Established in 2001, the Department of Biomedical Engineering is NJIT's most recently-created department. The department was established as a way to utilize the university's expertise in such areas as microelectromechanical systems and tissue engineering in support of New Jersey's burgeoning biotechnology industry.

In just four years, the department has become one of the largest in the Newark College of Engineering. In 2004-2005, the department enrolled 336 students, including 247 undergraduates, 75 master's students, and 14 PhD candidates. Some 39 percent of the students in biomedical engineering are women, one of the largest female enrollments in the university.

The department has also built a considerable research program with $2.3 million in support from such agencies as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Essilor, Inc., and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. Areas of concentration include stem cell applications in tissue regeneration, vision and neural engineering, bioMEMS, motion analysis and rehabilitation engineering, biomaterials and biopolymers.

In 2003, the department moved into specially designed space in the newly-opened East Building that allowed the faculty to pioneer a studio approach to education that emphasizes hands-on, experiment-based learning.

• Read a press release about the new studio design,"New Jersey Institute of Technology Pioneers New Way to Teach Engineers."
• Read "Redesigning Biomedical Engineering at NJIT," from the Winter 2005 issue of NJIT Alumni Magazine.