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1. “Interdisciplinary Education,” “R&D,” and “Contamination”: Comparing the Stressors of Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Students to Other Engineering Fields

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-024-00148-4  

   Mirabelli, Joseph F; Cromley, Jennifer G; Jensen, Karin J (July 2024, Biomedical Engineering Education)

   Doctoral students experience high rates of mental health distress and dropout; however, the mental health and wellness of engineering doctoral students is understudied. Studies of student persistence, wellness, and success often aggregate fields together, such as by studying all engineering students. Thus, little work has considered the experiences of biomedical engineering (BME) doctoral students, despite differences between doctoral BME research, course content, and career expectations compared with other engineering disciplines. In this qualitative interview case study, we explore stressors present in the BME graduate experience that are unique from engineering students in other disciplines. Methods We analyzed a longitudinal interview study of doctoral engineering students across four timepoints within a single academic year, consisting of a subsample (n=6) of doctoral students in a BME discipline, among a larger sample of engineering doctoral students (N=55). BME students in the sample experienced some themes generated from a larger thematic analysis differently compared with other engineering disciplines. These differences are presented and discussed, grounded in a model of workplace stress. Results BME participants working in labs with biological samples expressed a lack of control over the timing and availability of materials for their research projects. BME participants also had more industry-focused career plans and described more commonly coming to BME graduate studies from other fields (e.g., another engineering major) and struggling with the scope and content of their introductory coursework. A common throughline for the stressors was the impact of the interdisciplinary nature of BME programs, to a greater extent compared with other engineering student experiences in our sample. Conclusions We motivate changes for researchers, instructors, and policymakers which specifically target BME students and emphasize the importance of considering studies at various unit levels (university department level vs college level vs full institution) when considering interventions targeting student stress and wellness. 

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2. Comparison of Job Market and Employer Interest in Undergraduate Engineering Students: An Exploratory Analysis

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--34313  

   Alexis Ortiz-Rosario, Nathan Hyungsok (June 2020, ASEE annual conference)

   There is little empirical research that provides a broad understanding of graduates’ interests in industry and engineering job opportunities. This study aimed to analyze differences in industry participation between engineering majors, undergraduate engineering student participation in job fair events, and student hiring recruitment trends.A quantitative approach was used to address: RQ 1: How are the industry work opportunities different between different engineering majors at a large Midwest institution?; and RQ 2: How do job fair participants and hiring in engineering industry differ for BME students from other engineering majors at a large Midwest institution? The Ohio State University Department of Biomedical Engineering has observed lower hiring trends for undergraduate biomedical engineering students pursuing industry relative to other engineering majors. In this study, the number of companies interested in a major was different between majors. This makes it clear that companies present in each job fair have a higher preference for some major over others. Understanding if that difference is more prevalent of pre-major students or a different effect would require further study. Undergraduate student hiring was observed to be different between majors, but this has been previously reported (Nocera et al. 2018, Ortiz-Rosario et al. 2019). This study also found that recruitment-attendance ratios, a rough metric of yield, were significantly different between engineering majors. With better recruitment data, these ratios could indicate differences in the effectiveness of job fairs for different engineering majors. Future work will continue to search for factors that explain why there is a gap in BME industry hiring, and on ways to bridge that gap. 

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3. Devices to Aid Mobility: Biomedical Engineering-Focused Undergraduate Senior Capstone Design Projects

   https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2018-86826  

   Thompson, Lara A.; Xu, Jiajun; Shetty, Devdas (November 2018, Proceedings of the ASME 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition)

