Program Course Descriptions

BELS101. BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS (I,II) This course presents the basic principles and properties of biological and environmental systems. It considers the chemistry of life and the structure and function of cells and organisms. Concepts related to physiology, energetics, and genetics are introduced. The fundamentals of environmental science are presented and we consider how organisms interact with each other and with their environment and discuss the possibilities and problems of these interactions. Basic engineering principles of thermodynamics, kinetics, mass balance, transport phenomena and material science are presented and applied to biological systems. 4 hours lecture, 4 semester hours.

BELS301. GENERAL BIOLOGY I (I and II) This is the first semester of an introductory course in Biology. Emphasis is placed on the methods of science; structural, molecular, and energetic basis of cellular activities; genetic variability and evolution; diversity and life processes in plants and animals; and, principles of ecology. Prerequisite: None. 3 hours lecture; 3 hours semester hours.

BELS311. GENERAL BIOLOGY I LABORATORY(I) This Course provides students with laboratory exercises that complement lectures given in ESGN301/BELS301, the first semester introductory course in Biology. Emphasis is placed on the methods of science; structural, molecular, and energetic basis of cellular activities; genetic variability and evolution; diversity and life processes in plants and animals; and, principles of ecology. Co-requisite or Prerequisite: ESGN/BELS301 or equivalent. 3 hours laboratory; 1 semester hour.

BELS303 GENERAL BIOLOGY II (II) This is the continuation of General Biology I. Emphasis is placed on an examination of organisms as the products of evolution. The diversity of life forms will be explored. Special attention will be given to the vertebrate body (organs, tissues, and systems) and how it functions. Prerequisite: General Biology I, or equivalent. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS313. GENERAL BIOLOGY II LABORATORY (II) This Course provides students with laboratory exercises that complement lectures given in ESGN303/BELS303, the second semester introductory course in Biology. Emphasis is placed on an examination of organisms as the products of evolution. The diversity of life forms will be explored. Special attention will be given to the vertebrate body (organs, tissues and systems) and how it functions. Co-requisite or Prerequisite: ESGN/BELS303 or equivalent. 3 hours laboratory; 1 semester hour.

BELS320/LAIS320 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS A general introduction to ethics that explores its analytic and historical traditions. Reference will commonly be made to one or more significant texts by such moral philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Kant, John Stuart Mill, and others.

BELS321/ESGN321. INTRO TO GENETICS (II) A study of the mechanisms by which biological information is encoded, stored, and transmitted, including Mendelian genetics, molecular genetics, chromosome structure and rearrangement, cytogenetics, and population genetics. Prerequisite: General biology I or equivalent. 3 hours lecture + 3 hours laboratory; 4 semester hours.

BELS325/EGGN325. INTRO TO BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (I) The application of engineering principles and techniques to the human body presents many unique challenges. Biomedical Engineering is a diverse, seemingly all-encompassing field that includes such areas as biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, medical imaging, and rehabilitation. This course is intended to provide an introduction to, and overview of, Biomedical Engineering. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS333/PHGN333 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPHYSICS This course is designed to show the application of physics to biology. It will assess the relationships between sequence structure and function in complex biological networks and the interfaces between physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. Topics include: biological membranes, biological mechanics and movement, neural networks, medical imaging basics including optical methods, MRI, isotopic tracers and CT, biomagnetism and pharmacokinetics. Prerequisites: PHGN 200 and BELS301/ESGN301, or permission of the instructor. 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours

BELS398 SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOENGINEERING AND LIFE SCIENCES Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit: 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.

