Welcome Letter from the Chair

The growth of this discipline at UCI has been very rapid beginning with the formation of the Center for Biomedical Engineering in 1998. The Center was funded by a generous $3 million Development Award from the Whitaker Foundation to accelerate the growth of the formal educational and research opportunities in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering. In 2002, three major milestones were achieved including the formation of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, two undergraduate degree programs, and the expansion of the graduate program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering.

The department offers a stimulating array of research and training opportunities with world-renowned researchers. The focus areas for the M.S. and Ph.D. include three technology areas of biomedical photonics/optoelectronics, biomedical nano- and microscale systems/fabrication, and biomedical computation/modeling. Included in these opportunities are major campus resources at the Beckman Laser Institute (biophotonics) and the Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility (INRF, nano-fabrication and mircrofabrication). The undergraduate program offers two programs leading to the bachelor's degree in either Biomedical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering — Premedical.

The future of biomedical engineering at UCI is bright. Our plan is to continue our expanding research horizons to include teams of researchers in four major clinical areas that include the neurosciences, ophthalmology, cardiology/cardiovascular science, and cancer. The former two compliment major areas of expertise and activity in UCI's College of Medicine whereas the latter two are an excellent match with Orange County's biomedical device industry. We invite you to explore the opportunities in biomedical engineering with us.

Steven C. George
William J. Link, Professor and Chair
Biomedical Engineering Department
University of California, Irvine