Undergraduate Research and Design Experiences

Getting Involved With BEAM Research

The First Step in Discovery

BEAM encourages undergraduates to get hands-on in our cutting-edge laboratories. Students work alongside researchers on projects like investigating new biomaterials for cardiac stem cell delivery, identifying neuronal circuits active in a mouse model of empathy, and simulating blast-related traumatic brain injury. 

Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Experiences

BEAM offers a variety of avenues and opportunities for our undergraduates to get involved with research:

Opportunities within faculty labs: BEAM occasionally offers research opportunities for undergraduates within our faculty research programs. These positions tend to be highly competitive. It is recommended to review our faculty pages and contact them for availability. You may also view current and upcoming availabilities here.

Bioactivity: This highly interdisciplinary biomedical engineering design team brings together undergraduate students from a variety of engineering backgrounds and majors. With an aim of finding and fixing real-world problems, Bioactivity frequently competes in (and wins!) both design and entrepreneurial competitions at Virginia Tech and beyond.

■ e-NABLE at Virginia Tech is a registered student organization (RSO) that designs 3D printed prosthetics and assistive devices. They are currently working on prosthetics for a boy who wants to play football and baseball. They work with the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) on creating educational tools, and they attend events such as the Virginia Tech Science Festival to teach others about what they do.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program: Through the Virginia Tech – Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES), the Biomedical Engineering Department at Wake Forest University is offering summer biomedical engineering internship opportunities for interested undergraduate students in engineering-related majors. Applications are now open!

Senior Design Projects

BEAM undergraduates are actively engaged in a wide variety of senior design projects that allow them to explore specific topics  while gaining laboratory experience and having the opportunity to make an original contribution to the field.

If you are pursuing the BME minor and are using your Senior Design Project to satisfy the BME minor six required hours of approved biomedical engineering design project or research, you will need to complete the BME Required Project Guidelines and Approval Form.