History of Bioengineering
What is Bioengineering?
Bioengineering is synonymous with biomedical engineering—the use of engineering principles to diagnose, prevent and treat human disease.
History of Bioengineering at Penn
Penn’s Department of Bioengineering is one of the oldest in the country. Its origin was in the program of Biomedical Electronics, which was started by Professor Herman Schwan (Bioengineering Emeritus) in Electrical Engineering (SEAS) in the mid 1950’s. This program graduated its first Ph.D. in the field of bioengineering in 1959. Shortly after, a program in Biomaterials emerged in the Materials Science department (SEAS), leading to the parallel formation of a Ph.D. program in Biomaterials in 1972. These two programs, along with faculty and student interest, led to the formation of an undergraduate program in Bioengineering, established in 1973 by Professor Mitchell Litt and Solomon Pollack. Shortly thereafter, the research programs and undergraduate program were consolidated within a formal Department of Bioengineering, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Why here? Why now?
Penn’s Schools are located on a single campus in a small geographical area. The critical advantage, so essential for facilitating interdisciplinary education and research, is an benefit enjoyed by very few major US universities. At Penn, all the disciplines supporting the educational mission in Bioengineering are nearby. The Engineering School, Penn’s natural and life science departments, and the Medical School, as well as other key schools such as Wharton, Law, Veterinary, Communications, and Education are essentially contiguous. The Medical School, with its affiliated hospitals and outstanding research programs in clinical and basic biomedical sciences, is located just one city block from the Department of Bioengineering.
Description of Present Department and Current Programs
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania is one of six departments within the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). It has formal programs in undergraduate and graduate education, offering degrees in Bachelor of Science and Engineering (BSE), Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS), Master of Science and Engineering (MSE), and a doctoral program (Ph.D.). |
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