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Undergraduate Catalog 2012-2013

FISCHELL DEPARTMENT OF BIOENGINEERING (BIOE)

A. James Clark School of Engineering
2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, 301-405-7426
www.bioe.umd.edu
bioe-undergrad@umd.edu
Chair: W. Bentley (Prof, Chair)
Director: J. Fisher (Assoc Prof, Assoc Chair, Undergraduate Program Director), P. Kofinas (Prof, Assoc Chair, Graduate Program Director)
Professors: P. Bryan, G. Payne, Y. Tao
Associate Professors: J. Aranda-Espinoza, E. Eisenstein, K. Herold, A. Hsieh, H. Montas, S. Muro, B. Shapiro
Assistant Professors: Y. Chen, S. Matysiak, I. White
Lecturers: I. Villanueva
Professors Emeriti: A. Johnson

The Major

Bioengineering is a field rooted in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and life sciences.  Each of these areas is applied in a systematic, quantitative, and integrative way to approach problems important in biology, biosystems, medical research, and clinical practice.  Bioengineering advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge from the molecular to organ to system levels, and develops innovative processes for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.  In short, bioengineering seeks to improve the health and life of humankind on many levels.

Bioengineers specialize in those products and processes made from, used with, or applied to biological organisms.  In addition to engineering science and design, bioengineers study cell biology, physiology, bioinformatics, bioimaging, and biomechanics.  The synthesis of engineering and biology gives bioengineers unique capabilities in our modern world.

For more information about the Bioengineering major, please visit www.bioe.umd.edu/undergrad

The Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org , 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone: (410) 347-7700.

 

Program Objectives

The undergraduate program in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering provides students with a broad and fundamental education relating engineering with the biological sciences. The program has focuses in biomedical devices, human health, biotechnology, and ecosystems. These focuses all contain components of fundamental sciences, design, and communications skills. The students' educational achievements all contribute to enabling a wide range of career paths after graduation.

Our graduates are grounded in fundamentals that will serve them throughout their professional careers. They will have an understanding of human behavior, societal needs and forces, and the dynamics of human efforts and their effects on human health and that of our environment. With these underpinnings and abilities, we have defined several Program Educational Objectives we expect our graduates to attain in 3-5 years after graduation:

  1. Our graduates are either continuing their education or are gainfully employed in bioengineering or related professions;
  2. Our graduates participate in lifelong learning activities that will further their careers and their impact on society;
  3. Our graduates serve their profession and community.

Program Learning Outcomes

Maryland bioengineers gain a broad-based education in which engineering approaches are used to understand and improve living systems and their environments. We educate students to excel in the field of bioengineering and carry out research, development, and commercialization of bioscience systems and tools that will improve the lives of people throughout the world. The specific Student Outcomes detailed by the Bioengineering Program are detailed below.

  1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  2. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  3. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
  4. An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
  5. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
  6. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  7. An ability to communicate effectively
  8. The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  9. A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning
  10. A knowledge of contemporary issues
  11. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Additional Bioengineering Objectives:

  1. An ability to perform measurements on and to interpret data from living systems.
  2. Background knowledge to support understanding of interactions between living and non-living materials and systems.
  3. An ability to apply statistics to bioengineering applications.

Admission to the Major

Students who wish to study at the A. James Clark School of Engineering apply for admission to the University of Maryland; there is no separate application for engineering. When filling out the university application, you may choose bioengineering as your intended major. You may also apply as an undecided engineering major.

All Bioengineering majors must meet admission, progress, and retention standards of the A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Please note: If you are applying to Bioengineering as a transfer student (whether you are an internal Clark School transfer, external UMD transfer, or transferring from an outside institution), then you must complete BIOE 120 with a 3.0 or better before you will be admitted into the department. If you wish to enroll, please send an e-mail with your UID to  bioe-undergrad@umd.edu . You will be will be notified by e-mail when permission has been granted.

Requirements for the Major

Following is the list of the course requirements for the Bioengineering Undergraduate Program.  Each student following the course template should be able to graduate in four years.  Each student will meet with his/her Faculty Advisor every semester to plan the schedule of courses for the subsequent semester.  Some of the students in the bioengineering program may elect to pursue professional degrees such as Medical, Dental, Law, etc., thus they may need certain courses that those professional schools require and should discuss their plans with their Faculty Advisor.  Some of these courses may count as electives towards the major. Students interested in health professions may also view the requirements at www.prehealth.umd.edu .
 

  FRESHMAN YEAR Fall   Spring  
MATH140 (AR) Calculus I 4      
MATH141 Calculus II     4  
CHEM135 General Chemistry for Engineers 3      
CHEM136 General Chem for Engineers Lab 1      
ENES100 (SP) Introduction to Engineering Design (**can be taken fall or sring)     3  
ENES102 Mechanics I (**can be taken 1st or 2nd semester) 3      
ENGL101 (AW) Introduction to Writing     3  
PHYS161 (NS) General Physics     3  
BIOE120 Biology for Engineers 3      
BIOE121 Biology for Engineers Lab 1      
  Humanities (HU)     3  
  Total 15   16  
                 
  SOPHOMORE YEAR Fall   Spring  
MATH241 Calculus III 4      
MATH246 Differential Equations     3  
CHEM231 Organic Chemistry 3      
CHEM232 Organic Chemistry Lab 1      
BSCI330 Cell Biology and Physiology     4  
ENES220 Mechanics II 3      
PHYS260 and General Physics II 3      
   PHYS261 (NL) General Physics II Lab 1      
BIOE241 Biocomputation Methods     3  
BIOE232  Bioe Thermodynamics     3  
BIO371 Bioe Math and Stats     3  
Bio Sci Elective I*     3  
  Total 15   16  
           
  JUNIOR YEAR Fall   Spring  
BIOE331 Biofluids 3      
BIOE332 Transport Processes Design     3  
BIOE340 Physiological Systems and Lab 4      
BIOE404 Biomechanics 3      
BIOE420 Bioimaging     3  
BIOE453 Biomaterials     3  
BIOE457 Biomedical Elec and Instr 4      
BIOE331 Biofluids 3      
Bio Sci Elective I     3  
  Humanities (HU) 3      
  Oral Comm (OC)     3  
  Total 17   15  
           
  SENIOR YEAR Fall   Spring  
ENGL393 Technical Writing 3      
BIOE485 Capstone I 3      
BIOE486 Capstone II     3  
Bio Sci Elective II*     3  
Eng Sci Elective I** 3      
Eng Sci Elective II*     3  
Unrestricted Elective I
History and Social Sci (HS)
3      
  History and Social Sci (HS)     3  
  Scholarship in Practice (SP) 3      
  Total 15   15  
  Total Credits for Degree 127  

*Please visit www.bioe.umd.edu/undergrad/ug-technical-electives.html for a list of approved technical electives.
**Second benchmark requirements must be completed one year after students are reviewed for the gateway requirements and include: All 100 and 200 level MATH, PHYS and ENES courses; BIOE 120, BIOE 121, CHEM 231, CHEM 232 and BSCI 330.   Third benchmark requirements must be completed one year after students are reviewed for the second benchmark and include: At least one 300 level or above BIOE course; an approved biological science or engineering science technical elective; BIOE 232, BIOE 241 and BIOE 331.
***All students must complete two Distributive Studies courses that are approved for I-series courses. The Understanding Plural Societies (UP) and Cultural Competence (CC) courses may also fulfill Distributive Studies categories.

Advising

Every student majoring in bioengineering is assigned a faculty advisor. You will receive an email from the department with your advisor assignment at the beginning of your first semester in the department. All students are to meet with their advisor each semester before they will be able to register for the next semester's courses. It is hoped that the advisor will also serve as a mentor and confidante. Please feel free to contact him/her with any questions and concerns you may have throughout your academic career. Any additional questions about the program may be directed to the Bioengineering Undergraduate Office, bioe-undergrad@umd.edu , 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, 301-405-7426.

