Course Descriptions

This course varies by semester and covers topics not covered in the other coursework. The course may not be offered every semester. For each semester it is offered a description will be included in HUB.

Basic principles molecular and cell biology and introductory physiology in the context of biomedical engineering. Topics include basic human molecular biology, structure-function of biomolecules, cell architecture, cell membrane, membrane transport, cell communication, cell cycle, basic genetics, tissue hemostasis, basic biological activities, and organization of human body. Understanding of molecular and cellular principles in physiological and pathological condition. Application of basic biology in engineering application. Use of engineering principles to understand biological systems.

Mathematics, modeling, and computation are pervasive in biomedical engineering. This course is designed to develop an advanced proficiency in the use of mathematics, statistics, and computation to solve realistic problems in biomedical engineering research and practice. Analytical and numerical approaches with basic computer programming techniques will be used for biomedical problems. Course will focus on technical skills in the context of modeling efforts that are used to represent real-life problems in biology and medicine related to transport phenomena, biosignal processing, and image analysis.

This course is a seminar-style open discussion course that focuses on literature critical review in the field of biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine. Small interdisciplinary groups will scour online databases for journal articles of interest or research groups associated with a particular research topic. Topics will include but not be limited to: biomaterial interfaces relevant to a particular disease or injury; novel mechanisms for drug delivery; recent significant findings in tissue engineering; gene therapy; research findings that can potentially be applied to cancer therapy; and others. Students will have a series of training on how to effectively dissect a journal article, and will lead discussion that critically assesses the methods, outcomes, and implications of the studied work. As needed, the professor will provide mini-lectures explaining fundamental issues underpinning the articles discussed. Students will also have opportunities to practice scientific writing and scientific presentation.

This course covers the application of fundamental engineering principles in momentum, heat and mass transfer to biomedical systems. Flow in normal physiological function and pathological conditions. Topics include circulatory and respiratory flows, effect of flow on cellular processes, transport in the arterial wall. Heat exchange between the biomedical system and its environment and mass transfer across cell membranes, in tissues and organs. Convective and diffusive movement and reaction of molecules in biological  systems. Kinetics of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions in biological environments. Mechanism and models of transport across membranes. Convective diffusion with and without chemical reaction. Transfer of gas, liquids, and solids in physiological and pathological conditions. Design and analysis of transport process in drug delivery, tissue engineering, tumors and relevant examples.

This course will introduce the concepts and approaches for biomaterial application in the field of regenerative medicine. Significance and role of biomaterials in tissue regeneration, drug delivery, sensors and imaging. Chemical, physical, thermal, mechanical properties of polymers, natural material, ceramics and metals as biomaterials Response of biomaterials. Material sources, scale-up, processing and manufacturability. Methodologies for scaffolding, surface modification and recognition, micro/nanoparticle fabrication. Current status of biomaterial development.

The course describes the fundamental composition, structure, property and performance relationships in controlled release technology used in biomedical, biotechnological and other release system. Fundamental engineering principles are used to describe and model the controlled release mechanism and its relevance to design, optimize and develop controlled release devices in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The course will introduce and explain the barriers for controlled release and introduce technologies to overcome these barriers. Mechanism of controlled release, models of release mechanisms, fundamental equations, kinetics of release, and development of clinically and industrially relevant controlled release devices will be discussed. Emphasis on quantitative analysis of transport and release kinetics and application of these engineering principles for designing controlled release system.

This course covers the structure-property relationship of materials used in biological system for analysis and design of materials at the molecular level. Topics includes understanding of molecular interactions of natural and synthetic materials in a physiological and pathological environment to design, synthesize and process biomaterials in tissue engineering, drug delivery, bio-recognition, sensors and vaccines. Understanding the current strategies and approaches with the state-of-the-art materials in biotechnology and biomedical engineering.

