The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has named Maria Oden, founding director of the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), co-director of Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, and a full teaching professor of Bioengineering in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University, as a winner of the esteemed 2025 AIMBE Professional Impact Award for Education.
These awards recognize individuals who have significantly improved the professional environment within medical and biological engineering. The award was presented during the AIMBE Awards Banquet on March 30, 2025, at the AIMBE annual event in Washington, D.C.
“AIMBE is honored to recognize these distinguished individuals for their transformative impact on medical and biological engineering,” said Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Ph.D., AIMBE President. “Their dedication to innovation, leadership, and mentorship is shaping the future of our field and improving lives.”
Oden was nominated for the Education Award category, which recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions to STEM education, curriculum development, and innovative teaching methods that have improved academic experiences for students.
“As a bioengineer and an educator, it is a huge honor to be recognized by AIMBE for my contributions in advancing STEM education and I am very humbled to be counted among the distinguished educators who have received this honor in the past,” Oden said.”
Oden has 30 years of combined academic, research, and clinical experience in biomedical engineering and engineering design. This solid background has been foundational to her leadership in biomedical engineering and use of engineering education to teach students to identify, innovate, and build devices and technologies that solve real-world problems. Since joining Rice University in 2004, she has cultivated and orchestrated award-winning engineering design programs for students in the Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies.
As director of Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), an appointment she received in 2008 with the opening of the now 20,000-square-foot design studio, Oden collaborates with Rice faculty members to develop and implement engineering design and innovation curriculum programs for undergraduate students. The OEDK houses ready access to all the tools, supplies and resources students need as they work in teams to invent, test, and carry ideas and devices to their intended point of application. It is also in this innovation space that students are presented with the unique hands-on engineering design challenges brought by institutes of the Texas Medical Center, industry, and local community leaders and international partners. Throughout this cumulative learning process, OEDK faculty and partners also serve as mentors to students.
Student users of the OEDK grew from 250 in 2009 to over 1,000 in recent years. Courses that use the OEDK have increased from fewer than 10 to well over 40 classes. Over 1,700 student teams have used OEDK over the years. Of these, more than 50 have won national and international design awards and grants, and more than 45 students have obtained patents for their inventions.
Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies - another program Oden co-directs - is an interdisciplinary institute at Rice that develops highly effective, low-cost healthcare solutions for underserved communities and educates future leaders to innovate and implement solutions. It has become a leader in global health innovation and research.
With community, industry, and global partners, OEDK and Rice360 students have developed several low-cost innovations for newborn care that have undergone clinical testing and are in use internationally.
“OEDK and Rice360 have transformed and enhanced how our students learn and apply engineering design principles to create innovative, elegant, and sustainable solutions for real-world problems,” Oden said. “While I am extremely proud of all the solutions and products our students have developed over the years, it is particularly gratifying to witness the tremendous growth experienced by students who participate in these programs, as they learn to become strong engineers, innovators, team players, and future leaders. I’m forever amazed by the profound impact of high-quality education and mentorship in not just transforming the lives and careers of these students but all those who will benefit from their innovations and discoveries for years to come.’”