BELS402/ESGN402. CELL BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY (II) An introduction to the morphological, biochemical, and biophysical properties of cells and their significance in the life processes. Prerequisite: General Biology I, or equivalent. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS404. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY (II) This course will cover the basics of human anatomy and physiology. We will discuss the gross and microscopic anatomy and the physiology of the major organ systems. Where possible we will integrate discussions of disease processes and introduce reliant biomedical engineering concepts. Prerequisite: None. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS415/ChEN415. POLYMER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Chemistry and thermodynamics of polymers and polymer solutions. Reaction engineering of polymerization. Characterization techniques based on solution properties. Materials science of polymers in varying physical states. Processing operations for polymeric materials and use in separations. Prerequisite: CHGN211, MATH225, ChEN357, or consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS425/EGGN425 MUSCULOSKELETAL BIOMECHANICS This course is intended to provide engineering students with an introduction to musculoskeletal biomechanics. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the special considerations necessary to apply engineering principles to the human body. The course will focus on the biomechanics of injury since understanding injury will require developing an understanding of normal biomechanics. Prerequisites: DCGN421 Statics, EGGN320 Mechanics of Materials, EGGN420/BELS420 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (or instructor permission). 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS427/EGGN427 PROSTHETIC AND IMPLANT ENGINEERING Prosthetics and implants for the musculoskeletal and other systems of the human body are becoming increasingly sophisticated. From simple joint replacements to myoelectric limb replacements and functional electrical stimulation, the engineering opportunities continue to expand. This course builds on musculoskeletal biomechanics and other BELS courses to provide engineering students with an introduction to prosthetics and implants for the musculoskeletal system. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the challenges and special considerations necessary to apply engineering principles to augmentation or replacement in the musculoskeletal system. Prerequisites: Musculoskeletal Biomechanics (EGGN/BELS425 or EGGN/BELS525) 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS428/EGGN428 COMPUTATIONAL BIOMECHANICS Computational Biomechanics provides and introduction to the application of computer simulation to solve some fundamental problems in biomechanics and bioengineering. Musculoskeletal mechanics, medical image reconstruction, hard and soft tissue modeling, joint mechanics, and inter-subject variability will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the limitations of the computer model as a predictive tool and the need for rigorous verification and validation of computational techniques. Clinical application of biomechanical modeling tools is highlighted and impact on patient quality of life is demonstrated. Prerequisites: EGGN413 Computer Aided Engineering, EGGN325/BELS325 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS430/EGGN430 BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION The acquisition, processing, and interpretation of biological signals presents many unique challenges to the Biomedical Engineer. This course is intended to provide students with an introduction to, and appreciation for, many of these challenges. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the special considerations necessary to gathering and analyzing biological signal data. Prerequisites: EGGN250 MEL I, DCGN381 Introduction to Electrical Circuits, Electronics, and Power, EGGN420/BELS420 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (or permission of instructor). 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS433/MATH433. MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY (I) This course will discuss methods for building and solving both continuous and discrete mathematical models. These methods will be applied to population dynamics, epidemic spread, pharmacokinetics and modeling of physiologic systems. Modern Control Theory will be introduced and used to model living systems. Some concepts related to self-organizing systems will be introduced. Prerequisite: MATH225. 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours.

BELS453/EGGN453/ESGN453. WASTEWATER ENGINEERING (I) The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the fundamental phenomena involved in wastewater treatment processes (theory) and the engineering approaches used in designing such processes (design). This course will focus on the physical, chemical and biological processes applied to liquid wastes of municipal origin. Treatment objectives will be discussed as the driving force for wastewater treatment. Prerequisite: ESGN353 or consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS470/CHEN470. This course introduces the basic principles and applications of microfluidic systems. Concepts related to microscale fluid mechanics, transport, physics, and biology are presented. To gain familiarity with small-scale systems, students are provided with the opportunity to design, fabricate, and test a simple microfluidic device. 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours.

BELS498 SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOENGINEERING AND LIFE SCIENCES Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit: 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.

BELS525/EGES525 MUSCULOSKELETAL BIOMECHANICS This course is intended to provide graduate engineering students with an introduction to musculoskeletal biomechanics. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the special considerations necessary to apply engineering principles to the human body. The course will focus on the biomechanics of injury since understanding injury will require developing an understanding of normal biomechanics. Prerequisites: DCGN421 Statics, EGGN320 Mechanics of Materials, EGGN325/BELS325 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (or instructor permission). 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS527/EGGN527 PROSTHETIC AND IMPLANT ENGINEERING Prosthetics and implants for the musculoskeletal and other systems of the human body are becoming increasingly sophisticated. From simple joint replacements to myoelectric limb replacements and functional electrical stimulation, the engineering opportunities continue to expand. This course builds on musculoskeletal biomechanics and other BELS courses to provide engineering students with an introduction to prosthetics and implants for the musculoskeletal system. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the challenges and special considerations necessary to apply engineering principles to augmentation or replacement in the musculoskeletal system. Prerequisites: Musculoskeletal Biomechanics (EGGN/BELS425 or EGGN/BELS525) 3 hours lecture;
3 semester hours.

