Motivation

Another of the many, many, MANY reasons why biomedical engineering (BME) is worthwhile: the first-year cost of a liver transplantation in 1999 was $314,000, plus $21,900 per year after that (Lysaght and O'Loughlin, 2000). That's a lot of money! A LOT of money. Obamacare aside, BME solutions such as a tissue-engineered liver could make huge dents in those numbers, not to mention making treatment available for the many thousands of people who die every year waiting for a liver transplant.

Motivation should never, ever be lacking in BME. Of all the researchers I've met, I perhaps hold the greatest respect for those who are properly motivated.