Courses and Requirements 2012-2013

In 2011, a revised bioengineering curriculum was designed. The curriculum first has students take foundational courses in math, science, and engineering. Then students take two core courses in biology, biomechanics, and bioinstrumentation. Students take a capstone design course in their final year and fulfill their graduation requirements by taking bioengineering upper level electives.

Full details of the curriculum are in the Academic Register and also described below.

Requirements for the Major: The Bioengineering major requires courses in 1) math, science and general engineering, 2) foundation and core courses in bioengineering, 3) bioengineering electives, and 4) a capstone design course.

1. Required courses in math, science and general engineering.

Calculus through MTH-117; MTH-130 (Differential Equations); CSC-10X (Introduction to Computer Science); ESC-100 (Exploring Engineering); PHY-120 (Matter in Motion) and PHY-121 (Principles of Electromagnetics); CHM-101 (Introductory Chemistry I) or CHM-110 (Accelerated Introductory Chemistry).

2. Required foundation and core courses in bioengineering.

BNG-101 (Graphics and Image Processing for Biomedical Systems); BNG-201 (Biomechanics I); BNG-202 Biomechanics II; two additional courses in biomechanics (BNG-33X or BNG-34X); BIO-112 (Physiology of Cells and Organisms); BIO-225 (Molecular Biology of the Cell); two additional >300-level biology courses, one with lab, pre-med students may substitute BIO-110 for the non-lab course requirement; ECE-225 (Electric Circuits); ECE-240 (Circuits and Systems); ECE-241 (Discrete Systems); BNG-386 (Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation).

3. Bioengineering electives.

Five courses from BNG, ECE, CSC-243 or other engineering courses subject to approval (but not BNG-240 or BNG-375), one must have a lab and at least three must be >300 level.

4. Capstone design.

BNG-495 (Bioengineering Capstone Design)

Requirements for Honors.

The criteria for graduating with honors in Bioengineering are: (1) cumulative index of at least 3.3; (2) index in major courses of at least 3.3 with at least an A- in at least three major courses; (3) final six terms of courses at Union. The major courses are listed under “Required foundation and core courses in bioengineering,” “Bioengineering electives” and also BNG-495.

Requirements for the Minor:

A minimum of six courses taken outside the major department organized around the following:

Core Course Requirements: BIO-112, BNG-240, ESC-100, MTH-112 (or MTH-113 or equivalent), PHY-110 (or PHY-120)

Upper-Level Course Requirements

Engineering and Computer Science Majors: Three courses from the following: 200 level or above biology or bioengineering courses and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210. Third and fourth year students entering the Minor may opt to take an additional 200 level or above course instead of BNG-240.

Biological Sciences Majors: Three courses from the following: 200 level or above engineering (BNG, MER, ECE, CSC) courses and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210. Third and fourth year students entering the Minor may opt to take an additional 200 level or above course instead of ESC-100.

Other Majors: Three 200 level or above courses in biology, engineering and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210 with approval by the Program Directors.

Course Selection Guidelines

Placement. Students will receive credit for AP or IB courses following the guidelines of the appropriate supporting department.

Course Sequence. Students should consult with their academic advisor and the following yearly requirements when scheduling courses. Some 300 level courses are not offered every year, and some of these courses will be taken outside of the year indicated.

Senior Projects. Students interested in working with a faculty member on a two-term Senior Project should meet with potential faculty advisors during their junior year to identify a project; students should notify a Program Director when this process is complete. The first course (BNG-497) will count as a Free Elective and BNG-498 will count as a BNG Elective.

First Year:

BIO-112, CHM-101, CSC-10X, ESC-100, FPR-100, MTH-113⁽ⁱ⁾, MTH-115⁽ⁱ⁾, PHY-120⁽ⁱ⁾, PHY-121⁽ⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Second Year

BIO-225, BNG-101, BNG-201, BNG-202, ECE-225, ECE-240, MTH-130, SRS-200, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Third Year⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾

BIO-3XX^(iv), BNG-386, BNG-33X or BNG-34X^(v), ECE-241, MTH-117, BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

Fourth Year

BIO-3XX^(iv), BNG-33X or BNG-34X^(v), BNG-495, BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

⁽ⁱ⁾Alternative mathematics and physics sequences are possible depending on the preparation of the student.

⁽ⁱⁱ⁾The Elective courses must be satisfied as follows: five Common Curriculum courses and five Free Electives. Students planning to attend medical school should take CHM-231/232 (organic chemistry) as electives and BIO-110 as a >300 level Biology course (see note ^iv below).

⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾The Linguistic and Cultural Competency component of the Common Curriculum is recommended to be satisfied in the third year through a Term Abroad during Fall Term.

^(iv)Biological Science courses must be >300 level and one requires lab. Pre-med students may use BIO-110 to satisfy the non-lab course requirement.

^(v)Bioengineering courses BNG 330-349 represent courses in the Biomechanics area.

^(vi)The BNG Elective courses include any five courses from BNG, ECE, CSC-243 or other engineering courses subject to approval; one must have a lab and at least three must be >300 level.

Courses for Major

BNG-101. Graphics and Image Processing for Biomedical Systems (Fall; Catravas, Cotter). Students will learn how to create objects, assemblies, and engineering drawings using SolidWorks, a solid modeling software. Students will also be introduced to the fundamentals of image acquisition and processing in biomedical systems and the use of block diagrams to construct more complex processing systems. There is a weekly laboratory.

BNG-201. Biomechanics I (Winter, Mafi). A basic biomechanics course concerned with two- and three-dimensional force systems, equilibrium and distributed forces. These topics will be studied in the context of the musculoskeletal system. This course also introduces strength and elastic deflection of biological tissues due to loads applied axially, in torsion, in bending, and in shear. Shear and bending moment diagrams, friction, and area moments of inertia will be introduced. Prerequisites: MTH-110 or equivalent and PHY-120. There is a weekly laboratory.

BNG-202. Biomechanics II (Spring, Khetan). Kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies in planar motion with applications to human motion analysis. The course includes Newtonian and energy approaches to problem solutions. Prerequisite: BNG-201. There is a weekly laboratory.

BNG-240. Introduction to Bioengineering (Not offered in 2012-13). In this course, students will explore the application of engineering principles and analyses to the study of biological systems and seek to understand the potential benefits and constraints of engineered materials and devices in medical and environmental applications. The course will cover principles of solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and biosignals. Topics include the mechanics of support and locomotion, biofluids, and neuro-muscular signal acquisition and processing. Prerequisites: MTH-110 or equivalent and one course in BIO, CHM or PHY that counts towards the major.

BNG-311. Advanced Mechanics (Not offered in 2012-2013). Advanced biomechanics topics in stress analysis, deflection and stiffness, failure analysis, fracture mechanics, fatigue. Prerequisite: BNG-202.

BNG-331. Cell-Tissue-Material Interaction (Spring; Same as BIO-231, Khetan). Study interactions between living cells, tissues and implant biomaterials, with a focus on molecular and cellular level phenomena in the initiation and generation of tissue and systemic responses. Prerequisite: BIO-112.

BNG-338. Mechanobiology (Winter, Currey). This course will focus on the mechanical regulation of biological systems. The topics covered include principles and concepts of mechanobiology; embryogenesis and histogenesis of tissues with a focus on the skeletal system; physical forces at the cellular, tissue, and organ level; mechanical regulation of cellular behavior, tissue growth and organ development. Prerequisite: BNG-201 or MER-214.

BNG-344. Biomechanics of Human Motion (Fall; Same as MER-344, Khetan). Study of the dynamics of human motion through a series of modules comprised of lecture and laboratory activities. The modules will include: musculoskeletal modeling with inertial effects, determination of mass moments of inertia of body segments, principle mass moments of inertia, instrumentation used in kinematics and kinetics analyses, numerical differentiation and integration and terrestrial locomotion. Prerequisite: BNG-202 or MER-212.

BNG-345. Orthopedic Biomechanics (Winter, Same as MER-345, Currey). This course will examine issues in the field of Orthopaedic Biomechanics. We will explore the current state of knee, dental, spinal, and other orthopaedic implants. We will also look at treatments available for fracture healing. Prerequisite: BNG-201 or MER-214.

BNG-346. Soft Tissue Mechanics (Winter; Same as MER-346, Ramasubramanian). Introduction to the mechanical behavior of biological soft tissues including ligament, tendon, skeletal muscle, articular cartilage, intervertebral disc, and skin. Topics include the hierarchical structure, function, properties, and constitutive modeling of each tissue. Prerequisite: MER-214 or permission of the instructor.

BNG-375. Animal Locomotion (Not offered in 2012-13). This course examines the evolutionary diversity of animal locomotion by investigating how physical properties of both the organisms and their environment affect the biochemistry, anatomy and physiology of movement. This course also uses engineering principles to explain animal locomotor mechanisms of animals. One lab per week. Prerequisites: BIO-112 and PHY-110 (or PHY-120).