EGGN528 COMPUTATIONAL BIOMECHANICS Computational Biomechanics provides and introduction to the application of computer simulation to solve some fundamental problems in biomechanics and bioengineering. Musculoskeletal mechanics, medical image reconstruction, hard and soft tissue modeling, joint mechanics, and inter-subject variability will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the limitations of the computer model as a predictive tool and the need for rigorous verification and validation of computational techniques. Clinical application of biomechanical modeling tools is highlighted and impact on patient quality of life is demonstrated. Prerequisites: EGGN413 Computer Aided Engineering, EGGN325/BELS325 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS530/EGES530 BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION The acquisition, processing, and interpretation of biological signals presents many unique challenges to the Biomedical Engineer. This course is intended to provide students with the knowledge to understand, appreciate, and address these challenges. At the end of the semester, students should have a working knowledge of the special considerations necessary to gathering and analyzing biological signal data. Prerequisites: EGGN250 MEL I, DCGN381 Introduction to Electrical Circuits, Electronics, and Power, EGGN325/BELS325 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (or permission of instructor). 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS541/ESGN541. BIOCHEMICAL TREATMENT PROCESSES The analysis and design of biochemical processes used to transform pollutants are investigated in this course. Suspended growth, attached growth, and porous media systems will be analyzed. Common biochemical operations used for water, wastewater, and sludge treatment will be discussed. Biochemical systems for organic oxidation and fermentation and inorganic oxidation and reduction will be presented. Prerequisites: ESGN504 or consent of the instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS570/MTGN570/MLGN570. INTRO TO BIOCOMPATIBILITY Material biocompatibility is a function of tissue/implant mechanics, implant morphology and surface chemistry. The interaction of the physiologic environment with a material is present at each of these levels, with subjects including material mechanical/structural matching to surrounding tissues, tissue responses to materials (inflammation, immune response), anabolic cellular responses and tissue engineering of new tissues on scaffold materials. This course is intended for senior level undergraduates and first year graduate students.

CHEN460 (I) BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING The analysis and design of biochemical unit operations and processes used in conjunction with bioreactors are investigated in this course. Industrial enzyme technologies are developed and explored. A strong focus is on the basic processes for producing bioethanol and biodiesel. Biochemical systems for organic oxidation and fermentation and inorganic oxidation and reduction will be presented. Prerequisites: ChEN375, CHGN428, and CHGN462 or consent of the instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

CHEN461 (I) BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING LABORATORY Biochemical Engineering Laboratory. Laboratory measurement, calculation and analysis of processes including separations and reaction equilibria and their application to biochemical engineering. Relevant aspects of computer-aided process simulation. Prerequisites: CHEN375, CHGN428 and CHGN462 or consent of instructor. Co-requisite, CHEN460. 1 credit hour; 3 hours laboratory.

CHGN221. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I (I) Structure, properties, and reactions of the important classes of organic compounds, introduction to reaction mechanisms. Laboratory exercises including synthesis, product purification and characterization. Prerequisite: CHGN124, CHGN126. 3 hours lecture; 3 hours lab; 4 semester hours.

CHGN222. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II (II) Continuation of CHGN221. Prerequisite: CHGN221. 3 hours lecture; 3 hours lab; 4 semester hours.

CHGN422. INTRO TO POLYMER CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (I) Prerequisites: CHGN221. 3 hours lab; 1 semester hour.

