Annual Report 24-25

Advanced Equipment Prepares Students for Biomedical Careers

Materials Printer, Atomic Force Microscope Among Instruments to Be Part of New ECS Innovation Hub

Cal State Fullerton has received a $353,506 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to purchase new equipment and instruments to support interdisciplinary biomedical engineering research and education. 

The cutting-edge tools open up new avenues of research for faculty and students that focus on medical applications and health care technology.

“This equipment is critical for advancing research in wearable biosensors and biomedical devices,” said Ankita Mohapatra, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who is directing the grant project. 

Students interested in biomedical engineering careers are learning to use technology-driven tools at the forefront of innovation in biomedical labs, sensor development companies and advanced manufacturing environments. 

The instruments include a materials printer, which is an inexpensive method for prototyping innovative circuits for wearable devices, and an atomic force microscope. 

Mohapatra said the microscope is a powerful method for characterizing physical and mechanical behavior on a sub-nanometer scale for materials and has widespread use in scientific research. 

With this equipment, students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science can design, prototype and test wearable health-monitoring devices, giving them hands-on skills in biosensors, materials science, electronics and real-time data analysis. 

Mohapatra said faculty and students will use the equipment to design and test noninvasive, flexible sensors to monitor essential health biomarkers like hormone levels through sweat. 

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