered
The School of Engineering maintains biomedical engineering degree programs at the
B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. levels.
BME Program Director
The BME program is managed and administered by the BME Program Director, who is
appointed by, and reports directly to, the Dean of the School of Engineering. The
Program Director is a tenured/tenure track faculty member in the School of Engineering
appointed for a three-year term with annual reviews, renewable upon major review by the
Dean. As part of the formal, major performance review of the BME Program Director,
the Dean will solicit input from the BME faculty and staff.
The Program Director is the custodian of the BME program and is ultimately responsible
for the health of the program. The responsibilities of the BME Program Director are:
Day-to-day affairs and operation of the program;
Establish undergraduate and graduate courses and curriculum committees;
Establish Graduate Admission committees;
Publicize the BME program and recruit undergraduate and graduate students;
Convene and facilitate a minimum of one BME faculty meeting per semester;
Establish an advisory program for BME students and approve plans of study;
Work with department heads of the home department of BME faculty to plan courses and teaching assignments.
BME Program Faculty
The Biomedical Engineering faculty are those School of Engineering faculty from
various disciplines and departments with strong interest in Biomedical Engineering, or
other UConn faculty (including faculty from the Health Center) with backgrounds
(through experience or education) in engineering and a strong interest in biomedical
engineering. All BME faculty have a dual appointment in the BME program and another
UConn System Department.
Non-UConn faculty are affiliated with the program with positions such as:
- Visiting Assistant, Associate and Full Professor
- Visiting Scientist
- Assistant, Associate and Full Professor in Residence
- Adjunct Faculty
Procedure for Appointment of BME Faculty
Faculty members are appointed as BME faculty for a three-year term. The appointment of
all current BME faculty who have their home department at UConn will be extended until
6-30-2002. The appointment of all current BME faculty who do not have faculty
positions at UConn will be extended until 6-30-2001.
The request for dual appointment in the BME program must be made in writing to the
BME Program Director, and it requires the following approvals:
For UConn faculty:
The Department Head of the home department of the faculty member
The Dean of the home school of the faculty member (if other than SOE)
The BME Program Director
The Dean of the School of Engineering
For non-UConn faculty:
UConn BME faculty will select their voting rights on the issues related to the
University's Graduate Council either in their home department or in the BME program.
Only UConn BME faculty who are also members of the Graduate School can be major
advisors to BME graduate students.
Renewal of Faculty Appointment to BME Programs
The renewal of the BME faculty appointments is based on their participation in the
BME educational and research programs in the preceding three years, as well as
subject to all the approvals listed above. In particular, it is required that these faculty:
Have taught at least two BME courses in two years (including the cross- listed courses), or
Have supported (through external grants) at least one graduate BME student per year for two years, or
A combination of the above two.
In addition, BME faculty members are required to be active in at least one BME committee.
SOE Faculty members who are hired as part of the BME program will teach at least two BME courses per year.
Standing Faculty Committees in BME
The following faculty committees, with a minimum of three faculty members in each
committee, will be developed as standing committees in the BME program.
Graduate Admission Committee
Undergraduate Courses and Curriculum Committee (UG-CCC)
Graduate Courses and Curriculum Committee (GR-CCC)
Appointment of BME faculty to these committees, as well as appointment of the
chairperson of each committee, rests with the BME Program Director in consultation
with the department heads of the home departments of the faculty. Other standing or ad
hoc committees will be developed as deemed necessary by the BME Program Director
and/or the Dean of the School of Engineering.
BME Students
Undergraduate Students:
Undergraduate students in the BME program include:
School of Engineering students at UConn who are directly accepted into the program by the University's admission office;
Undecided engineering students who subsequently select BME as their program of choice; or
Students who transfer to the School of Engineering from other schools or universities and select BME as their program.
Admission to the Undergraduate BME Program:
The School of Engineering, through the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education,
sets the admission criteria and manages the admission process for the SOE
undergraduate programs.
Graduate Students:
Graduate students in the BME program are those who have been accepted into
Graduate School, and who have designated BME as their field of study in the School
of Engineering at UConn. These students are assigned to a home department as
appropriate for their selected area of concentration within the BME program.
Admission to the Graduate BME Program:
The admission process is managed by the BME Graduate Admission Committee.
The committee may subsequently have separate subcommittees for admission of M.S.
and Ph.D. students. This committee develops criteria and streamlines the procedures
for admission of students to the BME graduate program. Admission criteria must be
voted on and approved by the BME faculty.
