Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems

Outreach Alliances Benefit the Disabled and the Community

The ERC for Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems (BMES), founded in 2003, is developing extensive community outreach and educational programs. The Center's goal is to involve students from grade school to graduate school and medical school in a "living teaching laboratory." This helps integrate research and education across the many disciplines in medicine, biology, and engineering that must converge for the Center's work to be successful. Through close collaborations with organizations and foundations, BMES will build bridges from its partner institutions to the communities in which they reside.

One such alliance already exists between USC/Doheny Eye Institute and the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, where seminars are held for disabled patients and their relatives and friends. BMES participates in these seminars to inform disabled patients about emerging technologies and help BMES researchers to better understand their needs. The most recent of these interactions was a national meeting held in conjunction with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in April 2004 to address needs and potential cures for blindness in children. The Center's retinal prosthesis was prominently featured during this meeting.

To learn more about this topic:
Visit the education and outreach page at the Center for Biomimetic
MicroElectronic Systems at: http://bmes-erc.usc.edu/eop.htm

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Last modified: April 2, 2007