Introduction of therapeutic ultrasound projects into undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum at the George Washington University

Abstract

Therapeutic ultrasound examples and projects have been successfully incorporated in both formal classes and undergraduate research at the George Washington University. Topics appropriate for various levels of experience and knowledge had to be carefully selected. These included: General demonstrations for summer high school students from local public schools, well‐defined sophomore research projects, and finally capstone projects that focus on device design and development. Demonstrations of therapeutic ultrasound ranged from application of high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to make precise holes in plastic containers and cook meat (showing thermal effects), to production of water fountains (showing streaming effects) and production of dancing (standing wave pattern) bubbles that outline the shape of focus (showing cavitation effects). While very entertaining for younger students, these demonstrations also allow an explanation of basic ultrasound theory and potential clinical applications. Some examples of sophomore research in the therapeutic ultrasound area are: Ultrasound‐enhanced delivery of ocular antibiotics, HIFU treatment of deep seated tumors, and studying effects of the presence of air or bone in the post‐focal HIFU region. Examples of capstone projects include: Portable ultrasound driving system, cooling system for HIFU transducers, robotic HIFU control, flow phantom for testing of ultrasound‐guided HIFU treatments, and system for measurements of ultrasound powers.