Celebrating 50 years of biomedical engineering and transformative innovations at Purdue
On Friday (Nov. 15), Purdue University celebrated two milestones during the
“Engineering Transformative Innovations in Medicine” event, which commemorated 50 years of biomedical engineering on Purdue’s campus and 150 years of the College of Engineering.
Hosted at the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration, the event brought together faculty, students, alumni and leaders of four major life sciences partner companies. Speakers reflected on past accomplishments, emphasized the school’s mission of turning discoveries into life-changing solutions and looked forward to future innovations.
George Wodicka, Vincent P. Reilly Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the founding head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, opened the event by emphasizing the importance of partnerships and highlighting longstanding relationships with industry giants like Cook Medical and Eli Lilly.
"Whether in our role as the biomedical hub of our globally-recognized College of Engineering; or in our productive cross-campus collaborations that broaden our reach and influence; or in our medical alliances, particularly with the Indiana University School of Medicine and our initiatives in Indianapolis, that provide us a lens into important clinical problems – our partners help guide the dynamic nature of our research and education programs," Wodicka said.
Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, provided a historical overview, tracing Purdue Engineering’s roots back to 1874 and its first engineering graduate in 1877. Shifting focus to the emergence of biomedical engineering at Purdue 100 years later, Raman shared the story of Leslie Geddes, who founded the Hillenbrand Biomedical Engineering Research Center in 1974.
“Les Geddes obtained more than 30 patents treating diseases of the heart and lungs, invented the first clinical electromyograph (EMG), and trained an entire generation of biomedical engineers,” Raman said. “By 2007, the work by Geddes and George Wodicka along with a generous donation from alumnus Norm Weldon led to the creation of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.”
Purdue has forged strong academic-industry alliances in the field of biomedical engineering over the past half-century. As proof of these mutually beneficial relationships, the event featured executives from four industry-leading partner companies: Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks, Cook Medical President Pete Yonkman, Roche Diagnostics President and CEO Brad Moore, and OrthoPediatrics President and CEO David Bailey.
Speeches by Ricks, Yonkman, Moore and Bailey underscored how partnerships with Purdue are driving innovation in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and pediatric medical devices.
In a nod to the creative side of science, the event included the “Art in Research” exhibit, where students showcased visually striking representations of their scientific work. Wodicka described the initiative as a way for students to "express their creativity while showcasing their research.”
The celebration concluded with reflections on the future of biomedical engineering at Purdue by Kevin Otto, the Dane A. Miller Head of the Weldon School.
“Celebrating 50 remarkable years, the Weldon School stands on the brink of explosive growth and a groundbreaking future. I am confident that we are poised to undergo a transformative journey, perfectly aligned with the Purdue College of Engineering's mission to become the most consequential college of engineering.”