BME Breakthroughs
Industry
BME in Movies
Engineering the Human Body
BME at USF
100

The first artificial organ successfully implanted in humans

What is an artificial heart?

100

This worldwide market sector, valued at over half a trillion dollars, includes companies like Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Stryker.

What is the medical device industry?

100

In Peter Pan, Captain Hook's missing hand was replaced with a metal hook, which is an old example of this modern-day innovative BME field.

What are prosthetics?

100

A wearable device that tracks heart rate, steps, and oxygen levels.

What is a smartwatch or biosensor?

100

BME's notoriously difficult weed-out course taught by an ocular neuroscientist (sorry guys 😬 )

Signals & Systems taught by Dr. Passaglia (FAHHHHH)

200

This gene-editing system that enables precise DNA modifications.

What is CRISPR–Cas9?

200

Every biomedical innovation headed for hospitals must go through this U.S. agency’s clearance or approval process before reaching patients.

What is the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)?

200

The Disney movie Big Hero 6 features Baymax, a robot designed for this healthcare-related purpose.

What is medical care or patient assistance? (Bonus points for saying "personal healthcare companion" šŸ’Æ šŸ’Æ)

200

This device helps people hear by directly stimulating the auditory nerve.

What is a cochlear implant?

200

Dr. George Spirou leads a lab that maps how brain cells connect and communicate within the auditory system, a field that seeks to chart the brain’s wiring diagram in detail.

What is connectomics/ADCL?

300

A robotic surgical system allows for minimally invasive procedures with high precision.

What is the Da Vinci Surgical System/Robot?

300

Before a biomedical product reaches the market, it must go through these research studies designed to test its safety and effectiveness in humans.

What are clinical trials?

300

In Iron Man, Tony Stark’s iconic chest device resembles this real-world biomedical technology.

What is an implantable medical device (like a pacemaker/defibrillator)?

300

This machine temporarily takes over heart and lung function during surgery.

What is a heart-lung machine?

300

This professor investigates retention of women and first-generation students in STEM, and is recognized as an AIMBE Emerging Leader. 

Who is Dr. Olukemi Akintewe?

400

The first vaccine ever developed, discovered by Edward Jenner in 1796.

What is the smallpox vaccine?

400

Biomedical engineers working in this department focus on ensuring products meet FDA regulations and ISO standards before they’re sold.

What is regulatory affairs?

400

In The Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Connors regenerates his arm using reptile DNA...tied to this regenerative field.

What is tissue engineering or regenerative medicine?

400

These polymer structures provide support for cells in tissue engineering.

What are scaffolds?

400

This USF professor leads the ā€œAcousto-Bioelectronics Labā€ focusing on sound-wave based BioMEMS and implantable devices (also has millions in funding apparently)

Who is Dr. Albert Kim? (6000 points to whoever can tell us WHERE Dr. Kim's office is šŸ’”šŸ’”)


500

The first successful cloning of a mammal in 1996.

What is Dolly the sheep?

500

These three letters define the strict quality rules companies must follow to safely produce biomedical devices and drugs.

What is GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)?

500

In Avatar, humans control alien bodies using neural links...a dramatized form of this real BME tech.

What is brain–machine interfacing (BMI)? (or BCI)

500

Scientists are developing implants that allow people with paralysis to move robotic limbs using only their thoughts.

What is neuroprosthetics (or brain–computer interfacing)?

500

In 2021, three USF BME students earned national recognition for this invention that could double hospital respiratory capacity during critical shortages.

What is a double ventilator?

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