Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

  • ENG BE 209: Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: high school biology and CAS CH 101 or equivalent
    Introduction to the molecular, physical and computational principles of cell function in the context of cutting-edge applications in bioengineering and medicine. Biological concepts include: molecular building blocks, energetics, transport, metabolism, nucleic acids, gene expression and genetics. Applications include bioenergy, synthetic biology, the human-genome project, and gene circuit engineering. The objectives of the labs are to teach basic techniques and instrumentation in bioengineering, to collect and analyze data and to make sound conclusions. Labs emphasize the experimental, problem solving, and analytical skills required in biomedical engineering and research.
  • ENG BE 400: Undergraduate Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
    Specific prerequisites vary according to topic. Coverage of a specific topic in biomedical engineering at a level appropriate for advanced undergraduates. One topic covered in depth each semester offered. Subject matter varies from year to year.
  • ENG BE 403: Biomedical Signals and Controls
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 226 and ENG EK 307; Junior standing in BME
    Signals, systems, and feedback control with an emphasis on biomedical problems, including linear time invariant systems in continuous and discrete time. Laplace and Fourier representations, transfer functions, pole-zero analysis, stability, convolution, sampling. Analytical and computational methods. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to ENG EC 401.
  • ENG BE 404: Modern Control in Biomedical Engineering
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG BE 403 and Junior standing in BME
    Mathematical analysis of feedback control systems. Frequency domain methods including transfer functions, stability, root locus, frequency response. State space approaches. Linearization around an equilibrium point. Controllability, observability. Emphasis on models of biological and biomedical systems. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to ENG ME 403, ENG ME 404, or ENG EC 402.
  • ENG BE 420: Introduction to Solid Biomechanics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG EK 301 ; CAS MA 226 ; ENG EK 103.
    Many vital physiological functions including locomotion,respiration, circulation,and mechanotransduction are mechanical in nature and are linked to forces and deformation. Mechanics is also critical for development of medical devices and instruments. The main goal of this course is to acquaint students with concepts of stress,strain,constitutive laws and their applications to biomechanics of cells and tissues. The focus will be on theoretical developments. The first part of the course is focused on problems of mechanics of deformable solids including extension,bending,buckling and torsion of beams, as well as the concept of cellular tensegrity. The second, and the greater part of the course is focused on the basic concepts of the theory of elasticity. Topics include: vector and tensor algebra and calculus, kinematics of deformation, stress analysis, constitutive equations. In addition to the linear (Hookean)elasticity, non-linear elasticity is also presented to describe mechanical behavior of biological tissues and cells. The last chapter is devoted to basic concepts of linear viscoelasticity, including stress relaxation, creep and hysteresis. Illustrative examples from tissue and cell biomechanics will be given where appropriate. The course will prepare students for advanced courses in traditional fields of solid mechanics (e.g., plasticity and poroelasticity),finite element analysis,as well as emerging fields (e.g., mechanobiology and nanotechnology). Design elements will be included in projects.
  • ENG BE 425: Introduction to Biomedical Materials Science
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS CH 102 ; CAS PY 211 ; ENG EK 301.
    Introductory course in materials science principles for biomedical engineers that investigates how molecular and structural features of materials determine their functional properties as well as important considerations for design and manufacture of materials for medical and biological applications. Biomedical material science topics covered in this course include: atomic structure and bonding in materials; bandy theory of solids; crystal structures and crystalline materials; mechanical properties of materials-static, dynamic and failure modes; defects in materials; dislocations and strengthening of materials; phase diagrams; kinetics of material transformations, metals manufacturing; ceramics -- structure, properties and manufacturing; polymers- synthesis, properties, manufacturing and rapid prototyping; and advanced biomedical relevant topics such as corrosion, tribology, biodegradation and biomaterial standards. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to ENG ME 306.
