Skip to Main Content
Boston University
  • Bostonia
  • BU Today
  • The Brink
  • University Publications

    • Bostonia
    • BU Today
    • The Brink
  • School & College Publications

    • The Record
Other Publications
BU Today
  • Sections
News, Opinion, Community

A milestone for biomedical engineering

Department marks five-year expansion

The College of Engineering biomedical engineering department on June 30 officially ends a five-year period of expansion fueled by a $14 million Whitaker Leadership Award received in 2001.

The department opened new core facilities — its last task in fulfilling the terms of the award — with a reception June 21.

“We sit together with great facilities, great faculty, having spent a great grant, in the wonderful position of being one of the top programs in BME,” said University President Robert A. Brown. “The Whitaker Foundation grant has been a boost in propelling us forward.”

In the last five years, the Whitaker Leadership Award has helped Boston University reach “the cusp of having a global impact,” said Kenneth Lutchen, an ENG professor and BME chairman. “With our human — and facilities — firepower, we are poised to really understand and impact human life.”

Brown said the conclusion of the award “marks a pivotal point in the history of BU and biomedical engineering at BU,” adding that the Whitaker Foundation grant has been instrumental in establishing Boston University and its biomedical engineering program as one of the best, nationally and globally.

The Whitaker Foundation, named for the late scientist and inventor Uncas A. Whitaker, established its Leadership Awards in the late 1990s for “institutions that have already demonstrated national leadership in biomedical engineering and have articulated a clear and exciting vision for enhancing their leadership position.”

Under the deanship first of Charles DeLisi, BU’s Arthur G. B. Metcalf Professor of Science and Engineering and senior associate provost for bioscience, and then David K. Campbell, now BU provost, the University applied for a Whitaker award and was one of only three institutions to win one. The foundation gave BU $14 million in 2001, with an $18 million cost-share investment from the University.

The grant was used in part to build the Life Science and Engineering Building at 24 Cummington St., as well as for hiring 12 new faculty members with secondary appointments in eight other departments, among them ophthalmology, pharmacology, physics, and genetics and genomics. The College of Engineering also built laboratories and created dynamic cross-disciplinary and innovative courses with the money. The catch, Lutchen said, was that they had to get it done “soup-to-nuts, in five years.”

Last month, BU completed the implementation of the award. The June 21 event officially opened the BioInterface Technologies Units, the Micro/Nano BioImaging Facility, the Micro/Nano Biosystems Fabrication and Teaching Facility (all at 44 Cummington St.) and the BME Computational Simulation Facility (in the Life Science and Engineering Building).

 “With the tremendous effort of BME faculty and staff and the BU administration, we have completed the project on time and on budget,” said Lutchen.

Brown was impressed, he said, with the BME department, which has kept abreast of developments in the field as biomedical engineering has become “more molecular in nature: it has transitioned from bones and circuits to understanding life and life sciences.”

“Now we’re just moving forward,” said Matthew E. Barber, BME department director. “We’ll have other initiatives that will come down the road because of this.”

 “With all that strength and financial support, we can do fantastic things,” Brown said at the conclusion of the June 21 ceremony. “BME will continue to be a jewel in the crown of Boston University.”

Explore Related Topics:

  • Robert Brown
  • Share this story

Share

A milestone for biomedical engineering

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Chhavi Sachdev

    Chhavi Sachdev Profile

Latest from BU Today

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    Experience BU’s 2025 Commencement from a Terriers Point of View

  • Voices & Opinion

    POV: This Memorial Day, Remember BU’s Fallen Heroes by Visiting the New Online Honor Wall

  • University News

    23 Charles River Campus Faculty Promoted to Full Professor

  • Commencement 2025

    Photos: A Look Back at BU’s Commencement

  • Theatre

    It’s “Prom Season” at Wheelock Family Theatre

  • Things-to-do

    Six Spots to Check Out This Memorial Day in Boston

  • Student Life

    Video: Class of 2025: What We’ll Take with Us as We Begin a New Chapter

  • Health & Medicine

    What Does Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis Mean?

  • Watch Now

    BU’s Class of 2025: What Are Your Plans After Graduating?

  • Fitness

    BU Sports Rehab Therapists on Jayson Tatum’s Achilles Injury and Recovery Ahead

  • Commencement 2025

    Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s Class of 2025 Commencement

  • Commencement 2025

    Video: 2025 Graduate Jayde Best: “I Ended Up Exactly Where I Wanted to Be”

  • Commencement 2025

    “Empathy Is Essential,” BU Commencement Speaker Emily Deschanel Tells 2025 Graduates

  • Voices & Opinion

    I’m a Business Professor Who Asked Dozens of Former Students How They Define Success

  • Commencement 2025

    Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Convocations a Joyous Affair

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    BU Commencement Student Speaker: Say “Yes” to New Opportunities

  • Athletics

    Women’s Rowing Aiming for Second Consecutive Patriot League Title

  • Infectious Diseases

    Tick-Borne Diseases Risk Increasing Due to Climate Change: What You Need to Know

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    This Mother and Daughter Are Both Graduating from Boston University

  • Accolades

    Wheelock’s Tina Durand Wins 2025 Metcalf Cup and Prize, BU’s Highest Teaching Honor

Section navigation

  • Sections
  • Must Reads
  • Videos
  • Series
  • Close-ups
  • Archives
  • About + Contact
Get Our Email

Explore Our Publications

Bostonia

Boston University’s Alumni Magazine

BU Today

News, Opinion, Community

The Brink

Pioneering Research from Boston University

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Weibo
  • TikTok
© Boston University. All rights reserved. www.bu.edu
© 2025 Trustees of Boston UniversityPrivacy StatementAccessibility
Boston University
Notice of Non-Discrimination: Boston University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex or gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, military service, marital, parental, veteran status, or any other legally protected status in any and all educational programs or activities operated by Boston University. Retaliation is also prohibited. Please refer questions or concerns about Title IX, discrimination based on any other status protected by law or BU policy, or retaliation to Boston University’s Executive Director of Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator, at titleix@bu.edu or (617) 358-1796. Read Boston University’s full Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Search
Boston University Masterplate
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
A milestone for biomedical engineering
0
share this