The Graduate BME Program
UConn's graduate program in biomedical engineering is among the oldest such programs
in the nation. Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) and Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees are offered in this field of study.
The BME field of study includes the following areas of concentration:
Biotechnology
Biomechanics, Human Ergonomics, and Rehabilitation Engineering
Biosensors and Bioinstrumentation
Biomaterials (including polymers and coating)
Biochemical Engineering
Clinical Engineering
Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing
Bioinformatics
Cellular and Tissue Engineering
Physiological and Biomedical Modeling
BME students, depending on their area of concentration and their faculty advisor, will be
assigned to a particular home department (the home department of their faculty advisor).
The course requirements for BME students, depending on the student's area of
concentration, will be decided by the BME Graduate Courses and Curriculum
Committee. Course requirements are delineated in the BME Graduate Student Handbook
(www.engr.uconn.edu/bme). The current BME Graduate Student Handbook will be in effect until September 2001.
Doctoral qualifying examinations are based on the required courses in the BME
curriculum and other areas (such as area of concentration and home department). There
are currently qualifying examination format and requirements in place. The format and
the contents of the BME doctoral qualifying examination will be re-examined and
modified if needed by the BME graduate committee (within 6 months after it is formed)
and approved by the BME faculty.
Course requirements and doctoral qualifying examination procedures and contents are
delineated in the BME Graduate Student Handbook. The BME Graduate Courses and
Curriculum Committee will be responsible for developing and updating this handbook,
which will serve as the single source of all requirements for graduate studies in BME.
Courses and Curriculum Committees (CCC)
The BME Program Director will assign members and chairpersons of the following two
committees:
The Undergraduate CCC
This committee is responsible for development of, and changes to, undergraduate
courses and the curriculum in BME. All items approved by this committee are
subsequently voted on by all BME faculty and upon approval are forwarded to the
School of Engineering Undergraduate CCC.
The Graduate CCC
As discussed earlier, this committee is responsible for developing a complete set of
requirements and guidelines for M.S. and Ph.D. students in BME. These guidelines
must be discussed and voted on by all BME faculty members and, upon approval, be
published in a "BME Graduate Student Handbook." These guidelines must cover all
issues related to the BME graduate programs such as areas of concentration, course
requirements, core courses, selection of major advisors, thesis preparations, Ph.D.
qualifying examination, etc.
In addition, this committee is responsible for development of, and changes to, the
graduate courses and curriculum in BME. All items approved by this committee will
be subsequently voted on by all BME faculty and upon approval will be forwarded to
the School of Engineering Graduate Committee for their discussion and approval.
Course Scheduling and Assignment of Teaching Responsibilities
The task of assigning courses to instructors rests with the respective Department Heads.
However, for an interdisciplinary program to be successful, close collaboration between
the Department Heads and the Program Director is essential.
Participation in the BME program will require a clear understanding of the commitment
required by departments and their faculty. Department Heads should prepare a formal
letter of agreement stating which faculty members may be scheduled to teach the
interdisciplinary courses, their normal teaching loads, and how many of their courses per
year may be in the interdisciplinary program. The participating faculty should be fully
involved in this agreement.
The BME Director must prepare a schedule of courses to be taught in the program, which
insures that the required and elective courses needed by the students are provided in a
timely manner. This schedule must be prepared well in advance ¾ perhaps with a oneto-
three-year time frame, and should be provided to the participating Department Heads.
The BME Director should also make specific recommendations regarding which faculty
will teach which subjects. This planning document will enable the Department Heads to
prepare their department's teaching schedule with the intent of meeting the needs of both
the interdisciplinary program and the department. Conflicts in course offering should be
communicated and resolved early on, so that other instructors, including adjuncts, can be
scheduled in a timely fashion.
Once both the departments and the program director have approved a schedule, the
director can inform the scheduling office of the interdisciplinary classes to be offered
with the agreed faculty/instructors. The program director is responsible for scheduling
only the interdisciplinary courses.
For courses that are cross- listed, a similar procedure should be followed. However, the
department heads are responsible for submitting the schedule for courses in their
program. The BME Director will also submit the cross-listed course for their
interdisciplinary program, insuring that the time, meeting place, and instructor match
with those proposed by the department. Again, close collaboration will insure the
success of this process.
