The NDSU chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE-EMBS) received the 2004 Outstanding Performance Award. The chapter was notified of the honor in a June 10 letter from Barbara Oakley, IEEE-EMBS vice president for member and student activity.
The international award is given to a student club or chapter for demonstrating outstanding performance in promoting interest and involvement in biomedical engineering. The award includes a $300 club honorarium and complimentary registration and travel for one officer to the annual international conference scheduled for Sept. 1-5 in San Francisco. In addition, a club officer will give a talk about the group's activities at the conference and will be featured in the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine.
Mark Schroeder, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and BME Society faculty adviser, said, “The group did an exceptional job this last year and is very deserving of the award and national recognition. Much effort was devoted to making the society a success. Their activities have provided a richer experience for their peers and area students.”
Group activities included seminars from invited professionals, company tours in Minneapolis, facilitation of Engineer's Day for high school students and judging area science projects.
The chapter is made up of approximately 30 engineering students. Officers include president John Becker, a senior electrical and computer engineering major from Albertville, Minn.; vice president Robyn Crussel, a senior mechanical engineering major from Bismarck, N.D.; secretary Sasha Pross, a senior from Fargo majoring in electrical and computer engineering; and treasurer Nathan Grenz, a senior from Bismarck majoring in electrical and computer engineering.
Other awards and honorable mention went to chapters at the Beijing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications, United Kingdom-Republic of Ireland, Carleton University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
The IEEE-EMBS is the world's largest international society of biomedical engineers, with about 8,000 members. The society's field of interest is the application of concepts from the physical and engineering sciences to the fields of medicine and biology.