Gift Equips Engineering Students to Build Lifesaving Technology
Biomedical engineering students at the UA will soon have the chance to solve design challenges in all four years of their studies.
UA engineering students fine-tune their virtual reality system for CPR training after hours on the floor of a lab at the Sarver Heart Center. (Photo: Chris Richards / UA Alumni Association)
Peter Salter and his wife, Nancy, made a $1.5 million gift to the College of Engineering for a new biomedical device lab and course development. Starting next spring, third-year students will conduct hands-on design, including construction of medical devices, in a purpose-built makerspace.
The Salters' gift furthers the college’s emphasis on collaborative, experiential learning, allowing students to work together in a laboratory environment and to learn by doing.
Currently, all engineering undergraduates design and test solar ovens as freshmen and complete ambitious design projects as seniors. Sophomores studying biomedical engineering build machines to sort Skittles candies by color. The new class bridges the gap, creating a four-year design experience.
