DEIC in Education

We teach students how to recognize and solve biomedical issues that impact communities both locally and globally.

First-Year Design Experience

Rather than focus solely on foundational courses in math, physics, chemistry, and biology, our first year students also take EGR 101: Engineering Design and Communication. This experience engages every first-year students in an authentic, hands-on, project-based design course. Students build low- and medium-fidelity prototypes to solve a community-based need or problem.

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Engineering students build a large cube using PVC pipes and fittings
Three engineering students work on a circular mechanical device in a workshop.
Project Abstract: The client is a young boy with sensory defensiveness, exhibiting strong negative reactions to external stimuli such as touch, sound, and taste. The best methods to calm the client are through spinning and vibration. The goal of this project was to develop a motorized spinning device that the client can safely operate independently. The design consists of a circular platform driven by a gearmotor and sprockets connected by a chain and two large vibrating buttons that power the device only when pressed down. A quantitative analysis proved when 68.6 kg (151 lbs) was applied 30 cm from the center of the platform, the device did not tip and an average deflection of only 9.4 mm ± 0.86 mm occurred. Using this device, the client will be able to calm himself independently, learn cause-effect relationships, and improve balance. 

BME 460: Creating Custom Devices for People With Disabilities

BME 460 is a capstone design course at Duke in which students are paired with health care professionals. Using knowledge and skills learned through fours years of training, each team builds a custom assistive, recreational, or therapeutic device for a client with disabilities in the local community.

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Ethics Everywhere

Designing biomedical technologies requires an understanding of the diverse communities we serve. It also requires understanding how to innovate with multiple stakeholders in mind. We have incorporated ethics training broadly across the BME undergraduate curriculum to teach our students about ethical frameworks, professional codes, stakeholder analyses, and designing for diverse populations to emphasize the importance of community in engineering.

Students walk across a university campus