New Programs Coming to Marymount University’s College of Sciences and Humanities

Author:  Piérre Ramon Thomas

Photos by Unsplash

ARLINGTON, VA (November 16, 2021) – The College of Sciences and Humanities is developing two new programs: a Master of Science in Biomedical & Biomechanical Engineering and a Spanish for Heritage Speakers Certificate. Physics professor, Dr. Eric Bubar, is the program coordinator for the Biomedical & Bioengineering Program, and Victor Betancourt, assistant vice president from Global Engagement, is the program coordinator for the Spanish for Heritage Speakers program.

“To develop a new program,” said Dean Marnel Niles-Goins, dean for the College of Science and Humanities, “the department must first collect and gather information, data, and market analysis. Once that is obtained, faculty must plan and develop the program or the curriculum. And then, the program must be approved at different levels: the College Curriculum Committee (CCC), the Academic Program Budgeting and Planning (APBP) Committee, and finally, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOS).” The Biomedical & Biomechanical Engineering program is pending approval with SACSCOS, and the Spanish for Heritage Speakers program has been sent to the APBP Committee on October 6, according to Niles-Goins.

Bubar said the objective for the program is,

“To teach engineering to students to help people. That’s the goal in general.”

His office, albeit cluttered, is riddled with robotics, mechanical devices, and a project he’s most proud of and shows off called Guardian Angel Gear. “Students will be able to create prosthetics, orthotics, and other marketable products like these. We’ve partnered with the Fashion and Business School; the idea is to create prosthetics that people can wear.” 

As far as careers and occupations students can expect to obtain after obtaining a Biomedical & Biomechanical Engineering degree, Bubar said, “A lot of things. Professional engineers. They could work in labs. They could open their own businesses and become entrepreneurs. Or, they could go to graduate school.” He’s working on an email with details of the program to send to interested students. 

Betancourt projects program readiness by Fall ‘22. He’s “spearheading the initiative”, according to him, because, “Marymount University has a high percentage of Latino students. Not all of them consider themselves ‘heritage speakers’. Providing this program will enhance their Spanish-speaking skills, enhance their level of bilingualism, and widen their career opportunities. The outcome will be a better command of the language in written and oral form.”

According to the journal article “Heritage language and linguistic theory” published in Frontiers in Psychology, and Growing Global Citizens, a ‘heritage speaker’ is an individual who grew up in a household or community where the language of their culture was spoken, who, to some degree, has learned that cultural language, but became most proficient in the more common or dominant language of the larger society in which they live. Heritage speakers are considered to be bilingual, but, more often than not, have not learned the mechanics (spelling and punctuation) or grammar of their cultural language.

Is proficiency in Spanish a prerequisite before enrolling in the Spanish for Heritage Speakers Certificate program? Betancourt answered,

“Knowledge of the language is required. We have metrics to determine the proficiency level of the Spanish speaker.”

Students will be able to enhance their knowledge of Spanish for any career setting, said Betancourt, like in the health professions for example. But the certificate is not targeted for one specific career. Future students will be able to expand their vocabulary and to better communicate professionally, said the program coordinator. Two years are envisioned to obtain the certificate.