BME 6190: Bioelectricial signals in neuronal tissues
Neuronal tissues react to trigger signals such as electrical, mechanical, or chemical energy by generating action potentials, i.e., depolarization and repolarization of their membrane electrical potentials within ~1/1000 second. What underlies this rapid electrical event is the intricate timing of the opening and closing of ion channels, i.e., pore-forming transmembrane proteins that allow charged ions to pass through the lipid bilayer membrane. The overarching objective of this course is to help engineering students establish a top-down theoretical understanding of the nervous system, which are targets for biomedical devices like neuromodulators and stimulators to manage disease conditions. This course teaches the fundamentals of neuronal tissues by introducing the experimental observations and the integration of experimental evidence with quantitative modeling. The course is designed for BME seniors and for graduate students with a generic background in neuroscience and neurophysiology. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to apply basic bioelectrical theories to solving relevant biomedical problems via engineering design and analysis.
| Week | Lectures | NEURON practice or lectures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro to excitable tissues | Intro to NEURON - the GUI |
| 2 | Animal electricity vs. device electricity | Intro to NEURON - hoc or ses files? |
| 3 | Bioelectrical potentials | Intro to NEURON - customized ion channels |
| 4 | Ion Channels | Intro to NEURON - NMODL and save data |
| 5 | Midterm Exam I (HW1-4) | |
| 6 | Action potentials - 1 | Journal discussion - afferent NEURON model |
| 7 | Action potentials - 2 | Journal discussion - DRG |
| 8 | Impulse propagation | Journal discussion - chloride channel |
| 9 | Electrical stimulation of excitable tissue | Journal discussion - AIS |
| 10 | Midterm Exam II (HW1-8) | |
| 11 | Extracellular field | Journal discussion - Extracellular recordings |
| 12 | Synaptic transmission | Functional electrical stimulation - 1 |
| 13 | Functional electrical stimulation - 2 | Long-lasting effect of neurostimulation |
| 14 | Project Presentation |
BME 5630: Multiphysics Finite Element Analysis
This course teaches the fundamentals of the finite element analysis (FEA) via hands-on experience of solving typical design problems in the multidisciplinary engineering field, including mechanical structures, heat transfer, fluid flow, electrical field distribution, and chemical etching. The course is designed for students with a generic background in mechanics. The course material emphasizes basic mathematical and physical principles underlying the FEA, general procedure of identifying and solving engineering problems using COMSOL Multiphysics FEA software, and interpretation of FEA results. Students are expected to demonstrate a basic understanding of the concepts and mathematical formulation of FEA, and possess the ability to apply FEA procedures in multiphysics problems and technology development.
| Week | Lectures on FE theory | COMSOL practices |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro to FEA, Linear algebra | |
| 2 | Engineering PDE, weighted residue methods | First COMSOL model |
| 3 | Piecewise trial function, FE formulation | COMSOL geometry & mesh |
| 4 | Discretization, shape functions | CAD in Solidworks |
| 5 | 1D structural problem (bar) | COMSOL structure |
| 6 | 2D and 3D bars and scalar field problems | COMSOL heat transfer and electric currents |
| 7 | 2D and 3D vector field problems | Review for the midterm exam |
| 8 | Midterm Exam (HW1-6) | COMSOL sub-modeling |
| 9 | Axisymmetric, isoparametric elements | COMSOL axisymmetric, transient heat transfer |
| 10 | Isoparametric elements, variational methods | COMSOL AC/DC |
| 11 | Numerical integration, generalized PDE | COMSOL customized PDE |
| 12 | Practical considerations of FE | COMSOL chemical reactions |
| 13 | Advanced features in COMSOL | |
| 14 | Project Presentation |
BME 3900: Engineering Design for BME Juniors
Students will work through a structured process that emulates an open-ended, real-world design of a biomedical engineering product. Students are required to complete a semester-long design project that demonstrates the skills and knowledge learned during the course in preparation for the capstone design experience (senior design). The approach will follow a structured format, starting with the project definition and followed by the development of product specifications, project scheduling and management, progress reporting, ethical issues, prototype development, proper documentation and technical presentation of the final project outcomes. In addition, students will learn to appreciate the importance of teamwork, written and oral communication, and the need for possessing a variety of technical and professional skills.
| Week | Lectures | Labs or Lectures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Class Introduction | Design Process Overview |
| 2 | Comp Lab: Solidworks1 | Comp Lab: Solidworks1 |
| 3 | Comp Lab: Solidworks2 | Comp Lab: Solidworks2 |
| 4 | Comp Lab: Solidworks3 | Comp Lab: Solidworks3 |
| 5 | Design Process: Problem Definition | Design Lab 1: Client Interview |
| 6 | Intro to 3D Printing | 3D Printing Lab |
| 7 | Design Process: Objectives and Constraints | 3D Printing Lab |
| 8 | Design Process: Functions and Specifications | Design Lab 2: group design |
| 9 | Design Process: Prelim and Final Designs | Design Lab 3: group design |
| 10 | Design Process: Communications | Design Lab 4: group design |
| 11 | Ethics in Design | Design Lab 5: group design |
| 12 | Guest Lecture: Intellectual properties | Design Lab 6: group design |
| 13 | Guest Lecture: FDA | Design Lab 7: group design |
| 14 | Final Design Presentation |
BME 3600: Biomechanics
This course focuses on the application of solid mechanics to describe the mechanical behavior of biological tissues and medical devices. The course will introduce the tools necessary to model tissues, including the essential mathematics, kinematics of deformation and motion, strains, stresses, and constitutive relations. The basic biomechanics principles will be taught and reinforced by identifying, formulating and solving problems related to, e.g. bone, tendon, and cardiac/vascular tissues. Experimental methods for probing the mechanical responses of biological tissues and engineering materials will also be introduced.
| Week | Lectures | Lectures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Index notation, vectors, matrices | Statics exam |
| 2 | Stress I | Stress I, normal, shear |
| 3 | Stress II | Stress transformation, principal stress |
| 4 | Strain | Strain transformation, principal strain |
| 5 | Constitutive behavior and models | Stress-strain diagrams |
| 6 | Midterm I | |
| 7 | Biomechanical applications I | Plane strain & stress |
| 8 | Biomechanical applications II | Thin-walled structures |
| 9 | Beam bending I | Shear forces, bending moments |
| 10 | Beam bending II | Normal/shear stresses |
| 11 | Midterm II | |
| 12 | Nonlinear problems I | Kinematics |
| 13 | Nonlinear problems II | Pseudoelasticity, strain-energy function |
| 14 | Final exam |