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What Our Members Say About IBE

The Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) Annual Conference is more than just a meeting—it’s a community. Our 2025 attendee survey highlights the unique value of IBE for students, faculty, industry professionals, and retirees alike.

Who Attends?

  • Students: 45%

  • Faculty: 45%

  • Industry Professionals: 10%

IBE is a diverse community where students and established professionals engage side by side.

Membership

  • Members: 85%

  • Non-Members: 15%

Most attendees are already active members, but each year, many new participants discover the benefits of IBE for the first time.

Satisfaction

  • Overall Experience:

    • 100% rated their experience highly (45% “Very Good,” 55% “Excellent”)

  • Future Attendance:

    • 90% said they are “Likely” or “Very Likely” to attend again

  • Conference Content:

    • 95% said the program met or exceeded expectations

Sessions & Programming

Attendees found the following sessions most valuable:

  • Keynotes & Oral Presentations (75%)

  • Poster Sessions (70%)

  • Workshops & Panels (45%)

  • Networking Events (45%)

For future conferences, participants asked for more industry/entrepreneurship panels (60%), professional development sessions (55%), and networking opportunities (50%).

Networking & Community

  • Made New Professional Connections:

    • 90% met new people (30% “a few,” 60% “many”)

  • Rated Networking Opportunities:

    • 70% rated them “Good” to “Excellent”

  • Community Atmosphere:

    • 90% described IBE as “Very Welcoming & Supportive”

In Their Own Words

“An eclectic gathering of engineers from a diverse range of bio-based technologies and areas of application.”

“Excellent representation from a variety of backgrounds… very inspiring.”

“Fun and helpful to connect with biological engineering industries, people, and topics.”

“The community is extremely welcoming and truly looks to progress research in a supportive manner.”

“Terrific opportunities for students and new faculty members to step into leadership roles.”

What Makes IBE Special?

Participants emphasized:

  • A close-knit, welcoming environment

  • Strong student involvement and leadership opportunities

  • Broad diversity of fields and participants (9th graders to faculty to industry)

  • Unique opportunities to interact with both academia and industry

  • Leadership opportunities

As attendees summed it up:

“It was a great experience to learn more about biological engineering in a national setting. The community is extremely welcoming and truly looks to progress research in a supportive manner. This is a great conference that seamlessly combines students, industry, and academia in an inspiring way to push everyone's careers and/or research.”

"IBE is like home."

IBE continues to bring together passionate researchers, students, and professionals who are shaping the future of biology-inspired engineering.