This course focuses on the design, fabrication and operation of microsensors for biomedical applications. The course begins with an overview of sensing concepts in general (sensitivity vs selectivity, linearity, drift, etc) and then covers measurement and detection limits. Then it covers sensing methods. There is a discussion of microfabrication techniques as they apply to microsensors, for silicon-based devices and organic devices. Microarrays are also introduced. Finally the course finishes with a discussion of state-of-the-art point-of-care devices and a discussions of FDA regulations.

This course is a technical introduction to pattern classification and machine learning with a focus on biomedical data. Students will learn the details of classical and modern machine learning approaches and when to apply them. We will focus on applications to biomedical problems, including quantification, disease diagnosis, patient classification, and decision support systems. The lecture materials will be a mix of theory and application.

This course will cover two main topics including the principles of optical photon transport in biological tissues and various optical imaging techniques. The former topic includes an introduction to biomedical optics, Monte Carlo modeling of photon transport, radiative transfer equation and diffusion theory, hybrid Monte Carlo method and diffusion theory, and optical spectroscopy. The later part covers ballistic imaging, optical coherence tomography, diffuse optical tomography, photoacoustic tomography, and ultrasound-modulated optical tomography.

This course is designed for BME seniors and graduate students. This course content covers the fundamentals of biomedical optics and ultrasound and their applications in medical imaging and therapy.

This course will cover four main topics including (1) Molecular Imaging Technologies summarize the different macro, meso, and microscopic imaging technologies currently available, (2) Contrast Agents of Molecular Imaging summaries the chemical approaches to imaging probe designs for different imaging modalities, (3) Molecular Probes of Molecular Imaging is focused on protein engineering, vectors, and pathways, and (4) Applications of Molecular Imaging introduces preclinical and clinical applications.

The course content is directed towards developing a fundamental knowledge of orthopedic basic science and engineering (functional anatomy, biology, injury mechanisms, and repair techniques/devices). This course will expose students to problem-oriented design with special emphasis on practical problems encountered in orthopedic surgery.

This course will cover relevant aspects of metallurgy, materials science, surface science, corrosion science, and electrochemical characterization of metallic biomaterials commonly used for orthopedic and dental applications.

This course introduces rehabilitation engineering to students, providing them with the skills to identify and design technology for stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The objectives are:

• Provide in-depth familiarity of neurorehabilitation and underlying phenomena in the neurophysiology.
• Provide analytical experience of existing technologies and the problems associated with their use in hospitals.
• Provide design related work, conceptual, theoretical, and practical applications into the design of a new rehabilitation technology.
• Provide professional quality preparation of system engineering designs for clinical devices in rehabilitation systems.

This course provides an introduction to both the mechanical behavior of cell and tissues and the biological responses of these biological systems to mechanical stimuli. Topics include subcellular and cellular mechanics, tissue mechanics, experimental methods and theoretical modeling for cell and tissue mechanics, mechanotransduction, mechanoregulation of development, mechanoregulation of diseases, experimental methods for mechanobiology.

The course will introduce students to the field of Neural Engineering that represents the application of Engineering to Neurosciences. After an introduction to the nervous system and basic neurophysiology (from the book: Principles of Neural Science), we will focus on the computational models and technologies for neural interfaces towards monitoring and activating neural function in health and disease (from the book: Neural Engineering).

This course covers topics related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including: Magnetic resonance signal generation and detection; spatial encodings; image formation and reconstruction; image contrasts; biomedical applications; advanced imaging techniques.

Qualification of biologically/clinically relevant information from biomedical images using computational tools is an important topic. This knowledge is needed in any biomedical discipline. The proposed course will develop biomedical engineering students' knowledge and skills on applying theoretical concepts in biomedical microscopy image analysis to quantify information which answers pertinent biological questions. First goal is to discuss the heterogeneity involved in the structural shapes of biological cells and tissues, and thus how the analysis of microscopy images of such biomedical objects becomes challenging. Then, we will discuss about diverse microscopy images based on quality checks to ensure that the data is good for biological quantification. Quantitative training will focus on providing knowledge in applying computational tools to analyze biomedical images.