BNG-386. Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation (Winter; Same as ECE-386, Buma). Introduction to the theory and application of instruments in medicine. Measurements of the major systems in the body are covered. A weekly laboratory provides an opportunity to perform measurements and use biomedical instruments. Prerequisite: ECE-240.

BNG-397 Biometric Signal Processing (Winter; Same as ECE-377, Cotter). This course details how signal processing is applied to create biometric systems, which are technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics. These systems are widely used today in security and forensic applications. The course will reinforce many of the fundamental concepts that students have learned in their introductory DSP course and will cover both 1D (voice) and 2D (face and fingerprint) biometrics. Students will be introduced to image processing, pattern recognition, and the statistics used to measure the performance of biometric systems. The important societal and ethical issues involved in the design and deployment of biometric systems will be addressed. Prerequisites: ECE-241 and CSC-103, 104, 105, 106, 107 or 109. One lab per week.

BNG-487. Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (Spring, Buma). Introduction to the applications of signal processing methods in the measurement of biomedical signals. Processing of one dimensional signals (e.g., ECG) and two dimensional image signals (e.g., fMRI) are covered. Prerequisites: ECE-241 and CSC-109, 103, 104, 105, 106, or 107.

BNG-495. Bioengineering Capstone Design (Winter; Currey, Khetan). A capstone design experience in which students work in teams comprised of at least one member from each track in Bioengineering. Each team will use design methodologies and techniques to produce a complete and detailed design for a designated bioengineering client. The course will be instructed by a team comprised of faculty from each track and from Biological Sciences. Co-Requisite: BNG-311, MER-311 or ECE-241.

BNG-497. Bioengineering Senior Project 1. Capstone research or design project, performed either independently or as a team, under the supervision of one or more faculty participating in the Bioengineering program..

BNG-498. Bioengineering Senior Project 2. Capstone research or design project, performed either independently or as a team, under the supervision of one or more faculty participating in the Bioengineering program. Prerequisite: BNG-497.

