2010 Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference
By Amanda Holst, Public Affairs Assistant
As the Bay Area evolves into a biomedical epicenter, San Jose State is keeping pace. A series of industry visits, guest speakers, industry advisory group meetings, and networking events have culminated in the Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference, now in its second year.
“The intention is to create a biomedical device community that would be centered at SJSU,” said Guna Selvaduray biomedical engineering coordinator and founder of the conference.
Biomedical devices have a direct impact on our quality of life. Examples include contact lenses, hip implants, pace makers, artificial heart valves, stents and catheters. So it’s no surprise interest in the field is soaring. The conference is expected to draw over 200 students, academics, and professionals, including many San Jose State alumni, to the Student Union on March 30.
“This is a great opportunity to continue to create a consistent resource for the biomedical engineering program,” said Sheena Deol, former president of the SJSU Biomedical Engineering Society.
Deol grew up in the Bay Area and attended Independence High School. After gaining a good foundation in the sciences with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, she enrolled in SJSU’s biomedical devices graduate program to specialize in the health field and obtain hands-on experience.
“It was interesting to see that everything that we were preparing for was being given to us right away,” said Deol.
For Deol, the pay-off has been huge. She currently works in the quality assurance department at Intuitive Surgical, where she tests medical products before they get released into the market.
“It’s something that connects everything I’ve learned in school,” she said. “I am consistently challenged with new things and new developments here.”