This class is an introduction to fundamental aspects of Computer tomography Principles, design Artifacts and Recent Advances. Students will learn basic description of the reconstruction, artifacts and image representation associate with the Computed Tomography Acquisition.

This course focuses on data and image processing using LabVIEW. Concepts related to medical image display, processing and analysis will be covered. The class material covers graphical basic LabVIEW features, which can be used for measurements, data acquisition, instrument control, datalogging and data analysis.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as a non-invasive diagnostic modality, has become an important and powerful tool for biomedical research and clinical diagnosis. Knowledge of MR system and basic principle and design of MR hardware is essential to use this tool and help to develop more efficient MR methods and exploit its new functions. The objectives of this course are to gain the following knowledge through lectures and hands-on training projects.

• What MRI is; what it can do as a non-invasive and quantitative imaging tool for biomedical applications, and what its advantages and limitations are;
• Systematic knowledge of magnetic resonance principles, clinical MR imaging systems and hardware, and current challenges and solutions for high and ultrahigh field MR;
• MR image formation methodology and know how to generate a MR image with a desired contrast;
• How to design and construct simple RF transceivers/coils for MR signal excitation and acquisition in certain in-vivo MR applications;
• General knowledge of the MR transmitter and receiver system and their role in a clinical MR imager.

Nanotechnology is rapidly having a transformational impact on medicine. This main goal of this course is to introduce new and exciting recent advances in nanotechnology, with respect to medical and biomedical engineering applications. Topics covered will include how emerging concepts in nanotechnology can impact diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to medical applications. Students will be asked to present and lead topic discussions, prepare literature reviews, and draft and evaluate NIH-style proposals.

This course will introduce principles and applications of micro/nanotechnologies for biomedicine. Topics include biomimetic nanostructure, micro/nanofabrication, micro/nanofluidics, nanomedicine, biosensors, BioMEMS, micro/nano-manipulation and nanotoxicology. 

An introduction into design and fabrication of microelectro mechanical systems for biological and biomedical applications (BioMEMS). Goal is to introduce students to the practice of device fabrication including mask layout, photolithography, chemical etching, thin film deposition, and polymer micromolding through hands on laboratory sessions. Basic cleanroom etiquette and device metrology will also be covered.

This course allows students to obtain credits for their Biomedical Engineering degree while applying the skills and knowledge in an industry position. This is a variable unit course, up to three (3) credits. The number of credits to be earned is designated by the number of credits for which the student registers. For each credit hour, a minimum of forty-five (45) hours at the internship or jobsite must be completed.

To enroll in BE 596, students must complete the Graduate Internship Proposal Form.

Student's enroll in this course when conducting research pertaining to and during the completion of their Master's Project. This course is required for students completing a Project, and only Project students are allowed to take it towards their degree requirements.

To enroll in BE 597, students must complete the Request to Enroll Form.

This informal course allows students to perform directed research in an independent study to explore a specific problem or topic. The student will present their findings in an NIH-style paper or presentation as directed by their faculty advisor at the end of the term.

Student's enroll in this course when conducting research pertaining to and during the completion of their Master's thesis.

To enroll in BE 599, studemts must complete the Request to Enroll Form.

This course is intended for PhD students in biomedical engineering. Its purpose is to train students in methodologies and practices used in biomedical engineering research. In the first semester, PhD students will be given exposure to materials that will bolster their research abilities and awareness. The students will be taught how to conduct literature searches, identify all published research, develop the new idea, understand biomedical experimental designs, identify relevant in vivo models and formulate these into a research proposal.

This is the second part in a two-semester course intended for PhD students in biomedical engineering. Its purpose is to train these students in methodologies and practices used in biomedical engineering research. This course will focus on student research and presentation of common biomedical research techniques and culminate in a presentation to a graduate faculty committee.

Student's enroll in this course when conducting research pertaining to and during the completion of their PhD dissertation.

To enroll in BE 699, students must complete the Request to Enroll Form.