12/22/2023
Dear BME Undergraduates,
I cannot believe we got through another semester! I hope everyone did well on their finals and is looking forward to a much-deserved break!
Some of you are aware already that I will be on sabbatical for the Spring 2024 semester. In my absence, Dr. Noshir Langrana will serve as Undergraduate Director. He will work closely with our program coordinator, Ms. Elaine Connors, on matters relating to undergraduate concerns such as SPNs and other advising questions. I know it’s early but I have summarized some reminders and important tips for the spring semester!
ADVISING
Every student has an assigned BME advisor! Don’t know yours? Reach out to Ms. Elaine Connors, or check your email! Advisors were distributed to all students in the fall. Advisors can only ADVISE, they cannot override pre-reqs, assign SPNS, or perform any duties that require undergraduate director or dean approval. But they are a great start to forming a relationship with someone in the department who can help you navigate your time with us!
If you have questions regarding anything that is beyond just BME (courses in other departments, status for graduation, probation, etc) INCLUDING DEGREE NAVIGATOR QUESTIONS, please contact an SOE advisor. If your Degree Navigator is not reflecting a technical elective that was already approved, such as an internship, please use this chat for help or submit a Degree Navigator Update form.
Chat with an SOE advisor: https://app.purechat.com/w/soe
FALL 2024 REGISTRATION TIPS
A reminder to Rising Juniors (Sophomores): Please be mindful of your Junior-level requirements. Labs are only offered once a year (Devices/Systems lab and accompanying class in the fall, Measurements Lab in the spring), and classes are paired so that you can take both during Junior year. For example, in the fall of 2023, Transport and Kinetics/Thermo were offered during the same time slot. So, if you registered for Transport in the fall, you could take Kinetics/Thermo in the spring, as they will be paired the same way. Biomaterials and Biomechanics are also paired in the fall.
While the MINIMUM requirement is to PASS 6/8 junior core (including the labs) in order or to register for Senior Design, this was intended as a safety net to not hold students back from graduation who may have failed a class, did a co-op, or study abroad. It is not recommended to save Junior core to Senior year, as we cannot guarantee those classes won’t overlap with Senior Design, or department electives that you may be really interested in.
Rising Seniors (Juniors): in addition to the multiple department electives offered, BME Graduate 3-credit courses can be taken for DEs PROVIDED you have a minimum GPA of 3.0 by the beginning of the fall semester and have secured
permission from the instructor. Information on the available graduate courses can be found in the Graduate Handbook on the BME website. You must contact the program coordinator, Ms. Connors, for the SPN. econnors@soe.rutgers.edu Please forward her the email with permission from the instructor, and please be patient as you wait for a response. Several students request these courses, and all GPAs must be verified first.
INTERNSHIP, CO-OP AND RESEARCH CREDIT
Internships and co-ops can count for technical elective credits! Please fill out the form in the handbook PRIOR to starting your experience so it can be approved, just be mindful of how a co-op may impact your pre-reqs and potentially change your date of graduation. No more than 6 credits of experiential learning can be used for technical electives. This includes: internships, co-ops, the MBS externship and research.
SUMMER CLASSES
Intro to BME, Systems Physiology, Numerical Modeling, and Transport are planned to be offered this summer, PROVIDED we meet the class minimums, otherwise they risk being removed. If you need to take a class to catch up, or want to get ahead to free your schedule for a co-op, study abroad, or other reasons, please consider taking a summer course. Again, we cannot guarantee these classes are offered if we do not meet enrollment minimums.
COMBINED DEGREE PROGRAM
BME offers Rising Seniors (Juniors) the option to apply to the BME Combined Degree Program (BME-CDP). This program allows you to start taking graduate courses for the master’s degree (Masters of Engineering-ME or Masters of Science- MS) while finishing your senior year. Information of the combined program can be found here: https://bme.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/BMECDP-May2023.pdf and application instructions will be sent out by the graduate program sometime in April. Please contact Dr. Freeman, graduate program director, with questions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MEDTRONIC will be holding an info session sometime in January a part of our partnership for a summer internship as a Clinical Specialist in their Cardiac Rhythm management division. This is a great to experience a unique role as a BME and could potentially lead to a job offer after graduation! Details for the info session (via Zoom) will be shared in January.
WELCOME
Mrs. Kimberly Satnowski is our new Department Administrator Supervisor. Mrs. Satnowski is the principal departmental liaison for SoE, and will provide overall support of administrative, business management, supervision, budgetary, and assessment of performance of the daily operations of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dean’s Office and other university business offices.
Mrs. Satnowski is a re-hire of Rutgers University with 18+ years of experience in Finance mainly working in University Procurement Services with her previous departments being CINJ Finance. Mrs. Satnowski enjoys her free time with her family and enjoys traveling. Mrs. Satnowski can be found In the Administrative Suite, Room 112 or via email at Kimberly.satnowski@rutgers.edu
I wish you all a wonderful spring semester! I will miss you, but you are in good hands with Dr. Langrana! Have a wonderful holiday and relaxing break!