CHGN428. BIOCHEMISTRY I (I,II) Introductory study of the major molecules of biochemistry: amino acids, proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, lipids, and saccharides- their structure, chemistry, biological function, and biosynthesis. Stresses bioenergetics and the cell as a biological unit of organization. Discussion of classical genetics, molecular genetics, and protein synthesis. Prerequisite: CHGN221 or permission of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

CHGN462/CHGC562/ESGN580. MICROBIOLOGY & THE ENVIRONMENT This course will cover the basic fundamentals of microbiology, such as structure and function of procaryotic versus eucaryotic cells; viruses; classification of microorganisms; microbial metabolism, energetics, genetics, growth and diversity, microbial interactions with plants, animals, and other microbes. Additional topics covered will include various aspects of environmental microbiology such as global biogeochemical cycles, bioleaching, bioremediation, and wastewater treatment. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours. Offered in alternate years.

CHGN508. ANALYTICAL SPECTROSCOPY (II) Detailed study of classical and modern spectroscopic methods; emphasis on instrumentation and application to analytical chemistry problems. Topics include: UV-visible spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence and phosphorescence, Raman spectroscopy, arc and spark emission spectroscopy, flame methods, nephelometry and turbidimetry, reflectance methods, Fourier transform methods in spectroscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, rapid-scanning spectroscopy. Pre-requisite: Consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours. Offered alternate years.

MLGN532. APPLIED SURFACE & SOLUTION CHEMISTRY. (I) Solution and surface chemistry of importance in mineral and metallurgical operations. Prerequisite: Consent of department. 3 semester hours. (Fall of even years only.)

BELS544/ESGN544. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (II) An introduction to assessing the effects of toxic substances on aquatic organisms, communities, and ecosystems. Topics include general toxicological principles, water quality standards, quantitative structure-activity relationships, single species and community-level toxicity measures, regulatory issues, and career opportunities. The course includes hands-on experience with toxicity testing and subsequent data reduction. Prerequisite: none. 2.5 hours lecture; 1 hour lab; 3 semester hours.

BELS596/ESGN596. MOLECULAR ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY (l) Applications of recombinant DNA technology to the development of enzymes and organisms used for environmentally friendly industrial purposes. Topics include genetic engineering technology, biocatalysis of industrial processes by extremozymes, dye synthesis, biodegradation of aromatic compounds and chlorinated solvents, biosynthesis of polymers and fuels, and agricultural biotechnology. Prerequisite: introductory microbiology and organic chemistry or consent of the instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

BELS545/ESGN545. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY (II) Introduction to general concepts of ecology, biochemistry, and toxicology. The introductory material will provide a foundation for understanding why, and to what extent, a variety of products and by-products of advanced industrialized societies are toxic. Classes of substances to be examined include metals, coal, petroleum products, organic compounds, pesticides, radioactive materials, and others. Prerequisite: none. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.

CHGN563/ESGN582. MICROBIOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT LAB. (I) An introduction to the microorganisms of major geochemical importance, as well as those of primary importance in water pollution and waste treatment. Microbes and sedimentation, microbial leaching of metals from ores, acid mine water pollution, and the microbial ecology of marine and freshwater habitats are covered. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 1 hour lecture, 3 hours lab; 2 semester hours. Offered alternate years.

ESGN 401 – FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY (II). Biological and ecological principles discussed and industrial examples of their use given. Analysis of ecosystem processes, such as erosion, succession, and how these processes relate to engineering activities, including engineering design and plant operation. Criteria and performance standards analyzed for facility siting, pollution control, and mitigation of impacts. North American ecosystems analyzed. Concepts of forestry, range, and wildlife management integrated as they apply to all of the above. Three to four weekend trips will be arranged during the semester. 3 lecture hours, 3 semester hours.

ESGN586. MICROBIOLOGY OF ENGINEERED ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS (l) Applications of microbial physiological processes to engineered and human-impacted systems for the purpose of achieving environmentally desirable results. Topics include microbial identification and enumeration, biofilms in engineered systems, industrial fermentations and respirations, biodegradation and bioremediation of organic and inorganic contaminants, wastewater microbiology, renewable energy generation, and agricultural biotechnology. Prerequisite: CHGC562 or equivalent, or enrollment in an ESE program. 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours.