About

Elizabeth K. Bucholz is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. She earned her Ph.D. from Duke University in 2008. Dr. Bucholz serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biomedical Engineering and holds the titles of Claude B. Williams and David M. Hesse Associate Professor of the Practice. Her teaching includes courses such as Engineering Design and Communication, Signal Processing and Applied Mathematics, and Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems, among others. Her research and educational contributions focus on integrating ethics education across the biomedical engineering curriculum, developing innovative laboratory experiences, and enhancing undergraduate education through curriculum transformation, including converting MATLAB-based curricula to Python. She has been recognized with awards such as the Klein Family Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021 and the Lois and John L. Imhoff Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Medical education
• Mathematics education
• Pedagogy
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Operating system
• Engineering
• Geography
• Human–computer interaction
• Simulation
• Multimedia
• Engineering management
• Computer graphics (images)

Selected publications

• WIP: Establishing Peer Observation of Engineering Teaching (POET) as a More Effective Means of Evaluating Teaching

  2025-08-21

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Board 19: Work in Progress: Integrating Ethics Education across the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum Increases Student Awareness of Frameworks and Broader Applications to Practice

  2024-02-07

  articleOpen access

  He is researching the role of ethics-guided design frameworks in the classroom for emergent biotechnologies, including gene and cell-based therapies. His

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Snail Progression of Ethical Instruction: Nurturing Ethical Mindsets Across the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum

  2024-08-04

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract In response to the growing importance of ethical consciousness in the realm of biomedical engineering, this abstract presents a comprehensive educational initiative designed to seamlessly integrate ethics across the entire curriculum. This endeavor involved close collaboration with faculty members and the provision of summer salary support to develop substantial ethical thinking exercises within key courses, including Modeling Cells and Cellular Systems, Imaging Systems, Instrumentation, Biomaterials, and senior capstone design classes. This initiative, aptly named the "Snail Progression of Ethical Instruction," introduces a structured framework spanning four years, each emphasizing essential ethical virtues. The journey commences in Year 1 with a focus on humility. Students are encouraged to balance the inherent challenges of failure with the pursuit of truth, laying the foundation for a humble and resilient ethical mindset. Year 2 amplifies the journey with curiosity, urging students to explore the origins of materials and contemplate the consequences of their use, irrespective of utility. This curiosity fosters a deep understanding of ethical implications, encouraging critical thinking in material selection and application. In Year 3, the focus shifts to imagination. Students are challenged to envision the far-reaching consequences of innovations, emphasizing the intricate web of system-wide effects. This imaginative exploration equips students with the ability to anticipate and address unintended consequences, instilling a sense of responsibility in their innovative endeavors. Year 4 revisits complexity, underscoring the necessity of deep knowledge, skill integration, and practical experience in ethical decision-making. Good engineering design is viewed as a holistic process, demanding a nuanced understanding of ethics that can only be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach. This abstract delves into the collaborative efforts between faculty members and the innovative pedagogical techniques employed in each year of the Snail Progression of Ethical Instruction. It emphasizes the significance of embedding ethical content within technical courses, fostering an appreciation for the ethical codes of conduct upheld by biomedical engineers. By immersing students in these ethical exercises, they gain a profound understanding of the diverse array of ethical challenges they might encounter in their careers, preparing them to navigate complex ethical dilemmas with confidence and integrity. Through focus groups and survey reports of our students, we begin to quantify and compare our longitudinal progress in integrating ethical inquiry within engineering technical knowledge. Our surveys focus on characterizing the climate of students' perceived value of ethics while our focus groups demonstrate student ethical knowledge. We aim to demonstrate a positive relationship in both over time. This initiative not only enriches the educational experience but also molds students into ethical leaders capable of upholding the highest standards of integrity within the field of biomedical engineering. The Snail Progression of Ethical Instruction stands as a testament to the transformative power of structured ethical education, ensuring that the next generation of biomedical engineers is not only technically proficient but also ethically astute, embodying the virtues of humility, curiosity, imagination, and complexity management in their professional journeys.

