07/26/2024
Dear BME Undergraduates,
I hope you are all doing well! My sabbatical has ended, and I am happy to be back to
my students! I missed you all!
I usually do not sent newsletters in the summer but as I have been out, I wanted to send some important registration
reminders to help you prepare for the Fall.
SOPHOMORES
Welcome to BME! As you probably know already, there are two sophomore core classes, Intro to BME, and Systems
Physiology. For the Fall semester, they are offered at the same time so if you have not yet registered for one of these,
only Systems Physiology is open, and you can take Intro to BME in the Spring. You cannot take any Junior core until you
have completed BOTH of these classes (plus any other pre-reqs such as Differential Equations).
I will be holding a Sophomore Orientation sometime in September, so stay tuned for those details. At orientation, we
will review departmental policies, core courses, internships and co-ops for credit, clubs, research and other important
topics. You will also be assigned your BME advisor; this is a faculty member who will serve as your primary point person
within the BME department.
JUNIORS
This is an important year for curriculum; there are EIGHT junior classes which include two lab classes. All of the core
courses are offered both semesters EXCEPT the labs, so it is critical that you take the lab classes when they are offered
to not impact your pre-requisites for senior design! ALL JUNIORS SHOULD BE REGISTERED FOR SYSTEMS AND DEVICES
which include a lecture and separate lab section! If you are NOT, and the class is closed, please contact me and our
program coordinator, Ms. Elaine Connors, for a SPN (econnors@soe.rutgers.edu). You need to take this class in the Fall!
Since the remaining junior core are offered both semesters, if a class is closed, please register for another. We have a
large Junior class and we are trying to keep classes balanced.
As a reminder, you need to pass 6 of 8 junior core to take senior design, NO EXCEPTIONS. There are usually a few classes
offered in the summer but those are not guaranteed. If you have questions or concerns regarding your Junior standing,
please email me!
SENIORS
By now, everyone should be registered for BOTH the Senior Design Lecture AND Project! EVERYONE needs a SPN for the
project from the faculty member you are working with. If you are having issues with Senior Design, please email the
instructor, Dr. Kelly-Kyker-Snowman: kk978@rwjms.rutgers.edu
PLEASE NOTE: If anyone is carrying ANY Junior core to Senior year, you will need an override from an SOE advisor to
register for the project. WebReg does not recognize all of the combinations of our 6/8 rule, so some students are having
difficulty. Please contact your SOE advisor for assistance. You can try their live chat first:
Chat with an SOE advisor here: CHAT with our advising staff (M-F 12pm-4pm)
DEPARTMENT ELECTIVES
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 and have secured permission from the instructor. Information on the
available graduate courses can be found here: https://classes.rutgers.edu//soc/#home . You must contact the program
coordinator, Ms. Connors, for the SPN. 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.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS
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.
NEW WEBSITE!
Please check out the new and improved BME webpage here: https://bme.rutgers.edu/ and our updated BME Handbook
here: https://bme.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2024-06/Handbook.pdf
Please do not Google “BME Handbook” as you may be taken to an outdated version with policies that do not apply to
you! Please ensure you are always referring to the most current handbook!
BmE WELL?
Some of you may know that I spent my sabbatical completing a required internship for a counseling degree I am
pursuing. In order to start applying some of my new learnings to BME, I would like to start a Wellness Club. Wellness is
also important to SOE and Rutgers at large, and there are small grants now available to support wellness programs. If
you are interested in participating in this new initiative, please email me!
LET’s TALK!
As always, I will hold open office hours in the Fall (date and time TBD) but BME is open and operational during the
summer, and I am available for advising.
Enjoy the rest of summer and see you in a few weeks!