Global Education: Georgia Tech-Emory-Peking University
(released from Georgia Asian Times April 1-15, 2010)
Just imagine earning a PhD with seals and presidential signatures from three prestigious universities: Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Peking University. This is no longer a dream but an actual reality.
Peking University in China and The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University have recently forged a new global partnership in biomedical engineering education and research.
In the spirit of collaboration, Emory University and Georgia Tech had jointly formed a biomedical engineering department in 1997. This development has emerged as a vibrant and innovative center for education and research in biomedical engineering in which teams of highly interdisciplinary researchers collaborate and network across global environment. The department combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with the medical and biological sciences to improve patient health care and quality of life for all individuals.
Marking its 12th anniversary this year, the Coulter Department continues to build its interdisciplinary programs to tackle the challenges of the 21st century, including cardiovascular disease, nerve injuries, neurological disorders, bone loss and cancer.
The department’s reputation is growing globally and its PhD program was ranked second in the biomedical specialty ranking by U.S. News and World Report last August.
When the leaders of Peking University, known as the “Harvard of China,” decided to establish a biomedical engineering program, they looked to the Coulter Department for ideas and collaboration. Thanks to funding support from the Coulter Foundation, a seed grant program was established to encourage researchers from both sides to collaborate across the globe.
With the success of the grant program, the three universities formulated a joint PhD program. The joint program is a major breakthrough in the international academia which underscores the philosophy of globalization where students are prepared for today’s competitive global economy and global health environment.
PhD students will benefi t from coursework and collaborative research with faculties from these campuses in the areas of biomedical research, government regulations, intellectual property, industry standards, business ethics within and beyond cultural borders.
Students who apply to the Biomedical Engineering program will have an advisor at their home campus, either at Peking University in Beijing or the Biomedical Engineering Department at Georgia Tech and Emory in Atlanta. Students will have a co-advisor at their secondary campus. Primary classes and research will take place on the home campus. However, students will also spend at least one year taking classes and participating in research in the co-advisor’s lab.
“We like to think that we’re the best Biomedical Engineering department in the country especially since our programs are so diverse,” said Professor Cheng Zhu, PhD, Associate Chair for International Programs and Regents’ Professor of the Coulter Department.
The global perspective of the program, strength of various engineering departments at Georgia Tech, and various medical programs at Emory have attracted highly qualifi ed students from around the country to enroll.
“You receive the best of both worlds, in this case, the best of three schools where a research student could get direct access to top engineering professors at Georgia Tech and the best minds in medical research at Emory. With PKU, you also have the international advantage,” said Tanu Thote, fi rst year Biomedical Engineering student from Maharashtra, India.
The Chinese-PKU connection has also attracted students like Warren Gray to enroll at Coulter’s BME program. “I like the international collaboration of the department. It will defi nitely help me in my work in the future especially in a global economy and global health setting,” said Gray who is learning the Chinese language and planning to conduct research work at PKU.
“I was looking for a graduate experience that allows me to conduct biomedical research in a global context. Of all the programs that I looked at, none of them was as unique or in-depth as the PKU program,” said Eric Alonas, a student of the PKU program.
Major funding, endowments, and fellowship support for Coulter’s BME students are being solicited from the general public and metro Atlanta’s Asian community. This is an opportunity to support an exciting and innovative global education.
For more information on the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, contact Director of Development Molly F. Croft at 404-385-0128 or [email protected]