University of Wisconsin-Madison John Webster Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering Education

Six semesters of client-directed biomedical engineering design form the backbone of our curriculum University of Wisconsin-Madison

Each 1 st semester sophomore is paired with a 1 st semester junior mentor. Four such pairs compete for 7 weeks on the same topic but different conceptual designs. Finally all four pairs form an 8-student team to implement the winning design during the final 7 weeks. University of Wisconsin-Madison Sophomore 1 BME 200 Junior 1 BME 300 Sophomore 2 BME 201 Junior 2 BME 301 Senior 1 (Capstone) BME 400 Senior 2 BME 402

Second semester juniors begin a pilot project that will lead to a major design implementation during the senior year. First semester seniors complete implementation of a prototype as a capstone design project. Second semester seniors evaluate and document the prototype as well as doing an outreach to K-12 students. Multisemester design projects result in completed prototypes that are tested by clients University of Wisconsin-Madison

A final semester requirement is to either file a patent disclosure (below were accepted for patent application) or draft a scientific paper 1 Variable prosthesis cushioning device using electrorheological fluid 2 Positioner for medical devices such as biopsy needles 3 Surgical device and method (cut and coagulate infant skull) 4 Apparatus for measuring tongue/hard palate contact pressure 5 Cauterizing biopsy system 6 Patient support and method for studies of lumbar vertebra rotation (in scanner) University of Wisconsin-Madison

Outcomes are measured by design course deliverables Weekly team progress reports to advisor and client Weekly two-hour lecture/lab meetings with advisor Mid-semester public oral PowerPoint presentations and written reports Engineering notebook Web site for project Prototype End-of-semester public poster presentation University of Wisconsin-Madison

Portable voice calibrator One of the most disabling aspects of Parkinsons' Disease is loss of speech intelligibility. Recalibrating the Parkinson patient's vocal effort level dramatically improves speech intelligibility. Students have developed a portable feedback device that signals when the patient's voice is too soft. The device is portable, attaches to the neck and provides an audible sound or vibration when the loudness level falls below the loudness threshold. University of Wisconsin-Madison