Course Catalog

The following group of courses have been officially approved as of August 2008 with the course numbers cited below which will appear in both campus catalogs.  They may be listed on Plans of Study with the course designations given.

BMES PROPOSED COURSES
The following courses have not yet been officially approved and have not received permanent course numbers.  They are proposed future courses for SBES and some may be (or have been) taught as “Special Studies”.  A couple of them have permanent course numbers on the Wake Forest campus and are listed in the catalog.

**If you choose to include these on your Plans of Study, you should list them as “Special Studies” under the course number designation of BMES 5984 or 6984 as that is the way they will appear on your (VT) transcript if you take them prior to course approval.

NON-BMES Courses
The following courses currently offered from other engineering departments are approved for SBES graduate Plans of Study.  Some of these courses might also be listed as Special Studies on the SBES (BMES) VT Timetable periodically.

Updated August, 2008
SBES Course Descriptions:

Advanced Human Modeling
This course will serve as a continuation of Impact Biomechanics and Computational Biomechanics using Madymo.  It will cover the basics of the finite element methods as it applies to high-rate phenomenon.  The focus will be on practical problems and the use of commercial codes for solving vehicle crashworthiness and biomechanics problems.  Real world examples from automobile safety, military applications, and sport biomechanics are used to augment the learning  material.

Advanced Image Analysis
The course provides an overview of current tends in image analysis with in-depth studies of topics particularly relevant to medical imaging. Students will be required to analyze and report on current literature. Computer-oriented projects will allow the students to implement several analysis algorithms.  Topics include statistical parameter mapping, expectation maximization, Markov random fields, fuzzy set methods, and methods which incorporate prior knowledge. Emphasis is placed on defining image analysis problems in a cost minimization/optimization setting. Experience with an appropriate programming tool such as Matlab or IDL is required.  A prior course in optimization is useful.

Advanced Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
Static and dynamic forces in the musculoskeletal system, joint reactions, and prosthetic joint design and replacement. 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.

Advanced Impact Biomechanics
A review of impact biomechanics and critical investigation of the impact response of the human body. Participants will study the dynamic response of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, upper extremities and lower extremities. Real world examples from automobile safety, military applications, and sport biomechanics. Prerequisites:  ESM2204, 2304. 

Biodynamics & Control I and II
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.

Biofluids
Fluid dynamics of physiological systems with focus on the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems.  The course will address: the heart, arterial blood vessels, airways; description of cardiac and pulmonary circulation; anatomy and function of the heart; anatomy and function of the respiratory system; mechanics of soft tissues; review of basic fluid mechanics; continuum mechanics and constitutive modeling; rheology of blood, Newtonian and non-Newtonian; Viscous flow in vessels, Navier-Stokes; mathematical analysis of pulsatile flow; pulse-wave propagation through vessels; particulate flows and particle transport in airways.  Prerequisites: Basic fluid mechanics course (ME 3404, ESM3015 or equivalent).

Biological Transport Phenomena
The fundamental principles of mass transport phenomena will be introduced and applied to the characterization of transport behavior in biological systems (e.g., cell, tissues, organs, people).  Topics will include active, passive, and convective molecular transport mechanisms.  These fundamentals will be used to develop analytical and predictive models that describe phenomena such as oxygen transport, kidney function, systemic drug delivery, and design of extracorporeal devices. Prerequisites: CHE 3114, 3044 or 3144, or ME 3304 and 3404. 

Biomaterials
Lectures and problems dealing with materials used to mimic/ replace body functions. Topics 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. Pre: 3054 or graduating in College of Veterinary Medicine. Prerequisites:  MSE 3354 (ESM 3054) or Graduate standing in the College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Biomechanics of Crash Injury Prevention
The objective of this course is to present n introduction to the design and analysis of crash injury prevention methods in vehicles crashes.  The course will encompass three major focus areas for occupant protection in crashes:  crash energy absorption in (1) the vehicle structure, (2) the occupant, and (3) the occupant restraints.  Topics will include the biomechanics of impact injury, analysis of occupant response in crash tests, vehicle crash kinematics, modeling of vehicle impact response, modeling of human impact response, and occupant restraint design.

Biomedical Engineering & Human Disease
Comprehensive overview of a variety of human diseases, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and cancer, designed primarily for graduate students majoring in engineering and other related areas who have a long-term academic and professional goal in the field of biomedical engineering and life sciences.  Introduction to state-of-the-art biomedical engineering approaches used for the study of early detection/diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disease.  Prerequisites: BMES 5004 or BMVS 4064. 

