UTEP student shows off his spinal implant device. (Image courtesy of J.R. Hernandez/UTEP Communications.)
The concept isn’t a new one: challenge engineering students to find a solution to a real-life problem, have them build a prototype, and test it.
But a new course at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is expanding the concept by allowing senior mechanical engineering students to apply what they have learned over the course of their degrees to the real word challenges of designing for the medical industry. Designing for this industry presents some unique challenges, including the need to balance engineering concepts with medical needs and regulatory concerns.
To this end, the Orthopedic Medical Device course incorporated working engineers, medical doctors and other guest lecturers, along with device design challenges to provide students with a deeper understanding of this field of engineering. The goal, according to Ahsan Choudhuri, chair of UTEP’s mechanical engineering department, was to offer an experience that would “provide hands-on experiences and prepare our students to be productive immediately in the workplace.”
Part of that productivity includes understanding the complex world of medical device design, in which engineers must meet the demands of the client and healthcare proficiencies, while complying with the directives of oversight agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biomedical and quality control principles were also introduced throughout the 15-week course.
However, the heaviest curricular focus was placed on the design process, with students designing and producing their own spinal implants, conducting design review presentations, creating prototypes and testing their designs.
Finally, students had the opportunity to build their devices using both traditional and advanced manufacturing methods, including 3D design and additive manufacturing. The focus for the final projects presented by the class was on the creation of orthopedic designs with broad applicability and incorporated biomedical principles.
Student teams presenting their final products. (Image courtesy of J.R. Hernandez/UTEP Communications.)
While students gained invaluable knowledge about the orthopedic medical device design business, and practical experience in device design, they also gained something that might prove even more valuable to these soon-to-be graduates.
The firm that partnered with the university to lead and fund the course confirmed that in addition to its altruistic intent, it also tapped the course to scout possible new talent within the ranks of the twenty-four students who took part.
The university partnered with Fountainhead Investment Partners, a venture capital firm and its Watershed idea foundry, to fund and deliver the fifteen-week course.
To learn more, visit the University of Texas El Paso’s College of Engineering website.