Graduate students in biomaterial and biomedical engineering programs and schools can turn to a variety of resources for information dealing with their fields. As one of those resources, the Internet is usually the most direct and up-to-date tool for acquiring the needed information. The following websites and their associated organizations are good places to begin the quest for further biomedical engineering and biomaterials resources.
Biomaterials Network
The Biomaterials Network (Biomat.net) is one of the best online resources for students (both undergraduate and graduate) and professional scientists for finding and sharing information about biomaterials, biomedical science, biomedical engineering, and biomedical research.
Launched in 1998 from its headquarters at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal, the Biomat.net website features a comprehensive, well-organized collection of links to online biomaterials resources, including links to biomaterials websites, professional societies and organizations, scientific journals, educational programs, research centers, and full-text articles from scientific publications and news magazines. The site also lists links to general information on biomedical engineering, biology, and medicine.
Membership in this non-profit initiative is especially attractive to students seeking biomedical engineering degrees, because it is free. Members receive updated information via emails and can post job offers and job requests, participate in the network’s forums, and add comments to the news.
Biomedical Engineering Society
The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) is a professional society for biomedical engineering and bioengineering. Headquartered in Landover, Maryland, BMES is a professional organization with the mission of promoting and enhancing biomedical engineering knowledge worldwide and its utilization for the health and well-being of humankind.
Full-time students pay a greatly reduced annual membership fee. There are many benefits of joining, including subscriptions to “Annals of Biomedical Engineering,” BMES’s monthly scientific journal, and “BMES Bulletin,” the society’s quarterly newsletter. Members can access the online membership roster, and they have the capability to email members or certain groups of members. BMES provides invaluable help and guidance for students who are interested in biomaterial and biomedical engineering degrees.
Society for Biomaterials
Headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) promotes advances in biomedical research and development through the encouragement of cooperative educational programs, clinical applications, and professional standards in the biomaterials field. Its website features a calendar of events and meetings, society news, and postings of available positions. Bulletin boards in specific topic areas are available to the society’s members.
For those in biomedical engineering programs and schools, a basic student membership gives students many benefits, including receiving the “Biomaterials Forum” newsletter, having 24-hour access to the membership roster, worldwide networking, and discounts on publications and event registration. Other levels of student membership also include online or print subscriptions to “Applied Biomaterials” and the “Journal of Biomedical Materials Research,” both of which are peer-reviewed publications.