Biomedical Heat Transfer/Thermal Therapy Design
Foundation necessary for research in biomedical heat transfer and thermal therapy design.  Includes the fundamentals of heat transfer in biological systems focused on applications such as thermoregulation, thermal therapy design utilizing sources such as lasers, radiofrequency, and ultrasound for cancer treatment, nanotechnology enhanced thermal therapy, thermally mediated drug delivery, and thermal preconditioning of tissues.  Examines how heat transfer at the macroscopic and microscopic level can be measured experimentally and modeled with computational methods.  Further discussion will cover how manipulation of applied thermal stress can produce desired responses including destruction of tumors, up-regulation of protective proteins called heat shock proteins, and enhancement in the functionality of tissue-engineered constructs by improving cell growth, extracellular matrix formation, and angiogenesis. 

Biomedical Microdevices
The goal of this course is to build the foundation necessary for engineering research in micro- and nano- biotechnology.   The course will be broken down into four major area: micro- and nano- fabrication techniques, the fundamentals of microfluidics, micro- and nano- particle manipulation and engineering aspects of cells and their membranes. The culmination of the course will provide students the knowledge required to create biomedical micro- and nano- devices with a focus on the unique physics, biology and design aspects at these scales.  Students will be expected to know undergraduate engineering, physics, & calculus.  Graduate Standing (3H, 3C) 

Biomedical Signal and Image Processing
The course will provide the mathematical theory underlying the processing of one and two dimensional signals, including Fourier transforms, sampling, quantization, correlation, and filtering.  For images, the topics of segmentation, restoration, enhancement, color, and registration will be explored.  Matlab projects will be utilized extensively, with an emphasis on biomedical signals and images. Pre: ECE 2704 Signals and Systems or equivalent.  (3H, 3C)  Graduate standing..

Biomedical Stochastic Systems
Engineering applications of probability theory, random variables and random processes. Time and frequency response of linear systems to random inputs using both classical transform and modern state space techniques.  Prerequisites:  Calculus is required with basics of linear algebra.  A calculus-based undergraduate course in statistics would be desirable.  Linear systems or digital signal processing would be a co-requisite, in particular, students could take Biomedical Signal Processing.

Clinical Rotation
This course gives the student both a broad view of the use of engineering principles in medicine and general clinical care, together with an in-depth study of a particular aspect of medicine under the direct supervision or a physician.  The student is allowed to see the operation and maintenance of various clinical modalities, systems, and devices under the guidance of a working engineer or technician.  The student participates in anatomy, patient simulation lab, clinical rounds and in image reading sessions to gain insight into the actual operation and needs of departments using medical imaging modalities.

Computational Modeling in Cell Molecular Biology
(Proposed course – description not yet available)

Digital Signal Processing
The fundamentals of digital signal processing of data experimentally obtained from mechanical systems will be covered. Attention will be given to the data acquisition, A/D conversion, aliasing, anti-aliasing filtering, sampling rates, valid frequency ranges, windowing functions, leakage, and various transform methods. Special attention will be given to random, transient, and harmonic function data processing. Various methods of estimation of the frequency response function (FRF) will be explored. The estimation methods will be assessed as to their impact on FRF estimation errors. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor

Fundamentals of Tissue Structure
Descriptions of the structures of tissues such as skin, bone, ligament, cartilage, and blood vessels.  Relationships between the structures of these tissues and their functions.  Descriptions of the components of these tissues and their mechanical properties.  Introduction to tissue mechanics and mathematical modeling of tissue behavior.  Introduction to mechanical testing methods of hard and soft tissues.  Methods for tissue replacement.  Pre: 5004 (2H, 2C) Graduate Standing 

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.

Independent Study
This course allows a student to pursue a topic covered in a regular course in greater depth.  The study usually involves extensive reading and tutorial sessions with a faculty supervisor. Written papers may be required.  See the SBES website and VT graduate school catalog for detailed instructions/procedures on creating an independent study.  

Injury Physiology
Introduction to the physiology of injury.  Focus on the pathophysiology, mechanisms, and outcomes of injury in humans.  Explores injury physiology at the organ, tissue, and cellular level. Topics include physiology of injury to the peripheral and central nervous systems, the musculoskeletal system, the pulmonary system, the abdomen, and the eye.  Include the injury physiology of adults as well as the special populations of children, pregnant females, and the elderly.  Pre: BMES 5004. Co-req: BMES 5164 or BMES 5174.  Graduate standing (3H, 3C) 

Introduction to Regenerative Medicine
Introduction to the fundamental principles of regenerative medicine (RM) and the current issues confronting engineers, scientists, and clinicians working in this field.  RM is a relatively new field that integrates the principles of cell and molecular biology, materials science, biomedical engineering, and clinical science to develop materials and therapies to repair or replace cells, tissue, and organs damaged by disease, trauma, or congenital conditions. 

