September 12, 2024 Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation Written By: Vishmaa Ramsaroop-Briggs Departments: Biomedical Engineering Categories: Alumni|Community|Research This year marks a significant milestone for the Department of Biomedical Engineering as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary! The department was started on July 1, 1999, thanks to a grant from the Whitaker Foundation, and the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our recent symposium on September 10 at Memorial Union was a testament to the advancements and collaborations that have defined our department for the past quarter-century. Our 25th Anniversary Symposium, From Molecules to the Human Body: Transforming Healthcare for Every Community, was an energetic meetup of alumni, faculty, students and industry leaders. Researchers and BME faculty members making waves in biomedical engineering gave inspiring keynote speeches, and panels explored the future of biomedical engineering. Their insights into the field’s future were both inspiring and thought-provoking. In true BME style, we ended the day with a poster session for undergraduate and graduate students overlooking Lake Mendota. One of the standout moments was the Fireside Chat with department founders Professor Robert Radwin and Professor Emeritus Willis Tompkins. Attendees were captivated and laughing with their stories about how the department was started and the challenges it faced in the early years. “When we started, we were what the dean called a virtual department—we had virtually nothing,” quipped Radwin. From finding a space to developing the design curriculum, Radwin and Thompkins gave attendees an in-depth insight into just how far the BME department has come—we are the third-largest undergraduate class in UW-Madison’s College of Engineering and the second-largest BME program in the Big Ten. As we celebrate 25 years, we look forward to the future. Whether you’re an alumni, a current student or a community member, your involvement is essential to our success. Together, we can continue to push the boundaries of biomedical engineering and make a lasting impact on healthcare. Here’s to the next 25 years of groundbreaking research, education and innovation! Thank you to our symposium sponsors: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation The Hallick Family Foundation Morgridge Institute for Research Kimberly-Clark Promega LEO Cancer Care Elephas WiCell BME founders (left to right) Robert Radwin, Willis Tompkins and Nancy Webster, representing her husband, the late John Webster. Ray Vanderby was unable to attend. Peter Tong Chair Paul Campagnola welcomed everyone to the symposium. A design team reunion with alumnae who graduated from BME in ’08, ’09 and ’10. Graduates from the Murphy Lab reconnected at the symposium. The day ended with a poster session.