  PublisherDOI

• A Collaborative Effort to Convert MATLAB-based Curriculum to Python in Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Education

  2024-08-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  In response to the evolving landscape of programming languages in the field of biomedical engineering education, this abstract presents the outcomes of an innovative initiative aimed at transforming MATLAB-based classroom exercises, labs, and homework assignments into Python exercises.Spearheaded by a team of enthusiastic undergraduates and coordinated by a dedicated faculty member over the summer, this conversion project was undertaken to ensure alignment with contemporary industry demands, curricular uniformity that will allow for knowledge to build semester-to-semester, and enhance the educational experience for biomedical engineering students and provides a framework for others looking to perform similar conversions.The scope of this endeavor encompassed all 11 required undergraduate biomedical engineering classes, across 24 different faculty members assisted by 12 undergraduate students.Courses that were part of the conversion effort included Signals and System, Modeling Cellular Systems, Instrumentation, Biomaterials, and more.Additionally, the initiative extended to cover a spectrum of junior-level track courses, such as Imaging, Biomaterials and Biomechanics, Cellular Engineering, Molecular Engineering, and Fluid Transport.By employing Python, a versatile and widely used programming language, the curriculum was not only modernized but also made accessible to a broader range of students, as our department worked to make the programming content more uniform across the curriculum.This paper delves into the extensive collaborative process used, working across faculty and classes, highlighting the integral role played by undergraduates in the conversion efforts.Through the combined expertise of the faculty member and the students, a systematic approach was employed to meticulously transform MATLAB assignments into Python, ensuring the retention of educational integrity and pedagogical objectives.The challenges faced during this transition, ranging from technical intricacies to pedagogical considerations, are discussed, along with the innovative solutions devised to overcome these hurdles.The successful conversion of these diverse engineering courses signifies a significant milestone in the evolution of Duke's BME engineering education, empowering students with a foundational understanding of Python programming while engaging them in real-world applications within their respective fields.This abstract serves as a testament to the collaborative spirit driving educational innovation, illustrating how the synergy between dedicated faculty and enthusiastic students can bridge the gap between traditional classroom practices and contemporary industry demands.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Creating a Welcoming and Engaging Environment in an Entirely Online Biomedical Engineering Course

  Biomedical Engineering Education · 2020 · 4 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Medical education
  • Psychology
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Creating a Biomedical Engineering Summer Study Abroad Program in Costa Rica

  2020

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Mathematics education

  Abstract Faculty at Duke University created a 6-week summer study abroad program in Costa Rica to allow more biomedical engineers to reap the benefits of study abroad programs. Students could take one of two technical, required engineering courses, either BME 271A: Signals and Systems or Math 353A: Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, taught by faculty from the university, as well as a Costa Rican culture class where students could enhance their Spanish speaking abilities and visit local Costa Rican cultural treasures. Through this program, nearly 10% of our engineers were able to participate in a study abroad experience while satisfying their course requirements. The benefits of study abroad are well known: students improve their language fluency, their cultural understanding, and living in another country greatly enhances their ethno-empathy, that is the ability to put themselves in the shoes of someone from another culture. Despite the well-known benefits, very few of our biomedical engineers participated in study abroad prior to this program. The 3 main reasons cited include 1) inability to find courses that receive transfer credit, 2) an overly constrained engineering curriculum, and 3) many program have prerequisite requirements such as language requirements that our engineers cannot satisfy. In this context, our university created a program for students at all levels of Spanish fluency, where students would take either a biomedical engineering course or a math course. The two technical courses offered were BME ###: Signals and Systems and Math ###: Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations. Both courses are required for biomedical engineers, while the math course is required for all engineers. As part of the program, the students were also required to enroll in a Spanish culture class, which would count for one of their Social Science and Humanities requirements. As part of the BME course, students traveled to MonteVerde, a cloud forest preserve located in the mountains of Costa Rica where they measured the natural frequency of a selection of hanging bridges using accelerometers. Using that data, they then modeled the bridges as second-order, linear differential equations. In addition, the students walked the cloud forests with a naturalist and recorded bird signals. Using their knowledge gained from the course materials such as Fourier Transforms, correlations, and spectrograms, students wrote code that automatically identified birds. The technical courses were taught for six weeks, Monday through Thursdays for three hours each day, creating a challenge to both cover the content of the course and keep the students engaged with the material despite the fast paced, already difficult material. In order to keep the students attentive in the BME course, every other day the course had students complete computer labs instead of lectures, allowing the students to experience the material with their TA and professor present. These few adjustments, as well as the addition of the several technical field trips, created a very engaging course that was relevant to both engineering and the Costa Rican environment. The Pratt in Costa Rica program has completed 2 years of study abroad and the interest in the program has grown. The first year, the program had 20 students participate and the second year our program had 26 students in total. Students expressed a high degree of satisfaction with both courses, as well as with the Spanish culture course that all students were enrolled in. This summer study abroad program has been a valuable and popular addition to the study abroad options for our university and the biomedical engineering department, offering our engineering students a way to experience study abroad that fits with their needs and increases the flexibility of our program.