Undergraduate Research Experiences

All students in our major have the opportunity to participate in research in state-of-the-art labs on campus or at surrounding government or industrial locations, either through projects within the Department or through the Engineering Co-op and Career Services office. Special programs include the ASPIRE Program, in which students collaborate with faculty and staff on real-world engineering projects www.aspire.umd.edu ; the Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research, which assists students in finding on and off campus research opportunities www.ugresearch.umd.edu ; and the NSF-sponsored Molecular & Cellular Bioengineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, which focuses on the engagement of undergraduate researchers in bioengineering research activities both at UMD and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  www.bioe.umd.edu/reu

Honors Program

We are pleased to announce the creation of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering Undergraduate Honors Program. The goals of this program are to encourage the participation of exceptional undergraduate students in cutting-edge bioengineering research during their junior and senior years. The honors program has been designed to complement team-based design projects and coursework that are part of the undergraduate curriculum.  Guidelines include the following:

Students should apply for admission to the Honors Program in the spring of their sophomore year.

Students must have completed at least 60 credits by the end of their sophomore year.

Students should select a faculty mentor engaged in bioengineering research.

With input from this mentor, students should propose an independent research project to be completed during their junior and senior years.

Students will submit a progress report detailing their research progress in the spring of their junior year.

Students will submit a written thesis and present their research in the spring of their senior year.

Faculty mentors must commit to guide the student through his/her research project and provide appropriate facilities to complete the proposed project.

Faculty mentors must submit a brief statement indicating sufficient research progress in the spring of the student's junior year.

Students are welcome to participate in other honors programs, but research completed for the departmental honors program may not be used to satisfy the requirements of another honors program.

Honors will be conferred at graduation upon completion of the entire two-year program.

Student Societies and Professional Organizations

Society of Biological Engineers (SoBE) is the University of Maryland, College Park chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). SoBE's mission is dedicated to the advancement of biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and professionalism in the field, as well as fostering friendships among biological engineers. For more information, visit www.studentorg.umd.edu/sobe/

Scholarships and Financial Assistance

The University and the A. James Clark School of Engineering offer a range of financial support to talented undergraduate students enrolled at the School. Offerings include the A. James Clark Endowed Scholarship fund and the Benjamin T. Rome Scholarship. Our program is competitive, with awards made on the basis of merit, financial need, and other factors. For more information on a variety of scholarships, please visit www.ursp.umd.edu

In addition, the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) administers all types of federal, state and institutional financial assistance programs and, in cooperation with other university offices, participates in the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. For information, please visit www.financialaid.umd.edu

We also have several departmental annual awards and scholarships that students may apply and be selected based on their scholastic achievements, service to the department and the profession. These award are open to juniors and seniors in the program.  Information on these annual awards and scholarship may be obtained from the faculty advisors in the department. 

Awards and Recognition

Fischell Dept of Bioe Outstanding Junior Award presented by Chair:  outstanding academic achievement and contributions to the dept (2 students)

Fischell Dept of Bioe Outstanding Senior Award presented by faculty:  academic achievement and contributions to the profession and department (2 students)

Seymour & Faye Wolfe Scholarship:  Bioengineering student (1 student).

Jeffrey C. and Sandra W. Huskamp Scholarship:  Bioengineering student (1 student)

Mel D. Schatz Scholarship:  Bioengineering student (1 student)

Outstanding Research Award:  contribution to research including hours spent in lab, co-authorship of papers, significant breakthroughs in area of research. Ability to maintain high GPA while performing research will also be considered.

Outstanding Volunteer Award:  hours spent performing and the nature of volunteering activities considered.  Maintaining high GPA also considered.

Outstanding Citizen Award:  overall contribution to department, university, profession, and society considered.  GPA will be taken into account as well.

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