  • ENG BE 428: Device Diagnostics and Design
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG EK 210; Junior standing
    BE 428 is a project-based course developing fundamentals of the design aspects of biomedical devices and diagnostics. Students will identify design needs, evaluate possible solutions, build prototypes and analyze failure modes and their effects. At every stage of the design process, they will present to the rest of the class to obtain feedback on their designs. The course is designed for undergraduates in their Junior and Senior years and satisfies a course elective requirement for the Technology Innovation concentration. Case studies of biomedical device designs and hands-on prototyping sessions are used extensively throughout the course. These, as well as guest lectures and discussion sections, are designed to encourage students to consider the broader social contexts of engineering and design. Basic theory, homeworks, and brainstorming sessions will be applied towards problem identification, materials selection, and failure mode evaluation. Topics include: needs identification; materials classes; materials selection for medical devices and diagnostics; failure analysis; biocompatibility; regulatory requirements as they pertain to design, manufacturing and marketing; technology assessment strategies; and engineering ethics. Several case studies of successful and unsuccessful biomedical device design are introduced and discussed throughout the course.
  • ENG BE 435: Transport Phenomena in Living Systems
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 226 and CAS PY 211.
    Biological systems operate at multiple length scales and all scales depend on internal and external transport of molecules, ions, fluids and heat. This course is designed to introduce the fundamentals of biological transport and to apply these fundamentals in understanding physiological processes involving fluid, mass and heat transfer. Students will learn the fundamental conservation principles and constitutive laws that govern heat, mass and momentum transport processes and systems as well as the constitutive properties that are encountered in typical biological problems. Transport is also critical to the development and proper functioning of biological and medical instruments and devices, which will also be discussed. Biomedical examples will include applications in development of the heart-lung machine, estimation of time of death in postmortem cases, burn injuries through hot water, respiratory flow in smokers lungs, etc.
  • ENG BE 436: Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 226 and ENG EK 301.
    Fluid mechanics is a discipline that studies motion of gasses and liquids and forces that act on them. A sub discipline of fluid mechanics is biofluid mechanics which is the study of a certain class of biological problems from a fluid mechanics point of view. For example, it helps us to understand blood flow within the cardiovascular system, airflow within the airways of lungs, removal of waste products via the kidneys and urinary system and operation of artificial pumps and microfluidic devices. In this course, the focus will be on the theoretical developments and basic foundations of fluid mechanics using the mathematical framework of vectors and tensors. Topics include: conservation of mass, momentum, and energy in static and moving fluids; constitutive relations for Newtonian and non- Newtonian fluids; viscous flows, with application to microfluidics, flow in porous materials, lubrication, and other areas of biomedical interest; scaling analysis; inertial effects, including boundary layers and unsteady flows. The course will prepare students for advanced courses in fluid mechanics (boundary layer theory, turbulent flow, non-Newtonian fluids, aerodynamics), as well as emerging fields (computational fluid mechanics, microfluidics). Cannot be taken for credit in addition to ENG ME 303.
  • ENG BE 437: Nanometer Scale Processes in Living Systems
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 226 ; CAS PY 211 ; ENG EK 381; and CAS CH101 or CAS CH131
    The world at the nanometer-scale is full of dynamic phenomena that are vastly different than those encountered at the macro scale. Biological processes that are of particular contemporary interest, such as cell differentiation, are stimulated by the activity and interaction of biomolecules at the nanoscale. Thus, an understanding of the physics and engineering in such systems is a vital component toward overcoming an immense array of challenging problems in the biological and medical sciences. This course focuses on a conceptual and mechanistic understanding of technologies that permit the study of events at the nanometer scale, including scanning probe microscopes (including AFM) and optical methods such as fluorescence microscopy and related techniques (including single particle tracking, and microrheology).
  • ENG BE 451: Directed Study in Biomedical Engineering
    Individual study of a topic in biomedical engineering not covered in a regularly scheduled course. A faculty member must agree to supervise the study before registration. Term paper and/or written examination.
  • ENG BE 452: Undergraduate Research in BME
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: None
    Independent research investigation of a biomedical topic. A faculty member in the BME department must agree to supervise the research topic prior to registration, and the supervisor must agree to the level of student commitment for the determination of the credits to be awarded. A term paper must be written at the end of the semester that summarizes the completed research. Variable credits. Pass/Fail
  • ENG BE 465: Biomedical Engineering Senior Project
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG BE 403 AND ENG BE 491/493. Limited to biomedical engineering majors with senior standing. CAS WR150/1/2/3 required.
