Course Description:

Bioengineering integrates knowledge of biology with engineering principles and tools in the design of biochemical processes to produce biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, novel biopolymers, medical devices and diagnostics, and other agricultural and ecological materials. This section of Engineering 100 introduces fundamental concepts of bioengineering, biotechnology, and chemical engineering, and provides students an understanding of how biological systems can be engineered to solve real-world problems such as the need for renewable energy and affordable medicine.

Lectures will focus on the key concepts and methods used in these areas of engineering, and the laboratory portion of this course will involve hands-on experiments to demonstrate how these principles are applied to current engineering research and development. Students will work on two team projects to design, build, and test a bench-scale process for the generation and utilization of biopolymer carriers for a variety of applications based on their interest (drug delivery, water purification, medicine and food manufacturing, etc.), and production of biofuels from renewable biomass using genetically engineered microorganisms.

In addition to the engineering content, students will study and practice written and oral communication in engineering contexts. Coursework will emphasize audience analysis, writing strategies, genres of technical discourse, visual communication, collaboration, and professional responsibility. We will also consider ethical and social implications of engineering work, and how to address these issues in your writing and speaking practices.

If you are considering ChE or BME as your major, or you’re simply interested in exploring the “bio” aspect of engineering, this section is for you!

Term Project: 

Design, build, and test a novel process to produce a biotechnological or biopharmaceutical product