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Ann Saterbak

Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
101 Science Dr, Department of, Hudson Hall Annex 266, Durham, NC 27708-9976

Overview


Ann Saterbak is director of the Duke Engineering First-Year Experience and a professor of the practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She is a nationally recognized engineering educator with a focus on creating undergraduate programs that broaden students problem solving skills through real-world problems, inquiry-based learning, and hands-on experiences. In fall 2017, she launched a new hands-on design course for first-year Pratt students.

Before coming to Duke, she was the associate dean for engineering education and full teaching professor in bioengineering in the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University. At Rice, she launched a successful first-year engineering design course in which students solved community-based, client-driven problems and built physical prototypes. Her outstanding teaching at Rice was recognized by four university-wide teaching awards. She is the lead author of the textbook Bioengineering Fundamentals.

For her contribution to education within biomedical engineering, she was elected a fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Society of Engineering Education. Saterbak has been a frequent presenter of educational materials at annual ASEE and BMES conferences. In building the undergraduate bioengineering laboratory at Rice, she applied four years of industry experience working at the Shell Development Company.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering · 2017 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Director of the Duke Engineering First Year Experience · 2017 - Present Pratt School of Engineering
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2021 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published October 29, 2024
‘Character Forward’ Aims to Build Better Engineers
Published January 22, 2024
Engineering Solutions in Durham & the World

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Recent Publications


The effect of authentic project-based learning on attitudes and career aspirations in STEM

Journal Article Journal of Research in Science Teaching · January 1, 2019 Can engaging college students in client-centered projects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursework increase interest in STEM professions? The current study explored the effectiveness of project-based learning (PjBL) courses on ... Full text Cite

Evaluating the quality of project summaries for S-STEM proposals

Conference ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings · June 23, 2018 Rice University received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to host workshops designed to help faculty members at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs) develop competitive proposals to the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engi ... Cite

Transformation of design instruction in a low-resource setting

Conference ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings · June 23, 2018 Engineering schools in low-resource settings typically do not have access to makerspaces, which are common in engineering schools in the USA. Without tools or materials to build and iterate prototypes, instructors often assign paper-only design projects. S ... Cite
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Recent Grants


KeyScope: The Key to Sustainable Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Uganda

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Hemosave Device: Real-time quantification of maternal blood loss during Cesarean section

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by VentureWell · 2024 - 2025

Kern Foundation (KEEN) Annual Supplement 2023

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Kern Family Foundation · 2020 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign · 1995 Ph.D.