2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

SHARE: “Medical Device Design Innovation Challenge”, A Final Project for Biomaterials Course

Presented at Strategies for Hands-on Activities, Resources, and Engagement (SHARE) Demonstrations

Project-based assignments are valuable in undergraduate engineering education, with demonstrated benefits for student learning, teamwork, and professional preparedness. Prior studies show that project-based learning improves self-directed learning, mirrors industry practice, and can positively impact program-level outcomes such as student retention. This work presents the development and implementation of a comprehensive and adaptable final project for biomedical engineering courses that integrates technical content with real-world medical device design challenges. The project emphasizes teamwork, communication, and engagement with primary literature while encouraging students to identify unmet clinical needs and propose solutions informed by technical, ethical, economic, and sustainability considerations.
Implemented through scaffolded milestones with continuous feedback, the project culminates in an industry-style innovation pitch and informational deliverable evaluated by faculty and medical device professionals. The project is flexible across course types and academic calendars and provides a scalable model for incorporating industry-relevant, collaborative learning experiences into biomedical engineering curricula.

Authors

Dr. Sonia Bansal Duke University [biography]

Dr. Sonia Bansal is an Assistant Professor of the Practice for the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. She has been teaching for the department since 2023 and is researching best practices of curricular integration of technical skills such as writing, computing, and design. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2020 from the McKay Orthopedic Research Laboratory under the guidance of Dr. Robert Mauck and uses her background in orthopedic engineering to develop courses in the biomechanics and biomaterials space. Dr. Bansal teaches 4 classes a year including BME 221: Biomaterials, EGR 201: Mechanics of Solids, BME 530: Introduction to Tissue Biomechanics, and EGR 101: Engineering Design and Communication. She is the co-director of the Biomedical Engineering Education & Teaching Laboratory (BEETL) at Duke.
Dr. Emily Dosmar http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6341-7530 University of Illinois - Chicago [biography]

B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
Associate Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Illinois - Chicago

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