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Work in Progress: Developing Ultrasound Phantoms as part of a Biomedical Engineering Design Course Sequence

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Conference

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Publication Date

June 22, 2025

Start Date

June 22, 2025

End Date

August 15, 2025

Conference Session

Biomedical Engineering Division (BED) Postcard Session (Best of WIPs)

Tagged Division

Biomedical Engineering Division (BED)

Page Count

8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--57485

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/57485

Download Count

5

Paper Authors

biography

Charles Carlson Kansas State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-3090

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Charles Carlson received a B.S. degree in physics from Fort Hays State University in 2013, and B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering (EE) from Kansas State University (KSU) in 2013, 2015, and 2019, respectively. In 2015, from January to July, he worked as a radio frequency engineer at Black & Veatch in Kansas City. He is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). He is a faculty co-advisor for the K-State IEEE EMBS student chapter.

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Clay Hallman Kansas State University - Polytechnic Campus

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Crysteen Helena Brown Kansas State University

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Abstract

A challenge faced by veterinary colleges is the need to train their students in the use of common diagnostic imaging technologies (e.g., ultrasound). This often involves including live animals so that students can be exposed to real-life scenarios. Developing this skill requires extensive repetition, and it is difficult to conduct repeated scans on every patient purely for educational purposes. Furthermore, there is a push from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) to move away from live animal testing for research and educational purposes when feasible. It is also well understood that hands-on learning with real-world problems greatly enhances student learning. For these reasons, undergraduate Biomedical Engineering students in their junior design course sequence (a two-semester course design sequence, (course numbers omitted for review)) at (omitted for review) were tasked with creating ultrasound phantoms of various canine organs in partnership with the (omitted for review) College of Veterinary Medicine. These phantoms could serve as valuable educational resources for veterinary students to enhance their ultrasound imaging skills. The primary objective of the project is to replicate the echogenicity and structural characteristics of canine organs using non-biological materials to effectively facilitate the teaching of ultrasound imaging techniques. The ultimate goal is to produce modular phantoms that can be seamlessly integrated with counterparts of other phantoms. Throughout this project, students learn a multitude of technical and soft skills (3D printing, working with CT scans, the engineering design process, teamwork, project planning, and time management). Student performance is assessed through specific learning outcomes, and feedback regarding the project has been incredibly positive after the first year. The project was first introduced in Fall 2023, and the second iteration with a new student group just started in Fall 2024.

Carlson, C., & Hallman, C., & Brown, C. H. (2025, June), Work in Progress: Developing Ultrasound Phantoms as part of a Biomedical Engineering Design Course Sequence Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . 10.18260/1-2--57485

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