Class details are subject to change. Last updated 1/16/2014

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are provided here for only those courses with a temporary course number such as BME 6086-XX. Undergraduate and Graduate course descriptions are provided at the BME website under either the BS Degree Program Description or the Graduate Program Handbook.

BME 5210 Biomedical Optics: Tissue Optics, Instruments and Imaging
3 credits. Lecture. Prerequisites: PHYS 1502Q and ECE 3101
Principles and imaging of biomedical optics. Optical absorption, scattering and their biological origins, radiative transfer equation and diffusion theory, diffuse optical tomography, Monte Carlo modeling and photon transport in biological tissue, ballistic light imaging, time domain, frequency domain and continuous light measurement systems, optical coherence tomography, and photoacoustic tomography.

BME 6086-001 Special Topics in BME: Sensory Neuroscience Laboratory
Techniques employed in the experimental investigation of sensory neuroscience. Laboratory exercises in psychophysics and assessment of human and animal sensory abilities. Elementary computer programming is used to synthesize and process sound files and analyze psychophysics data.  A one-hour lecture and two two-hour labs each week.

BME 6086-002 Special Topics in BME: Micro & Nanofabrication Approaches for Biomedical Applications
This course covers micro and nanofabrication approaches as applied to biomedical science and engineering including photolithography, softlithography, AFM and SEM-based fabrication and 3D micro-nanofabrication for applications such as microfluidics; scaffold production for tissue engineering, studying mechanotransduction and the cellular forces, nanoparticles and nanoscale structures as functional bio-interfaces, peptide-nanoparticle assemblies, nanoparticle-biomolecule hybrids as bioactive materials, self-assembling peptides scaffolds for 3-dimensional tissue / cell cultures, magnetic cell separation to enrich for rare cells.

BME 6086-004 Special Topics in BME: Design of Biomaterial Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
The course topic is tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and is designed to follow BME 4710/5700. Techniques to guide cellular activity to accomplish tissue regeneration will be taught. Topic areas include: Tissue response to injury; wound healing; development, morphology and function of musculoskeletal tissues, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and skin; pre-clinical testing of tissue engineered medical products; and latest advances in  tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

BME 6086-005 Special Topics in BME: Computational Modeling/BioMEMS for Systems Biology
Systems biology is a relatively new field that studies complex interactions within intracellular or intercellular networks using a systems approach. In systems biology, computational modeling plays an important role as it can unravel hidden dynamics that are often hard to recognize intuitively. Considering complex nature of biological systems, biological models should always be validated using relevant experiments, and BioMEMS (Biological or Biomedical MicroElectroMechanical Systems) provides an innovative platform for such experiments. BioMEMS is the science and technology of constructing devices or systems, using methods inspired from micro or nano-scale fabrication, that are used for processing, delivery, manipulation, analysis, or construction of biological and chemical entities. In this course, students will be introduced to BioMEMS with an emphasis on systems biology applications. Integrating BioMEMS with computational modeling for innovative systems biology research is interdisciplinary in nature and requires knowledge and skills for applying molecular biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, engineering, computer science, etc. Through a variety of projects, students will obtain a basic understanding of integrating BioMEMS and computational modeling for systems biology applications. This project-oriented, active learning approach will allow students to work at their own pace, solving problems in exploratory mode to gain better insights, similar to what is done in the context of research.

BME 6086-012 Special Topics in BME: Eukaryotic Cell Biology
4 credits.The class is organized into 13 modules that cover key areas in the field of Cell Biology. Each module consists of two lectures followed by a discussion session. The discussion sessions will usually involve the detailed consideration of a research article. In addition to lectures and paper discussions, the course will include two practical learning experiences. First, in conjunction with a paper writing assignment, students will serve as “reviewers” for manuscripts from their classmates, following a format that would be typical for a submitted journal article. The faculty discussion group leader will then serve as the “editor”, providing feedback to both the student author and reviewers. Second, the course will conclude with a “Cell Biology Meeting”, which will be organized like a scientific conference, and where students will provide short oral presentations on their paper topics. Students will also be assigned organizational and leadership roles in the Cell Biology Meeting, such as serving as session chairs and keynote speakers.

BME 6086-013 Special Topics in BME: Biosensors and Nanodevices for Biomedical Applications
Biosensors, or molecular sensors, along with emerging nanotechnologies offer not only valuable tools but also unlimited possibilities for engineers and scientists to explore the world of biomedical science. This course covers the current and emerging technologies of biosensors for biomedical applications, explaining the principles of molecular sensing and assessing types of technologies currently available.

Miniaturization is key to advancing sensors which is based on bioassays including immunoassay, cell separation, and DNA amplification and analysis. The course also covers the role of nano/micro electro mechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS) technologies in biosensors, including BioMEMS, MicroTAS and Lab on a Chip among others.
You will learn:
(1) Basic elements and major classes of biosensors and nano/micro devices for biomedical applications.
(2) Fundamental principles behind the operation of biosensors and biomedical nano/micro devices.
(3) Unique requirements, environments, and applications of biosensors and biomedical nano/micro devices.
(4) Standard techniques for design and fabrication of nano/micro devices for biomedical applications.
Prerequisites: Instructor Consent (email hoshino@engr.uconn.edu)
Fundamental Biology, Engineering Physics and Chemistry

BME 6126 Optics for Biomedical Engineers
3 credits. Lecture. Also offered as ECE 6126
Two-dimensional signal processing using optical techniques. Topics include: review of two-dimensional linear system theory; scalar diffraction theory, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction; Fourier transforming and imaging properties of lenses; image formation; frequency analysis of optical imaging systems; modulation transfer function; two-dimensional spatial filtering; coherent optical information processing; frequency-domain spatial filter synthesis; holography, Fourier and nonlinear holograms.