At first glance, a Pagani supercar has little in common with a medical device. But as Andres Rodriguez toured the Italian automaker's factory, the University of Miami biomedical engineering student found himself thinking less about horsepower and more about materials. Every component had been selected for a specific purpose.
Touring the factory helped bring his biomaterials coursework into focus, reinforcing how engineers choose materials.
“It highlighted how attention to detail is essential in engineering, whether for supercars or medical devices,” Rodriguez said.
The visit was part of the College of Engineering’s Biomedical Engineering in Florence study abroad program, led by Gianluca D’Ippolito and C.-Y. Charles Huang. This year’s cohort included 15 biomedical engineering students who spent six weeks in Italy earning academic credit while visiting universities, museums, factories, research facilities and cultural sites. Undergraduate students enrolled in BME 335, Biomaterials, or BME 495, Independent Study, worked on projects examining the properties and applications of biomaterials or pursuing research projects while living in Florence and traveling throughout the region.
For Rodriguez, Italy was an ideal classroom because it combined history, innovation and hands-on learning. Visits to universities in Bologna, Florence and Pisa introduced students to biomedical engineering in action through projects involving surgical augmented reality glasses, humanoid robots and tissue engineering research.
At the Galileo Museum, he said, early medical instruments helped connect the evolution of engineering and medicine with the technologies students are studying today.
The program also connected directly to the academic themes students were exploring in class. In Florence, students studied materials used to regenerate human tissue, including bone and cartilage, and learned about tissue engineering and stem cell-related applications through lectures and a final project. The course introduced students to biomaterials and explored materials science across ceramics, metals, polymers and composites.
For D’Ippolito, the value of the program extends beyond what can be taught in a traditional classroom.
“It's not just about teaching. I can do that anywhere,” said D’Ippolito. “The value of the program is exposing students to different cultures, food, art, music and, most importantly, different people and ways of thinking. It opens their minds to what is happening around the world. You can see the impact when they return. They're more motivated and, over time, they often perform better because of those experiences.”
That was true for Rodriguez, who said the program strengthened his interest in biomedical engineering and reinforced his goal of becoming a physician. After graduation, he hopes to attend medical school and combine medicine and engineering to help develop technologies that improve patient care.
