Of the numerous exciting events Spring semester brings, Clemson bioengineers and community members annually look forward to Clemson Bioengineering Senior Design Symposium. The department partners with Greenville Health System Medical School to hold the symposium, at which senior teams present devices they have developed over several semesters. Designs presented at often go on to take national awards, and some move into commercialization.
Working in design courses taught by Drs. John DesJardins and Jeremy Mercuri, students conceptualize and engage in the iterative process of designing, testing, redesigning, and prototyping a medical device. At the symposium, students present to and answer questions from invitees, who include physicians, industry experts, investors, healthcare executives and administrators, faculty collaborators, deans and alumni. From these, faculty members choose a group of judges who interview the design teams and vote to decide the which three are most likely to move toward commercialization.
Before students begin to conceptualize a design, they confer with Greenville Health System physicians about problems they have identified. These may include processes or devices that prevent effective treatment, interfere with recovery, or cause a need for additional intervention at a later date. Student teams then conceptualize projects and work with faculty to produce designs that will meet physician and patient needs. Clemson’s Creative Inquiry program supports the development of prototypes and mentoring of freshmen on senior teams.