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Bioengineering Home Courses and Requirements Academic Advising Faculty & Staff Facilities Student Projects Resources for Students Resources for Faculty Resources for Undergraduate Education Outreach Funding Accreditation Contacts	Courses and Requirements 2012-2013 In 2011, a revised bioengineering curriculum was designed. The curriculum first has students take foundational courses in math, science, and engineering. Then students take two core courses in biology, biomechanics, and bioinstrumentation. Students take a capstone design course in their final year and fulfill their graduation requirements by taking bioengineering upper level electives. Full details of the curriculum are in the Academic Register and also described below. Requirements for the Major: The Bioengineering major requires courses in 1) math, science and general engineering, 2) foundation and core courses in bioengineering, 3) bioengineering electives, and 4) a capstone design course. 1. Required courses in math, science and general engineering. Calculus through MTH-117; MTH-130 (Differential Equations); CSC-10X (Introduction to Computer Science); ESC-100 (Exploring Engineering); PHY-120 (Matter in Motion) and PHY-121 (Principles of Electromagnetics); CHM-101 (Introductory Chemistry I) or CHM-110 (Accelerated Introductory Chemistry). 2. Required foundation and core courses in bioengineering. BNG-101 (Graphics and Image Processing for Biomedical Systems); BNG-201 (Biomechanics I); BNG-202 Biomechanics II; two additional courses in biomechanics (BNG-33X or BNG-34X); BIO-112 (Physiology of Cells and Organisms); BIO-225 (Molecular Biology of the Cell); two additional >300-level biology courses, one with lab, pre-med students may substitute BIO-110 for the non-lab course requirement; ECE-225 (Electric Circuits); ECE-240 (Circuits and Systems); ECE-241 (Discrete Systems); BNG-386 (Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation). 3. Bioengineering electives. Five courses from BNG, ECE, CSC-243 or other engineering courses subject to approval (but not BNG-240 or BNG-375), one must have a lab and at least three must be >300 level. 4. Capstone design. BNG-495 (Bioengineering Capstone Design) Requirements for Honors. The criteria for graduating with honors in Bioengineering are: (1) cumulative index of at least 3.3; (2) index in major courses of at least 3.3 with at least an A- in at least three major courses; (3) final six terms of courses at Union. The major courses are listed under “Required foundation and core courses in bioengineering,” “Bioengineering electives” and also BNG-495. Requirements for the Minor: A minimum of six courses taken outside the major department organized around the following: Core Course Requirements: BIO-112, BNG-240, ESC-100, MTH-112 (or MTH-113 or equivalent), PHY-110 (or PHY-120) Upper-Level Course Requirements Engineering and Computer Science Majors: Three courses from the following: 200 level or above biology or bioengineering courses and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210. Third and fourth year students entering the Minor may opt to take an additional 200 level or above course instead of BNG-240. Biological Sciences Majors: Three courses from the following: 200 level or above engineering (BNG, MER, ECE, CSC) courses and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210. Third and fourth year students entering the Minor may opt to take an additional 200 level or above course instead of ESC-100. Other Majors: Three 200 level or above courses in biology, engineering and/or PHY-200 or PHY-210 with approval by the Program Directors. Course Selection Guidelines Placement. Students will receive credit for AP or IB courses following the guidelines of the appropriate supporting department. Course Sequence. Students should consult with their academic advisor and the following yearly requirements when scheduling courses. Some 300 level courses are not offered every year, and some of these courses will be taken outside of the year indicated. Senior Projects. Students interested in working with a faculty member on a two-term Senior Project should meet with potential faculty advisors during their junior year to identify a project; students should notify a Program Director when this process is complete. The first course (BNG-497) will count as a Free Elective and BNG-498 will count as a BNG Elective. First Year: BIO-112, CHM-101, CSC-10X, ESC-100, FPR-100, MTH-113⁽ⁱ⁾, MTH-115⁽ⁱ⁾, PHY-120⁽ⁱ⁾, PHY-121⁽ⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ Second Year BIO-225, BNG-101, BNG-201, BNG-202, ECE-225, ECE-240, MTH-130, SRS-200, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ Third Year⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾ BIO-3XX^(iv), BNG-386, BNG-33X or BNG-34X^(v), ECE-241, MTH-117, BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ Fourth Year BIO-3XX^(iv), BNG-33X or BNG-34X^(v), BNG-495, BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), BNG-Elective^(vi), Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾, Elective⁽ⁱⁱ⁾ ⁽ⁱ⁾Alternative mathematics and physics sequences are possible depending on the preparation of the student. ⁽ⁱⁱ⁾The Elective courses must be satisfied as follows: five Common Curriculum courses and five Free Electives. Students planning to attend medical school should take CHM-231/232 (organic chemistry) as electives and BIO-110 as a >300 level Biology course (see note ^iv below). ⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾The Linguistic and Cultural Competency component of the Common Curriculum is recommended to be satisfied in the third year through a Term Abroad during Fall Term. ^(iv)Biological Science courses must be >300 level and one requires lab. Pre-med students may use BIO-110 to satisfy the non-lab course requirement. ^(v)Bioengineering courses BNG 330-349 represent courses in the Biomechanics area. ^(vi)The BNG Elective courses include any five courses from BNG, ECE, CSC-243 or other engineering courses subject to approval; one must have a lab and at least three must be >300 level. Courses for Major BNG-101. Graphics and Image Processing for Biomedical Systems (Fall; Catravas, Cotter). Students will learn how to create objects, assemblies, and engineering drawings using SolidWorks, a solid modeling software. Students will also be introduced to the fundamentals of image acquisition and processing in biomedical systems and the use of block diagrams to construct more complex processing systems. There is a weekly laboratory. BNG-201. Biomechanics I (Winter, Mafi). A basic biomechanics course concerned with two- and three-dimensional force systems, equilibrium and distributed forces. These topics will be studied in the context of the musculoskeletal system. This course also introduces strength and elastic deflection of biological tissues due to loads applied axially, in torsion, in bending, and in shear. Shear and bending moment diagrams, friction, and area moments of inertia will be introduced. Prerequisites: MTH-110 or equivalent and PHY-120. There is a weekly laboratory. BNG-202. Biomechanics II (Spring, Khetan). Kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies in planar motion with applications to human motion analysis. The course includes Newtonian and energy approaches to problem solutions. Prerequisite: BNG-201. There is a weekly laboratory. BNG-240. Introduction to Bioengineering (Not offered in 2012-13). In this course, students will explore the application of engineering principles and analyses to the study of biological systems and seek to understand the potential benefits and constraints of engineered materials and devices in medical and environmental applications. The course will cover principles of solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and biosignals. Topics include the mechanics of support and locomotion, biofluids, and neuro-muscular signal acquisition and processing. Prerequisites: MTH-110 or equivalent and one course in BIO, CHM or PHY that counts towards the major. BNG-311. Advanced Mechanics (Not offered in 2012-2013). Advanced biomechanics topics in stress analysis, deflection and stiffness, failure analysis, fracture mechanics, fatigue. Prerequisite: BNG-202. BNG-331. Cell-Tissue-Material Interaction (Spring; Same as BIO-231, Khetan). Study interactions between living cells, tissues and implant biomaterials, with a focus on molecular and cellular level phenomena in the initiation and generation of tissue and systemic responses. Prerequisite: BIO-112. BNG-338. Mechanobiology (Winter, Currey). This course will focus on the mechanical regulation of biological systems. The topics covered include principles and concepts of mechanobiology; embryogenesis and histogenesis of tissues with a focus on the skeletal system; physical forces at the cellular, tissue, and organ level; mechanical regulation of cellular behavior, tissue growth and organ development. Prerequisite: BNG-201 or MER-214. BNG-344. Biomechanics of Human Motion (Fall; Same as MER-344, Khetan). Study of the dynamics of human motion through a series of modules comprised of lecture and laboratory activities. The modules will include: musculoskeletal modeling with inertial effects, determination of mass moments of inertia of body segments, principle mass moments of inertia, instrumentation used in kinematics and kinetics analyses, numerical differentiation and integration and terrestrial locomotion. Prerequisite: BNG-202 or MER-212. BNG-345. Orthopedic Biomechanics (Winter, Same as MER-345, Currey). This course will examine issues in the field of Orthopaedic Biomechanics. We will explore the current state of knee, dental, spinal, and other orthopaedic implants. We will also look at treatments available for fracture healing. Prerequisite: BNG-201 or MER-214. BNG-346. Soft Tissue Mechanics (Winter; Same as MER-346, Ramasubramanian). Introduction to the mechanical behavior of biological soft tissues including ligament, tendon, skeletal muscle, articular cartilage, intervertebral disc, and skin. Topics include the hierarchical structure, function, properties, and constitutive modeling of each tissue. Prerequisite: MER-214 or permission of the instructor. BNG-375. Animal Locomotion (Not offered in 2012-13). This course examines the evolutionary diversity of animal locomotion by investigating how physical properties of both the organisms and their environment affect the biochemistry, anatomy and physiology of movement. This course also uses engineering principles to explain animal locomotor mechanisms of animals. One lab per week. Prerequisites: BIO-112 and PHY-110 (or PHY-120). BNG-386. Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation (Winter; Same as ECE-386, Buma). Introduction to the theory and application of instruments in medicine. Measurements of the major systems in the body are covered. A weekly laboratory provides an opportunity to perform measurements and use biomedical instruments. Prerequisite: ECE-240. BNG-397 Biometric Signal Processing (Winter; Same as ECE-377, Cotter). This course details how signal processing is applied to create biometric systems, which are technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics. These systems are widely used today in security and forensic applications. The course will reinforce many of the fundamental concepts that students have learned in their introductory DSP course and will cover both 1D (voice) and 2D (face and fingerprint) biometrics. Students will be introduced to image processing, pattern recognition, and the statistics used to measure the performance of biometric systems. The important societal and ethical issues involved in the design and deployment of biometric systems will be addressed. Prerequisites: ECE-241 and CSC-103, 104, 105, 106, 107 or 109. One lab per week. BNG-487. Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (Spring, Buma). Introduction to the applications of signal processing methods in the measurement of biomedical signals. Processing of one dimensional signals (e.g., ECG) and two dimensional image signals (e.g., fMRI) are covered. Prerequisites: ECE-241 and CSC-109, 103, 104, 105, 106, or 107. BNG-495. Bioengineering Capstone Design (Winter; Currey, Khetan). A capstone design experience in which students work in teams comprised of at least one member from each track in Bioengineering. Each team will use design methodologies and techniques to produce a complete and detailed design for a designated bioengineering client. The course will be instructed by a team comprised of faculty from each track and from Biological Sciences. Co-Requisite: BNG-311, MER-311 or ECE-241. BNG-497. Bioengineering Senior Project 1. Capstone research or design project, performed either independently or as a team, under the supervision of one or more faculty participating in the Bioengineering program.. BNG-498. Bioengineering Senior Project 2. Capstone research or design project, performed either independently or as a team, under the supervision of one or more faculty participating in the Bioengineering program. Prerequisite: BNG-497.
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