Courses
A primary factor for students is the availability of quality courses. Virginia Tech offers a wide variety of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, ranging from a 1000 level overview course in the field of Biomedical engineering to 6000 level graduate courses.
A brief synopsis of the available courses is detailed below. Some course descriptions link to .pdf course sheets which further detail the course. Many graduate courses are available to advanced undergraduates, and some undergraduate courses are cross-listed under graduate course numbers.
Graduate Course Offering
BMES 5034, BMES 6033 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
BMES 5164 / ME 4754 Advanced Impact Biomechanics
This course serves as an introduction to the field of impact biomechanics. Emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary nature of impact biomechanics, which uses the combination of fundamental engineering principles and advanced medical technologies to develop injury prevention measures. Topics include: response to impact loading, viscoelasticity of biological tissues, automobile impact, statistical applications used in impact biomechanics, medical imaging modalities for injury evaluation, the inflammation and healing process, and computer simulations using multi-body and finite element modeling techniques. Real world examples from automobile safety, military applications, and sports biomechanics are used to augment lecture material.
ChE 5984, Skin: Properties, Functions, and Bioengineering Applications
This is a human health-oriented engineering elective designed for undergraduate or graduate students interested in biomedical engineering. In addition, the course will serve as a means of introducing pre-med students outside the College to a mechanistic approach to one aspect (skin) of human physiology and anatomy. Topics include: tissue and cellular physiology, material/mechanical properties and applications to artificial skin, transport characterization, diseases & treatment, etc.
ESM 5984 Special Studies - Biodynamics & Control
New Course to be taught as a special studies this spring semester, 2003. This course will become a regular graduate course. Class will be taught on a Tu-Th schedule, time of day to be determined. Instructor: Dr. Kevin Granata. Dr. Granata is a new faculty member in the ESM Dept. starting Spring 03. Course Description: Application of dynamics and control theory for analysis and simulation of human movement. Topics include dynamics of muscle contraction, forward-dynamic simulation of human movement, stability, neuromotor control feedback and robotics. Students are exposed to clinical problems in orthopedics and rehabilitation.
ESM 4984, Orthopedic Biomechanics and Pathology
Basic concepts of normal orthopedic anatomy, physiology, and joint mechanics for engineers. Mechanical consequences of growth, aging, and orthopedic-related diseases on these parameters. Classification of bone fractures, healing mechanisms, and fracture mechanics. Repair mechanisms for abnormal orthopedic tissues including arthroplasty, prosthetic design (focuses on joint replacement and fracture fixation), and implant failure analysis via case studies.
ESM 4204, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biologic Control
Static and dynamic forces in the musculoskeletal system, joint reactions, soft and hard tissue response to force loads. Muscle mechanics. Biomechanical lumped parameter systems: modeling and frequency response. Spatially distributed biomechanical models. Feedback control (closed-loop control) of biomechanical systems.
ME 6984 Human Tolerance to Impact Loading
This course covers the measurement, evaluation, and prediction of human tolerance to impact loading. It focuses on developing advanced viscoelastic models of human tissues in order to predict the response under high rate loading. Examples included automobile safety and military applications for brain, thoracic, and eye injuries. This class serves as a continuation of ME 5984 Impact Biomechanics.
MSE 5984, Advanced Biomaterials
Lectures focus on the evaluation and testing of specific cases of biomaterials from a materials science perspective making use of design, testing and functional performance evaluations in a modular format. Areas of focus include suture design, selection, processing and functional evaluation, femoral stem construction as a component in joint replacement, and tissue adhesive manufacturing, testing and functional evaluations.
ChE 5984, Biol 5984, Mathematical Models in Molecular and Cellular Biology
This course is designed to bring together students in biology, mathematics, computer science, and engineering to explore how mathematical/computational modeling can be applied to decipher mechanisms regulating biological cell or tissue activity. An introductory course on differential equations is a prerequisite. Topics to be covered include: Dynamical Systems, Cell Cycle Analysis, Receptor/Ligand Binding and Trafficking, Biochemical Kinetics, Signal Transduction Pathways, Adaptation
ME 4704, Tribology
Basic principles of tribology - the study of friction, wear, and lubrication - including the importance of materials, surfaces, design, operating conditions, environment and lubrication on friction, wear and surface damage in any system. Applications of tribological theories, concepts, techniques and approaches to design, research, development, evaluation, and problem solving.
ESM 5405-5406, Clinical Internship in Biomedical Engineering
Off-campus student exposure and participation in a planned clinical experience for those preparing to enter the field of biomedical engineering. On-campus lecture/lab/demonstration sessions to supplement the clinical experience. Students are placed in selected hospitals throughout the local area during two summers sessions under close supervision of faculty members and cooperating medical personnel serving as preceptors. Enrollment is limited and priority is given to students obtaining a degree in ESM.
