Courses of Study 2016-2017

Dec 26, 2024

Courses of Study 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biomedical Engineering

Faculty

M. C. H. van der Meulen, Chair; J.T. Butcher, Associate Chair and DUS; S. Adie, B. Cosgrove, I. DeVlaminck, N. de Faria, Masters of Engineering Director, P. C. Doerschuk, C. Fischbach-Teschl, C. Hernandez, M. R. King, J. Lammerding, N. Nishimura, W. L. Olbricht, D. A. Putnam, C. Reinhart-King, C. B. Schaffer, Director of Graduate Studies, M. Shuler, Y. Wang, W. R. Zipfel. Senior lecturers: S. D. Archer

Biomedical Engineering

Offered by: Nance E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering

Contact: 108 Weill Hall, (607) 254-3368, www.bme.cornell.edu

This major is accredited by: NY State Department of Education.

Program Mission

The mission of the B.S. program in Biomedical Engineering is to train students in the practice of design, fabrication, and analysis of biomedical systems, devices, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Specifically, Cornell’s vision for Biomedical Engineering centers around a quantitative approach to understanding biology across length and time scales, with a focus on issues related to human health. The quantitative nature of this program distinguishes the major from traditional programs in biology, while the focus on human health is distinct from other programs in engineering that include the study of biological systems (e.g. Biological and Environmental Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering). Additionally, its focus on multiscale analysis of biological systems is a unique signature of Cornell Biomedical Engineering relative to programs at peer institutions.

Program Objectives

Biomedical Engineering is a leader in developing research that spans the Ithaca and New York City campuses, including Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell Tech. Our objective is to create world-class graduates to meet the 21st century needs of biomedical-related industries focused on medical devices and pharmaceuticals, as well as government and private consulting practice. We also aim to produce intellectual and technical leaders for graduate education in medicine or engineering. Most importantly, we aim to create a diverse community of life-long learners who are innovation confident, collaborative across disciplines, and community engaged.

Objective 1: Teach our students to apply engineering principles to understand and predict the behavior of biological and physiological systems relevant to human health and disease
Objective 2: Train our students in the theory and practice of biomedical engineering design and technology creation
Objective 3: Train our students to engineer robust solutions within highly variable and complex biomedical problems
Objective 4: Build critical leadership, interpersonal and professional skills to thrive within diverse team environments and prepare for life-long learning
Objective 5: Provide our students with opportunities for an experiential learning approach based on biomedical applications Objective 6: To provide a complementary liberal education in humanities, history and social sciences

Engineering Distribution Courses:

Required:

ENGRD 2202 - Biomedical Transport Phenomena

Recommended:

ENGRD 2020 - Statics and Mechanics of Solids ¹

Major Program:

Students may substitute CHEM 1570 for PHYS 2214 in the common curriculum (see note 4 below). The following courses are required in addition to those required for the Common Curriculum.

Core Courses:

BIOMG 1350 - Introductory Biology: Cell and Developmental Biology or
BIOG 1440 - Introductory Biology: Comparative Physiology
BIOG 1500 - Investigative Biology Laboratory
BME 2010 - Physiology of Human Health and Disease
BME 2110: Biomolecular Thermodynamics and Physical Chemistry²
BME 2210 - Biomaterials: Foundations and Application in Medicine (crosslisted)
BME 2310 - Biomedical Signals and Systems
BME 3010 - Cellular Principles of Biomedical Engineering (crosslisted)
BME 3020 - Molecular Principles of Biomedical Engineering (crosslisted)
BME 3030: Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology Fabrication
BME 4010 - Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Metabolic and Structural Systems (crosslisted)
BME 4020 - Electrical and Chemical Physiology
BME 4080: Biomedical Engineering Design Laboratory
BME 4090: Biomedical Engineering Design Laboratory
BTRY 3010 - Biological Statistics I (crosslisted) ³
ENGRD 2020 - Statics and Mechanics of Solids (crosslisted) ¹

Biomedical Engineering Concentrations (must choose one: 13 credits minimum)

1. Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering (MCTE)

Required Courses:

CHEM 1570 - Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry ⁴
BME 3110: Engineering and Computational Analysis of Cellular Systems
BME 4190: MCTE Practicum Laboratory