   In order to meet the increasing societal and market demand for a diverse and well-trained Biomedical Engineering (BME) workforce, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), the nation’s only urban land-grant institution, the District of Columbia’s only public institution of higher education, and a historically black college and university (HBCU), nurtures BME activities focused on exposure, training and cultivation through research and experiential learning. Undergraduate design projects and research-based learning opportunities in BME are key program ingredients. This paper presents the former (i.e., three, BME-related undergraduate senior Capstone Design projects that target devices to aid patient immobility) namely, the design of: 1) an ankle foot orthosis, 2) an upperlimb robotic hand prosthetic, and 3) a chairless chair lower limb exoskeleton. A current focus of the UDC BME program is Rehabilitation Engineering (i.e., interventions and devices aimed at aiding those with mobility impairments). We briefly discuss the necessity for rehabilitation-focused, biomedical-related undergraduate experiences and training for underrepresented minority students at UDC, in particular, undergraduate engineering education through multidisciplinary BME projects that foster hands-on creativity towards innovative designs. In addition to critical design experiences and undergraduate training in BME, devices may have the potential to develop into new commercial technologies and/or research projects that will aid and enhance the quality life of individuals suffering from a wide-range of mobility-related issues. 

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4. Self-Efficacy Versus Gender: Project-Based Active Learning Techniques in Biomedical Engineering Introductory Computer Programming Courses

   https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4047924  

   Cyrus Rezvanifar, S.; Amini, Rouzbeh (November 2020, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Engineering education has increasingly embraced active learning techniques within a variety of curricula. In particular, project-based active learning techniques have a significant potential to enhance students' learning experience. In this study, we implemented project-based techniques in biomedical engineering (BME) classes, and we investigated the effects of active learning on students' self-efficacy as an effective predictor of students' academic persistence and their career decision-making. Differences in self-efficacy were compared across genders. A high level of internal consistency was observed for both academic and career-oriented scales, as determined by Cronbach's alpha values of 0.908 and 0.862, respectively. While average scores of all survey questions indicated improvement in students' academic and career-oriented self-efficacy measures, significant improvements were observed in “clearer vision of programming application in engineering” and “BME careers,” as well as in “expectation of success in a future BME career that involves developing medical devices” after the completion of the project-based activity (p = 0.002, 0.023, and 0.034, respectively). For two of the survey questions, female students reflected a significantly lower “self-confidence about understanding the most complex course material” as well as a significantly lower “willingness to have a future career in BME that involves intensive computer programing” as compared to male students (p = 0.035 and 0.024, respectively). We have further discussed possible explanations for the observed differences and multiple potential ways to enhance gender equality in STEM fields from a self-efficacy standpoint. 

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5. Family formation and the career trajectories of women engineering PhDs

   https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-05-2020-0026  

   Main, Joyce B. (August 2022, Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education)

   Purpose The underrepresentation of women in engineering has important consequences for meeting the need for a larger, talented scientific and technological labor force. Increasing the proportion of women faculty in engineering will help increase the persistence probabilities of women undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, as well as contribute to the range and diversity of ideas toward innovations and solutions to the greatest engineering challenges. This study aims to examine the association among gender, family formation and post-PhD employment patterns of a cohort of engineering doctorates. Design/methodology/approach Using the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Doctorate Recipients data, 2001–2010, descriptive and multinomial logit regression analyses are conducted to illustrate the career trajectories of engineering PhDs over a ten-year period. Findings The career trajectories of engineering PhDs are nonlinear, and transitions between employment sectors commonly occur over the ten-year time period studied. Although women engineering PhDs with young dependents are less likely to be employed initially after PhD completion, they tend to enter the workforce in the academic sector as time progresses. Early post-PhD employment as a postdoctoral researcher or in the academic sector contributes to the pursuit of the professoriate downstream. Originality/value While previous studies tend to focus on the early career outcomes of science and engineering students, this study contributes to the literature by focusing on the long-term career outcomes of engineering doctorates. Research findings provide engineering PhD students and PhDs with more information regarding potential post-PhD career trajectories, highlighting the multitude of career options and transitions that occur over time. Research findings also provide higher education administrators and doctoral program stakeholders with foundational information toward designing and revitalizing professional development programs to help PhD students prepare for the workforce. The findings have the potential to be applied toward helping increase diversity by shaping policies and programs to encourage multiple alternative career pathways to the professoriate. 

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