Research Stories

by Joe Kullman

Antonio Garcia wants to see Arizona State University students make the leap “from being learners to becoming doers.” He’ll be helping them do that through his new ASU Foundation Professorship. Garcia is using resources provided by the professorship. He wants to establish a research center that offers mentorship to students who have ideas for improving health care technology.

The Center for Engineering and Translational Biomedicine becomes a reality this fall. Students are invited to submit their proposals for new medical devices and technologies.

ASU engineering student Mario Zamora (left) discusses a research project with bioengineering professor Antonio Garcia.

“The plan is for the center to become a resource for students. We want them to get involved in the process of innovation and to produce something meaningful—like a prototype device or a method that could be patented,” said Garcia, a professor in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

Much of Garcia’s research has involved improving medical diagnostics. He has worked to develop better methods of administering medicinal drugs in places where access to hospitals, clinics and medical professionals is limited. That is often the case in rural areas, on battlefields, or in underdeveloped countries.

Initially, Garcia wants to bring to the center those students whose interests align with this area of research. The center is available to undergraduates to post-doctoral students.

“Typically, students get into research by assisting a professor or working in a research center. I am trying to change that paradigm,” he says. “For this new center, students will come to us with ideas. Faculty members will act in a supporting role.”

The center’s mission is clear. “We want to provide an environment to nurture fresh perspectives on how to solve problems. And we want to help students follow through on bringing their ideas to fruition,” Garcia says.

The opportunities won’t be limited to engineering students. Garcia sees possibilities for students in various areas of science, business, law and art to get involved.

Students from a range of backgrounds and areas of study will help the center foster the kind of teamwork and collaborative effort that often drives creativity, he adds.

“This reflects the thrust of our reorganization [of the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering], the idea of stimulating students’ interest and creativity through hands-on, entrepreneurial ventures that encourage them not to wait until after they graduate to do actual engineering and research,” Garcia explains. “In this way the university becomes an ongoing resource for them as they begin their careers.”

Deirdre Meldrum is dean of the engineering school. “We provide students a range of entrepreneurial opportunities not found in any other engineering school,” Meldrum says. “We are expecting Tony Garcia’s new center to become the model for three or four additional centers. Those centers will allow our faculty and students to focus on solutions to the grand challenges of engineering in the 21st century, in areas such energy, sustainability and security."

The center will be launched with funds that come with Garcia’s appointment as an ASU Foundation Professor. For continued support, the center will seek sponsorships from corporations and foundations.

Garcia has done biomedical engineering research for two decades. He has also led efforts to improve education in engineering, science and mathematics.

For more information, contact Antonio Garcia, Ph.D., Harrington Department of Bioengineering, at tony.garcia@asu.edu