Electives (choose 6 credits from the following courses):

BME 5830 - Cell-Biomaterials Interactions
BME 5850 - Current Practice in Tissue Engineering
BTRY 4381 - Bioinformatics Programming
CHEME 5430 - Bioprocess Engineering or
One 3xxx/4xxx course from another BME concentration

2. Biomedical Materials and Drug Delivery (BMDD)

Required Courses:

BME 3210: BDD Concentration Course
BME 4190: MCTE Practicum Laboratory or
BME 4490: BMMB Practicum Laboratory
CHEM 1570 - Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry

Electives (choose 6 credits from the following courses):

3. Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation (BII)

Required Courses:

BME 3310: Medical and Preclinical Imaging
BME 4390: Circuits, Signals, and Sensors Instrumentation Laboratory
PHYS 2214 - Physics III: Oscillations, Waves, and Quantum Physics ⁴

Electives (choose 6 credits from the following courses):

4. Biomedical Mechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB)

Required Courses:

BME 4410: BMMB Concentration Course
BME 4490: BMMB Practicum Laboratory
PHYS 2214 - Physics III: Oscillations, Waves, and Quantum Physics ⁴

Electives (choose 6 credits from the following courses):

Additional Requirements

In addition to the two First-year Writing Seminars, a technical writing course must be taken. This requirement will be satisfied with the BME Concentration Laboratory.

Notes

1. Recommended: ENGRD 2020 . ENGRD 2020 satisfies the Common Curriculum distribution requirement and also fulfills a required Major course. It is best taken during semester 3 and must be completed before semester 5.

2. BEE 2220 currently satisfies BME 2110.

3. CEE 3040 alternatively satisfies this course.

4. The choice between PHYS 2214 or CHEM 1570 depends on the concentration chosen within the Major. CHEM 1570 can also be satisfied by the pre-medicine organic chemistry/biochemistry sequence. PHYS 2214 is recommended for the Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation (BII) and Biomedical Mechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) concentrations; CHEM 1570 is required for the Molecular/Cellular/ Tissue Engineering (MCTE) and Biomaterials and Drug Delivery (BDD) concentrations.

Academic Standing

Majors in Biomedical Engineering are expected to meet the following standards:

Semester GPA > 2.3
Cumulative GPA > 2.1
No grade below C- in any Core or Concentration Course Required for Graduation (note1)
No failing grade
Minimum of 12 credits per semester completed with passing grades (note2)

Notes:

Only one course below a C- within major required courses is allowed for graduation.
No course with a grade lower than C- may be used to satisfy a prerequisite for a subsequent BME course.

Biomedical Engineering Honors Program

To participate in this honors program, students must meet the Majors Honors Programs criteria as delineated above, and must have at least 11 credits beyond the minimum required for graduation in BME (therefore the minimum number of credits to graduate is 141). These 11 credits shall include:

BTRY 3020 Biological Statistics II – With a grade of at least B+ (4 credits). NOTE: BME 3010 is a prerequisite for BTRY 3020 .
A significant research experience or honors project under the supervision of a BME faculty member using BME 4990 (Undergraduate Research) and BME 4991 (Honors Thesis), to be completed in their fourth year. A written senior honors thesis must be submitted as part of the second component. A minimum grade of A- in both courses is required for successful completion of this honors requirement. The two research courses will be taken in consecutive semesters. (6+ credits)
A significant teaching experience under the supervision of a BME faculty member or as part of a regularly recognized course in the department under BME 4980 : Undergraduate Teaching. (1+ credits)

Additional criteria:

1. The student must present a poster or oral presentation in a public research forum such as a national or regional professional society meeting, Bio Expo, or other public university event by the end of the student’s project.

2. Project teams are not acceptable for Honors Thesis research unless there is a clearly defined project outside of the team effort attested by the project faculty advisor.

3. No research, independent study, or teaching experience for which the student is paid may be counted towards the credits required for the honors program.

Application Timing:

All interested students must complete a written application (available 108 Weill Hall) no later than the end of the third week of their 7th semester, but students are encouraged to make arrangements with a faculty member during their junior year.