BME Design Day 2026: Student-led innovation showcased in Indianapolis
Purdue University biomedical engineering seniors in Indianapolis met for an all-day experience at the OneAmerica Tower in Indianapolis on April 24 to showcase a year of clinical collaboration and technical design at BME Design Day 2026. The event served as the culmination of the two-semester senior design capstone experience, where student teams apply engineering principles to solve complex, real-world biomedical problems.
This year’s group of students focused heavily on professional integration, with all eight capstone projects sponsored by clinicians. These partners provided the necessary context and mentoring for teams to move through the engineering design process while addressing real-world challenges and constraints.
The projects emphasized validation through direct feedback from medical professionals. One project, the lateral canthotomy task trainer, was designed for the IU Department of Emergency Medicine. Robert Ledbetter, MD, a medical simulation fellow, shared that his group of students were eager to utilize the device for continued practice.
The event featured two presentation sessions in the Tower Conference Center and a poster session hosted at the 36th-floor Skyline Club. At the conclusion of the day, two teams were recognized for their technical excellence and communication:
Senior Design Excellence Award: Noninvasive Dynamic Bladder Volume Sensor. Developed by Dariyah Collins, Anna Guiff, Dominic Joseph and Gayatri Pradeep, the project was sponsored by David Hains, MD and Nikhil Batra, MD, from the IU School of Medicine.
Senior Design Outstanding Poster Award: Dynamic Scoliosis Model for Patient Education. The team, consisting of Brett Augustyn, Paige Jordan, Charlotte Wright and Mohammed Zilani, worked under the sponsorship of David Stockwell, MD, of IU Health Methodist Hospital.
In addition to the senior capstone projects, the event included a poster session for BME 302 students, who presented preliminary designs for tactile-lock medication systems, kitchen stability devices for hemiplegic patients, and independent mobility aids for the blind.