  PublisherDOI

• Designing a MATLAB-based Escape Room

  2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings · 2020 · 5 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science

  Escape rooms promote creative thinking, teamwork, communication, and cooperation, making them valuable tools for educational applications. However, physical escape rooms can be expensive to construct, impractical for temporary use, and difficult to adapt for large classes. To address these limitations, we designed a MATLAB-based escape room for BME 303L: Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems. BME 303L is generally comprised of approximately 70 undergraduate biomedical engineering students at Duke University each spring. This upper-level core class, taken by juniors and seniors, covers the mathematical and physical bases underlying medical imaging modalities including x-ray, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear medicine.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Creating New Labs for an Existing Required Biomedical Engineering Imaging Course

  2020-09-10

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract In an effort to increase hands on learning in the biomedical engineering curriculum, laboratory components have been added to many core courses at XXXX University. One such course is BME XXX: Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems. Taught for (junior and/or senior) students, this course has an enrollment of 70-80 students each year. The learning objectives of the laboratory modules were to 1) give students a sense of how the equipment works in a real life setting; 2) incorporate elements of creativity and design; 3) improve student performance; 4) increase student interest in the subject material; and 5) give the students the opportunity to learn tangible skills that are applicable in the industry. Throughout the course of the semester, the students experienced a combination of design challenges, lab experiences, and clinical experiences based on the section of the course they were completing. The course had 6 sections, 5 of which had laboratories/experiences associated with them. For the first experience, students developed and printed a 3D imaging phantom to use in all subsequent imaging modalities. This required students to familiarize themselves with Fusion360 and the 3D printers, which satisfied both learning objectives 1 and 5. During the Xray section of the course, the students brought their phantoms to a research imaging facility where they were able to create Xray images and CT images of their phantoms. For the CT portion of the course, students used visible light and simple backprojection to reconstruct a wooden block. For the ultrasound unit, students arrived in the lab to their phantoms obscured by milk and had to use the ultrasound images to identify which phantom was which. For the MRI unit, students traveled to a clinically operating 3T magnet at XXXX hospital and watched while their phantoms were scanned. As an extra credit assignment, students were asked to identify which phantoms had been scanned. The same final exam was administered at the end of the course during semesters with and without the laboratory component. Note that the lecture content of the courses did not change. For the spring 2016 class with no laboratory component, the final exam score was 78.1+/- 11.8 (mean +/- stdev). For the spring 2017 class, the final exam score was 84.6+/-8.3 (mean +/- stdev). Using a t-test, there was a statistically significant difference found (P<.003). Incorporating these hand-on design and image evaluation activities into the class significantly improved student mastery of the course content. As described, the laboratory modules also met the other learning outcomes for the laboratory.

  PublisherDOI

• Morphological studies of the murine heart based on probabilistic and statistical atlases

  Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics · 2011-08-06 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cardiovascular phenotyping of the mouse heart using a 4D radial acquisition and liposomal Gd-DTPA-BMA

  Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · 2010-03-29 · 21 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  MR microscopy has enormous potential for small-animal cardiac imaging because it is capable of producing volumetric images at multiple time points to accurately measure cardiac function. MR has not been used as frequently as ultrasound to measure cardiac function in the small animal because the MR methods required relatively long scan times, limiting throughput. Here, we demonstrate four-dimensional radial acquisition in conjunction with a liposomal blood pool agent to explore functional differences in three populations of mice: six C57BL/6J mice, six DBA/2J mice, and six DBA/2J CSQ+ mice, all with the same gestational age and approximately the same weight. Cardiovascular function was determined by measuring both left ventricular and right ventricular end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, stroke volume, and ejection fraction. Statistical significance was observed in end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, and ejection fraction for left ventricular measurements between all three populations of mice. No statistically significant difference was observed in stroke volume in either the left or right ventricle for any of the three populations of mice. This study shows that MRI is capable of efficient, high-throughput, four-dimensional cardiovascular phenotyping of the mouse.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant P41RR005959

  NIH · $4.6M · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• G. Allan Johnson

  Duke University

  8 shared

• Ketan B. Ghaghada

  Baylor College of Medicine

  5 shared

• Srinivasan Mukundan

  Boston Children's Hospital

  5 shared

• Yi Qi

  3 shared

• Howard A. Rockman

  Duke Medical Center

  3 shared

• Matthew A. Brown

  Pratt Institute

  2 shared

• Cameron Kim

  2 shared

• Laurence W. Hedlund

  2 shared

Awards & honors

• Klein Family Distinguished Teaching Award (2021)
• Lois and John L. Imhoff Distinguished Teaching Award (2014)