In order to meet the needs of our members, BMES provides opportunity for development in several major areas: academic, personal, professional, and social.

General Meetings
To achieve this goal, BMES sponsors bi-weekly lectures by faculty, staff, industry, and others on various topics. Biomedical engineering topics range from biomaterials, bioinstrumentation, biomechanics, biocomputing, and bioimaging. Many other topics such as genetics, microbiology, DNA computing, biochemistry, cell biology, and professional development will be covered as well.

Research Visits
BMES organizes approximately six visits per year to research labs on campus. Because of the biological aspect of biomedical engineering, many students are extremely interested in research. Many BMES members plan on attending medical school, and research is an essential part of their undergraduate study. BMES hopes to aid its members in finding research labs on campus that best suit their interests and to help provide them with the opportunity to work in these labs. BMES has also toured major research facilities off campus, the largest being Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Industry Visits
While research visits cater to those members of the organization that are interested in the biological aspects of the organization, BMES also offers opportunities to those interested in engineering. BMES sponsors approximately six industry visits per year. One visit per semester is to the Twin Cities area, which is the home of “Biomedical Alley,” sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of Biomedical Engineering. The Twin Cities area contains over 800 companies devoted to the principles of Biomedical Engineering. BMES plans on exposing its members to this incredible pool of biomedical engineering job opportunities. The other two visits per semester will include trips to companies closer to the Madison area, including Madison, Milwaukee, and possibly Chicago.

Surgeries
BMES works to get its members into local hospitals in order to observe surgeries. Surgery visits being planned for the 2000-2001 school year include different kinds of heart surgeries (open heart, bypass, transplant) and brain surgeries. BMES members will also have the opportunity to see a gross anatomy demonstration at the medical school.

Socials
Socials are held so that BMES members can meet each other in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Some of the socials planned for the Fall 2000 semester include several cookouts and tailgates, an ice cream social, a trip to the Wisconsin vs. Indiana football game (in conjunction with an industry trip to Chicago), and sledding.

Outreach
In order to provide personal development events, a high participation in volunteer activities is encouraged. We make our members aware of the needs of the community around them in the form of mentoring, tutoring, and general volunteering.