Mammalian Physiology
Cell biology, neurological and muscle physiology, autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular system, cardiac function & hormonal regulation, pulmonary system, renal system, endocrinology, gastrointestinal system, glucose and lipid storage for biomedical engineering students only. Prerequisites: None

Medical Imaging I
This is the first part of a two-semester sequence which covers medical imaging modalities from an engineering and signal processing viewpoint. Included, however, is much of the underlying physics of the modalities. BMES 750 covers MR imaging, x-ray, and x-ray physics, and an introduction to computed tomography. Topics include many of the common basics of the imaging modalities, such as underlying physical processes, data acquisitions, sampling and quantization, and clinical applications. Each modality is reviewed in the context of its underlying physical processors as well as a common model describing such basic imaging parameters as resolution, contrast, and noise. The course utilizes a number of faculty who present their specialty areas and applications. Prerequisites: BMES 5534 and BMES 5544.

Medical Imaging II
A study of several medical image modalities, including magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), computer tomography (CT), and ultrasound; taught from signal processing point of view. Topics include an overview of the underlying physical processes; data acquisition, sampling, and quantization; image reconstruction techniques; relationships between the various modalities; and clinical and industrial applications. The course utilizes a number of faculty who present their specialty areas and applications. Prerequisites: BMES 5534 and BMES 5544.

Modeling MEMS and NEMS
This course is about the construction, analysis and interpretation of mathematical and computational models of microelectromechanical  and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS).  A goal throughout the course will be to develop a physical intuition for the fundamental phenomena at these small scales.  The material covered will be broad and multidisciplinary including:  dimensional analysis and scaling; a review of continuum mechanics; fluid dynamics, elasticity, thermal transport, and electromagnetism at the micro and nanoscales; the modeling of a variety of new MEMS/NEMS devices; and approaches beyond the continuum theory including stochastic and deterministic methods.  

Polymeric Biomaterials
Topics include polymer design and processing, inflammatory responses to polymers, interaction of blood with polymeric materials, and the effect of mechanical, chemical, and surface properties of polymers on cells. The culmination of this course will provide students with the knowledge to successfully design polymer-based biomaterials, drug-delivery devices, and bio-implants. Graduate Standing (3H, 3C).  

Quantitative Cell Physiology
Description to be added shortly. 

Quantitative Organ Systems Physiology
Description to be added shortly. 

Radiation Therapy Physics
The physics of radiation treatment, including:  radiation producing equipment, character of photon and electron radiation beams, radiation dose functions, computerized radiation treatment planning, brachytherapy, special radiation treatment procedures, quality assurance, and radiation shielding of high energy facilities. Prerequisites: none

Special Study
This course is designed for a group of students.  It may be used to study a timely topic--one which is of current, but not necessarily lasting interest.  It also may be used to launch an experimental course before the course is incorporated into the regular curriculum. 

Statistical Pattern Recognition
A study of image pattern recognition techniques and computer-based methods for scene analysis, including discriminant functions, feature extraction, classification strategies, clustering, and discriminant analysis. Applications to medicine and current research results will be covered.

Stochastic Signals & Systems
Engineering applications of probability theory, random variables and random processes.  Time and frequency response of linear systems to random inputs using both classical transform and modern state space techniques.  Prerequisites: ECE 4624, 4634, STAT 4714. Co: ECE 5605 

Topics in Biomedical Engineering
Topics in biomedical engineering which are not considered in regular courses.  Content varies.

NON-BMES COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

Biomaterials
MSE Course: Lectures and problems dealing with materials used to mimic/replace body functions.  Topics 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. Must meet prerequisite or have graduate standing in the College of Veterinary Medicine.  Pre: MSE 3054. 

Cardiovascular Mechanics I
ESM Course: 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.

Cardiovascular Mechanics II
ESM Course: 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-corpeal devices. 

Engineering Analysis Of Physiologic Systems I
ESM Course: Engineering analysis of human physiology. Physiologic systems are treated as engineering systems with emphasis on input-output considerations, system interrelationships and engineering analogs. Also studied are mass and electrolyte transfer, nerves, muscles, and renal system Prerequisites:  none.  

Engineering Analysis Of Physiologic Systems II
ESM Course: Engineering analysis of human physiology. Physiologic systems are treated as engineering systems with emphasis on input-output considerations, system interrelationships and engineering analogs. Also studied are cardiovascular mechanics, respiratory system, digestive systems, and senses

Advanced Properties of Biological Materials
BSE Course: Theory and measurement of fundamental physical and engineering properties important to handling, modifying, processing and characterizing biological materials. 

Protein Separation Engineering
MSE Course: Concepts, principles and applications of various unit operations used in protein separations. Properties of biological materials, such as cells and proteins, and their influences on process design. Design of processes for protein purification based on the impurities to be eliminated. Concepts and principles of scale-up of unit operations. Case studies in practical protein recovery and purification issues, with a focus on enhanced protein purification by genetic engineering. Protein purification process simulation and optimization using process simulation software. Pre: 3504 or CHE 3144. (3H,3C)  

Work Physiology
ISE Course: Anthropometry, skeletal systems, biomechanics, sensorimotor control, muscles, respiration, circulation, metabolism, climate.  Ergonomic design of task, equipment, and environment.