CLEVELAND, Ohio — First-year students in the University of Mount Union’s biomedical engineering program had the opportunity to attend the 2019 Midwest Biomaterials Day, held at Case Western Reserve University.

The event that was presented in collaboration with the Society for Biomaterials (SFB). Matthew McBride ’23, of Conneaut, Ohio and Ryan Meister ’23, of Canton, Ohio, joined area students and SFB members in academics, industry, and government. The students were accompanied by Dr. Loay Al-Zube, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Mount Union. 

Featured as part of the day were presentations on innovative biomaterial research, student presentations and poster sessions and a panel discussion on the trajectories of careers in the field of biomaterials.

“The scientific presentations were a bit difficult to understand, yet many of my questions were answered during the discussions I had with presenting students during the poster session,” McBride said.

While attending the conference, students also had the opportunity to hear from Mount Union Engineering Advisory Board member Dr. Colin Drummond, professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve.

Attending events like the Midwest Biomaterials Day is an important experiential learning opportunity for biomedical engineering students in studying a discipline where technology is employed to solve medical challenges. Thus, students gain valuable knowledge while attending these events during their undergraduate careers. 

“This is the first time for students from the biomedical engineering program to have the opportunity to attend such a scientific event,” said Al-Zube. “Attending such events help biomedical engineering students better understand their profession, identify pressing medical challenges and build their professional network.” 

Learn more about Mount Union’s biomedical engineering program.