ESM 5305-5306, Biomechanics of the Cardiovascular System
5305 - Mechanics of the heart, arterial blood vessels and microcirculation; history of the circulation; anatomy and physiology of the heart; mechanics of cardiac contraction; cardiac fluid mechanics; work, energy, efficiency of cardiac function. 5306 - Rheology of blood; hematology; elasticity of blood vessel walls; transport processes; control of the circulation; mathematical analysis of pulsatile blood flow and pulse-wave propagation through small arteries, capillary beds and extra-corporeal devices.
VMS 5184, General Pathology
This course presents the mechanisms involved in cellular reactions to injury, inflammation, circulatory disturbances (thrombosis, embolism, infarction, hemorrhage, edema, congestion, shock) and neoplasis. Emphasis is placed upon disease processes at the cellular and tissue levels. Additional Veterinary Medical Sciences courses are available for engineering students.
ISE 5624, Human Physical Capabilities
An examination of human physical attributes in human-technology systems, with emphasis on models of anthropometry and biomechanics, on intero- and exteroreceptors, and on the work environment; force fields (transitory and sustained), sound, light, and climate.
VMS 5454-5464, Veterinary Physiology
5454 - Comprehensive study of the physiological function in companion, food and fiber, laboratory and Zoo/Wildlife animal species. The didactic work of this course will emphasize the fundamentals and the overview of cellular, organ and regulatory integration. Topics include cell, muscles, blood, respiration, circulation, and the environmental and regulatory physiology. 5464 - Study of basic fundamentals of physiologic mechanisms involved in the urinary, endocrine, reproductive and gastrointestinal systems of domestic and wild animals.
Undergraduate Course Offering
This course serves as an introduction to the field of impact biomechanics. Emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary nature of impact biomechanics, which uses the combination of fundamental engineering principles and advanced medical technologies to develop injury prevention measures. Topics include: response to impact loading, viscoelasticity of biological tissues, automobile impact, statistical applications used in impact biomechanics, medical imaging modalities for injury evaluation, the inflammation and healing process, and computer simulations using multi-body and finite element modeling techniques. Real world examples from automobile safety, military applications, and sports biomechanics are used to augment lecture material.
MSE 4984, ChE 4984, Skin: Properties, Functions, and Bioengineering Applications
This is a human health-oriented engineering elective designed for undergraduate or graduate students interested in biomedical engineering. In addition, the course will serve as a means of introducing pre-med students outside the College to a mechanistic approach to one aspect (skin) of human physiology and anatomy. Topics include: tissue and cellular physiology, material/mechanical properties and applications to artificial skin, transport characterization, diseases & treatment, etc.
MSE/ESM 4574, Biomaterials
Lectures and problems dealing with materials used to mimic/replace body functions. Topic include basic material types and possible functions, tissue response mechanisms and considerations for long term usage. Integrated design issues of multicomponent materials design in prosthetic devices for hard and soft tissues are discussed.
ChE 4984, Cellular Bioengineering
This course is designed to bring together engineers and life scientists to explore advanced being made in cell biology and to discover how an engineering approach can aid in the understanding of these types of phenomena. The focus of the course is on mammalian cell surface receptor-ligand mediated activity (growth, adhesion, motility) although modeling techniques discussed can be applied to other biological systems. Classes include reading current research articles and the development of a mathematical model.
ESM 4105-4106, Engineering Analysis of Physiological Systems
Engineering analysis of human physiology. Physiologic systems are treated as engineering systems with emphasis on input-output considerations, systems interrelationships and engineering analogs. 4105 - Mass and electrolyte transfer, nerves, muscles, renal system. 4106 - Cardiovascular mechanics, respiratory system, digestive systems, senses.
ESM 4204, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biologic Control
Static and dynamic forces in the musculoskeletal system, joint reactions, soft and hard tissue response to force loads. Muscle mechanics. Biomechanical lumped parameter systems: modeling and frequency response. Spatially distributed biomechanical models. Feedback control (closed-loop control) of biomechanical systems.
ESM 4984, Orthopedic Biomechanics and Pathology
Basic concepts of normal orthopedic anatomy, physiology, and joint mechanics for engineers. Mechanical consequences of growth, aging, and orthopedic-related diseases on these parameters. Classification of bone fractures, healing mechanisms, and fracture mechanics. Repair mechanisms for abnormal orthopedic tissues including arthroplasty, prosthetic design (focuses on joint replacement and fracture fixation), and implant failure analysis via case studies.
ESM 1114, Survey of Biomedical Engineering
This introductory course is designed to give undergraduate students a cursory overview of the field of biomedical engineering and the many avenues of potential research and employment in this area. Scope and history of biomedical engineering, engineering for diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation of living systems, medical electronics and equipment, automation/quantification of medical data, biological signal analysis, clinical engineering, biomechanics, biotechnology, genetic engineering, biomaterials, prosthetics, artificial organs, studies of engineering contributions to health care and physiological research.
ME 4704, Tribology
Basic principles of tribology - the study of friction, wear, and lubrication - including the importance of materials, surfaces, design, operating conditions, environment and lubrication on friction, wear and surface damage in any system. Applications of tribological theories, concepts, techniques and approaches to design, research, development, evaluation, and problem solving.
Virginia Tech / Wake Forest University Center for Injury Biomechanics