Biomedical Engineering Society
UC San Diego’s Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) is one
of the university’s most tightly knit student organizations, featuring a large number
of bioengineers and an even larger number of opportunities. According to BMES
2015 President Jessica Lam, “BMES is a pre-professional organization, geared to
prepare undergraduate bioengineering students for careers in academia,
research, and industry. Aside from its pre-professional focus, it encourages
bioengineering students to collaborate and work together, while still having a
little bit of fun.”
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| BMES 2014-2015 Group Photo |
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| Lab Expo 2015 |
With over seven committees, BMES has different areas of
focus, such as coordinating
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| Preliminary design of one of the Project Teams |
In terms of developing more awareness of STEM fields, the
annual events Bioengineering Day and Translational Medicine Day both serve to
educate students and guests in these fields and to feature current research
being done by graduate students and professionals. Both events have their own
respective committees as well. In particular, Bioengineering Day also provides
a “great chance for undergraduate students to talk to the faculty in a more
relaxed environment.” Also, Translational Medicine Day is still new, as the
first annual event took place earlier this past May, providing exposure to this
thriving biomedical field: a way to bridge the gap between the medical research
and actual application of such research.
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| Bowling Night with Engineering World Health (EWH) |
What really brings BMES and its members together is the Mentorship Program, led by the Social Committee. Small groups of one upperclassman mentor are matched with a few underclassmen mentees. BMES 2015 VP External Vikash Morar states, “These mentors can assist their mentees with planning their classes, picking their professors, getting lab positions, and answering any other questions that the underclassmen may have with bioengineering or university in general.” Furthermore, the mentors and mentees develop into friends and do more than work together. For many, BMES has served as a second family, a group of people who are guaranteed to “be awake at 4 AM to study with” and who are willing to talk and listen for endless hours about more than just college. “Each individual in the organization brings a different perspective and everyone collectively cares about each other’s successful progression personally, academically, and professionally,” according to 2015 VP Finance Anurag Coramutla.
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| One of Outreach Committee's Poster Presentations |
Outside of its own community, BMES and its members are
heavily involved in community service amongst the greater San Diego area
through the Outreach Committee. This particular group implements projects to
educate middle and high school students about bioengineering, from
presentations to featuring hands-on demos. In addition, they have plans to create a tutoring program specifically designed for bioengineers at UC San Diego. BMES also volunteers at major
community events, such the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk
and the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering.
In the words of Lam: “This group of people is definitely a
force to be reckoned with, filled with students who are driven to make advances
in bioengineering. Without a doubt, BMES is more than just any other
organization; it’s a close knit group of brilliantly talented individuals who
just want to make engineering more than just being in a lab or doing research.
With the events they have put on, and the community that it has built, BMES
will surely continue to achieve greatness through its members.”
NAE Engineering For You (E4U) Video Competition
During this past school year, BMES officers decided to
create another temporary committee for creating videos, in particular for the
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and its E4U Video
Competition. With their committee, BMES members have produced a video entirely
under their own imagination and commitment. All components, from scripting to
animating, from editing to voice acting, have been student-made.
BMES 2015 VP Internal Michelle Ragsac says, “To be honest,
working with the BMES on the animation team was very tough! Many of us didn’t
really have the knowledge on the tools needed to do the job and hack together a
video…But, the experience was rewarding because everybody worked together. I
honestly wouldn’t have some of the friends I have because of that project and
I’m really glad to have participated.”
Last year, BMES won $5000 under the title of People’s
Choice, and they are in the running for the award again. To win, they need the
votes, so if you would like to support BMES and their video, “Engineering for a
Better Future,” like the video on Youtube. You can also check
out other nominated videos following the competition’s theme of “highlighting
how engineering will create a more sustainable, healthy, secure and/or joyous
by addressing the NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering.” Go BMES!
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| Anurag Coramutla with Bioengineering Faculty at Bioengineering Day 2015 Top Row (left to right): Dr. David A. Gough, Dr. Peter C. Chen Bottom Row (left to right): Anurag Coramutla, Dr. Shu Chien, Dr. Y.C. Fung, Dr. Geert W. Schmid-Schoenbein |
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| BMES's "Pin the Organ on the Body" Game at San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering (SDFSE) 2015 From left to right: Swetha Prabhakaran, student, Julie Yip |
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| Junkyard Derby 2015 From left to right: Anurag Coramutla, Neil Jethani |
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| BMES Executive Board 2015-2016 Top Row: Vikash Morar Middle Row (from left to right): Michelle Ragsac, Anurag Coramutla Bottom Row: Jessica Lam |
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