Students are exposed to many technical methods. By the end of their second year, they've generally worked on four or five projects. They have learned to test a question, prioritize, make decisions, and organize. For the bioengineering program, students write their dissertation proposals in the format of a National Institutes of Health grant proposal so they get experience at that important task. By the time the students have earned their degrees, they have worked on five to eight projects, and have research expertise beyond the thesis itself.
Engineering students work with surgeons as well as basic scientists.
They attend seminars with the medical students at the UM hospitals. A mix of experiences for the students is provided through collaborations with other researchers at the University and with industry and the National Institutes of Health. We live in an academic world, but students need to be prepared to go into many avenues. Through our corporate affiliates program they learn about industry and expectations in such jobs. There are also a lot of entrepreneurial efforts in the lab.