    Selection of project and project supervisor must be approved by course instructor. Project is in an area of biomedical engineering, such as biomedical instrumentation, biosensors, tissue engineering, biological signal processing, biological modeling and simulation, clinical imaging or informational systems, etc. Projects will be conducted by teams of two to five students, and projects must include significant design experience. Research of background, planning and initial work on senior design project. Guidance in performing and presenting (in written and oral form) a technical project proposal. Skills in proposal writing, oral presentation techniques. Formal proposal must be approved by technical advisor. Effective FA20, this course is part of a Hub sequence with ENG BE 466.
    • Part of a Hub sequence
  • ENG BE 466: Biomedical Engineering Senior Project
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG BE 465; Limited to biomedical engineering majors with senior standing. CAS WR150/1/2/3 required.
    Completion of project in an area of biomedical engineering. Expanded training in technical project presentation techniques. Includes writing of progress reports, abstracts, final reports. Course culminates with an oral presentation at annual Senior Project Conference. Written final report must be approved by the faculty. This course is part of a Hub sequence with ENG BE 465. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • ENG BE 468: Clinical Applications of Biomedical Design
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG EK 210; Junior standing
    This four-credit course provides BME students with an in-depth analysis of the design history of specific currently available medical devices, instruments, implants, diagnostics, and drug delivery systems. Students will recreate the clinical and device requirements, the engineering specifications, the regulatory pathways, the intellectual property, the risk management strategies, and the business models that were deployed to bring the product into clinic use.
  • ENG BE 471: Quantitative Neuroscience
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG EK 307 and CAS BI 315.
    Introductory cellular and systems-level neuroscience for biomedical engineering students with emphasis on control mechanisms and engineering principles. This course will introduce the mechanisms that underlie signal and information propagation in biological cellular neural networks, and the computational potential of such networks in the brain, as well as neuroengineering applications such as neural prosthesis and technologies for interfacing with the nervous system.
  • ENG BE 493: Biomedical Measurements & Analysis
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: EK307
    Undergraduate Corequisites: BE403
    This is a laboratory course designed to develop basic instrumentation and analysis skills for physiological and biological measurements. Lecture periods will focus on introducing fundamental concepts and applications related to the design and use of systems for quantitative observation of biological processes in living systems. Laboratory assignments will build on these concepts and provide experience with bringing them into practice using laboratory-grade instrumentation and hardware. The course includes five lab modules, each preceded by introductory lectures. In addition to the labs, this course will also involve a multi-week group project that will provide an opportunity to apply the techniques introduced through this course, as well as any techniques learned from previous courses. Issues related to bioethics, equity, and privacy in the construction and use of biomedical devices will be integrated throughout the course.
  • ENG BE 500: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: engineering graduate student standing or permission of instructor.
    Graduate Prerequisites: Engineering graduate student standing. Others by permission of instructor. Specific prerequisites vary according to topic.
    Coverage of a specific topic in biomedical engineering. One topic covered in depth each semester offered. Subject matter varies from year to year.
  • ENG BE 503: Numerical Methods and Modeling in Biomedical Engineering
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG EK 125; Junior standing
    This course offers an advanced introduction to numerical methods for solving linear and nonlinear differential equations including ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations. Topics include numerical series, error analysis, interpolation, numerical integration and differentiation, Euler & Runge-Kutta methods, finite difference methods, finite element methods, and moving boundary problems. This course requires knowledge of multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. Some knowledge in one computer programming language, such as MATLAB, is required.
  • ENG BE 504: Polymers and Soft Materials
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor consent after ENG EK 424 or CAS PY 410
    An introduction to soft matter for students with background in materials science, chemistry and physics. This graduate-level course covers general aspects of structure, interactions, and functions of polymers and soft materials (including colloidal suspensions). Specifically, students will learn key fundamentals behind the unique viscoelastic behavior of polymers and colloids, which an emphasis on understanding conceptual, structure/function, and mathematical roots. Topics include chain behavior and self-avoiding walks, Flory- Huggins theory, and development of DLVO theory for zetapotential measurements. On a practical level, students will leave the class with an understanding of why rubber bands are stretchy, why people can run on cornstarch in water, why mixing polymers is challenging, and why Kevlar is bendable yet bulletproof! This is a fast-paced graduate course that requires thermodynamics as a prereq and assumes a familiarity with basic organic chemistry, differentials equations, and basic linear algebra. Meets with ENG ME and MS 504; students may not receive credit for both.