Duke BME Receives $500,000 Investment in Teaching Labs

Duke University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering received a $500,000 investment to strengthen its teaching laboratories, providing new support for the hands-on, practical educational experiences that are a hallmark of a Duke BME education. The funding, made possible through generous donor support and investment from the dean’s office, will enable the department to invest in the spaces, equipment and educational resources that are helping prepare Duke BME students for the next stage of their careers in an ever-evolving field.

Laboratory experiences are integrated directly into many of Duke BME’s core courses and electives, allowing students to put classroom concepts into practice as they learn them. This close connection between coursework and hands-on experimentation is a distinctive feature of the department’s curriculum.

“We want to ensure that our students are exposed to the latest methods in the field,” said George Truskey, the associate chair for education and the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering. “Our students don’t just learn concepts in the classroom—they have the opportunity to experience how those concepts are used in practical ways in the laboratory. That connection is something we want to emphasize, and this funding helps make that possible.”

The new funding will provide flexibility to address both immediate needs and longer-term opportunities. Potential uses include installing state-of-the-art equipment, upgrading laboratory facilities and infrastructure, and refreshing laboratory exercises to incorporate emerging technologies and approaches. Department leaders are also considering how investments could serve students across multiple courses, allowing equipment introduced in a foundational laboratory experience to be used again as students advance through the curriculum and take on more complex design challenges.

“This support gives us an opportunity to think strategically about the future of our teaching labs,” said Matt Brown, the teaching lab manager for the department. “We want to make investments that have an impact not just today, but for years to come, so that students and instructors can continue to rely on these spaces as an essential part of the BME curriculum.”

The investment also advances the educational component of Duke BME’s strategic vision, which calls for the department to re-imagine biomedical engineering education in response to changing priorities in academia, industry and the field itself. By strengthening active, experiential learning and access to emerging tools and technologies, the investment reinforces the department’s mission of providing an undergraduate education that prepares students for the next stage of their careers and equips them to thrive across a range of paths in biomedical engineering and beyond.

“We are incredibly grateful to the donors whose ongoing support helps Duke BME maintain its national leadership in cutting-edge biomedical engineering education,” said Sharon Gerecht, chair of Duke BME and the Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor. “This investment aligns closely with our strategic vision for education and reinforces the central role that hands-on learning plays in our mission. By continuing to strengthen our undergraduate educational experience, we can ensure that our students are well prepared for the next stage of their careers and equipped to make an impact in the field.”