Retrospective: student events at EMBC'08 [Student's Corner]

The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) reaches the community and its members every year, bringing together researchers, clinicians, industry representatives, and trainees from around the world. The 30th annual international conference of the EMBS was held at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre in Vancouver, Canada, on 20-24 August 2008. The 2008 edition of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC) gathered more than 1,600 biomedical engineers in beautiful downtown Vancouver for four exciting days of science, networking, and social interaction.     

Alternative Careers for Biomedical Engineers [Student's Corner]

In this article, the academic and industry careers for biomedical engineering students are explored. The clinical engineering field is growing as technology plays a greater role in the delivery of healthcare. Clinical engineering brings biomedical engineering to the clinical setting. It is concluded that working at the interface between engineering and medicine can make the transition to medical school a natural one for biomedical engineers who want to work closely with patients.     

The nuts and bolts of accreditation

Every fall many engineering students are informed that "the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) will be visiting our campus. They will want to meet with some of the students." Some of you may have been selected to meet with ABET representatives during a visit to your campus. No doubt you learned about the objectives of accreditation and the process of accreditation. But most students have not had this opportunity and may not be aware that ABET is involved with accreditation of engineering, engineering technology, computing and applied science programs in the United States. This article is aimed at explaining accreditation procedures to those who are not familiar with ABET and the accreditation process. While the focus of this article is on accreditation of engineering programs, the procedures for technology and applied science programs are very similar.     

The nuts and bolts of a good installation

Most oil exploration and subsequent refining operations take place outside the continental areas of North America and Europe. There, the National Electrical Code (NEC), Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), and CENELEC standards are not the de facto codes and standards to which firms must adhere. There is limited control over where equipment is purchased, with the taut policy to purchase from anyone that can meet the specifications. As a result, specifications become extremely critical since they are the primary means of controlling safety, functionality, maintenance, and reliability of the installation. When designing or specifying to IEC standards, there are several major areas to consider that contrast from NEC: the use of cabling systems, sealing methods, enclosures, lighting practices, and intrinsically safe circuits     

EMBC 2009 at a glance. . . [Student's Corner]

Another year has gone by and while you are all enjoying summertime, keep in mind that every year, near the end of the summer, it's time for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC). This year, the 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) will be held 2-6 September 2009 at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, the world capital of the medical device industry. The meeting will bring together more than 2,000 of the world's experts in biomedical engineering, including academics, researchers, industrialists, clinicians, and trainees for five days of science, networking, and social events.