Overview
Senior Design represents the pinnacle of our biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate curriculum. In this semester-long course, students collaborate in teams to design, prototype, and validate innovative solutions addressing unmet clinical and societal needs.

“There is nothing more gratifying than observing first-hand the growth and accomplishments of our student teams,” shared Sherry Harbin, professor of Biomedical Engineering and Basic Medical Sciences.

The Senior Design Process
The journey to Senior Design begins in the third year, where students gather project ideas through clinical immersion and professional interviews. Faculty and external mentors guide them in developing a Product Development Proposal (PDP). As seniors, interdisciplinary student teams turn these proposals into functional prototypes.

Throughout the semester, students develop comprehensive design history files (DHFs) and rigorously test their solutions. Many projects extend beyond the classroom, with teams pursuing intellectual property protection, national design competitions, or even commercialization in the optional spring translation course.

By the Numbers

• 166 students participated in 35 teams across 4 sections.
• 70+ mentors supported these teams, including faculty, clinicians and industry professionals.

“It was wonderful to see the growth in the scope of our senior design projects as well as the expansion in the senior design support network, including friends and family,” shared Asem Aboelzahab, Lead Instructional Labs and Senior Design Projects Coordinator.

Partnerships Fuel Success
Our program thrives on collaborations with clinicians, industry leaders and academic experts. These partnerships provide real-world mentorship, access to facilities and material support, enabling our students to tackle complex challenges effectively.

Thank you to our collaborators, including Axogen, Cook Medical, Fort Wayne Metals, IU School of Medicine, Phoenix Paramedic Solutions, Purdue Nursing, Riley Children’s Hospital and many others. Special thanks to the Crossroads Pediatric Device Consortium and Matt Waninger for facilitating several of these collaborations.

Award Highlights
This semester’s projects showcased exceptional innovation and impact. Here are the award-winning teams:

• Engineering Rigor: Team Seal or No Seal developed a pressure-sensor system to detect Type 1A endoleaks after aortic aneurysm repair.
• User Impact: Team NaloxOWN created a compact naloxone nasal spray for opioid overdose prevention.
• Design Innovation: Team CortiSense designed a wearable stress monitor combining biomarker and physiological data analysis.
• Design Iteration: Team Orthoflex designed a bone staple expansion device designed to suit a novel nickel-free shape memory alloy, to enhance surgical applications for individuals with nickel allergies.
• Translational Merit: Team Hypodermic ASSIST created an automated sheathing mechanism that passively covers a needle immediately after injection to prevent any further exposure to the needle by healthcare workers
• Creativity/Aesthetic Design: Team StabiliScan created an adjustable, low-cost MRI stabilization device for pediatric patients.
• Overall Best Design: Team MedNova created a growth-accommodating stent for pediatric aortic coarctation, reducing the need for repeated surgeries.
  • 2^nd place: Team Blockbuster developed a more affordable and simpler solution for esophageal foreign body retrieval in pediatric care.
  • 3^rd place: Team Beyond the Catheter designed a reusable drainable vesicostomy drainage bag for patients with voiding dysfunction.
  • 4^th place: Team Whiskers & Waves developed an ECG acquisition device for veterinary patients that addresses the challenges with signal acquisition due to animal fur and the unique body contours of different animals. 

Thank You!
We extend our gratitude to all mentors, sponsors and collaborators for their invaluable support. Your contributions inspire and enable our students to innovate and succeed.