Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering Joint Major

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Science (BS)

The joint major programs are designed for students who wish to undertake study in two areas of engineering in order to qualify for employment in either field or for positions in which competence in two fields is required. These curricula include the core courses in each of the major fields. While they require slightly increased course loads, they can be completed in four years. Both majors are shown on the student's transcript of record.

The Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering Joint Major is for students who have a keen interest in the field of biomaterials. Students will study the design and synthesis of novel materials that will define new paradigms in biomaterials from the molecular through macroscopic levels, and will also receive a broad –based learning experience that will include exposure to fundamental courses in engineering and life sciences. This joint major aims to allow the student to understand the interface between the two major fields. Students taking this double major will successfully compete for jobs in the field of biomaterials in academe, industry and government.

Admission to the Joint Major

Admission directly to a joint major is closed to freshmen and junior transfer applicants. Students interested in a joint program may apply to change majors during specific times in their academic progress. Please see the College of Engineering joint majors website  for complete details.

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Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All technical courses (courses in engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, statistics, biological sciences, and computer science) must be taken for a letter grade.

  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student’s major and minor programs.

  3. A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for all work undertaken at UC Berkeley.

  4. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all technical courses taken in satisfaction of major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

For a detailed plan of study by year and semester, please see the Plan of Study tab.

Lower-division Requirements

MATH 1ACalculus4
MATH 1BCalculus4
MATH 53Multivariable Calculus4
MATH 54Linear Algebra and Differential Equations4
CHEM 1A
  & 1AL
General Chemistry
   and General Chemistry Laboratory 1
4
or CHEM 4A General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
CHEM 3A
  & 3AL
Chemical Structure and Reactivity
   and Organic Chemistry Laboratory 1
5
or CHEM 112A Organic Chemistry
PHYSICS 7APhysics for Scientists and Engineers4
PHYSICS 7BPhysics for Scientists and Engineers4
BIOLOGY 1A
  & 1AL
General Biology Lecture
   and General Biology Laboratory
5
BIO ENG 10Introduction to Biomedicine for Engineers 24
BIO ENG 24Aspects of Bioengineering1
ENGIN 7Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers4
ENGIN 45Properties of Materials3
EL ENG 40Introduction to Microelectronic Circuits4
1

 CHEM 4A and CHEM 112A are intended for students major in chemistry or a closely-related field.

2

 Junior transfer admits are exempt from completing BIO ENG 10

Upper-division Requirements

Please note that technical courses listed below fulfill only one requirement.

BIO ENG 102Biomechanics: Analysis and Design4
BIO ENG 104Biological Transport Phenomena4
BIO ENG 116Cell and Tissue Engineering4
or BIO ENG C117 Structural Aspects of Biomaterials
or BIO ENG 111 Functional Biomaterials Development and Characterization
BIO ENG C118Biological Performance of Materials4
MAT SCI 102Bonding, Crystallography, and Crystal Defects3
MAT SCI 104Materials Characterization4
MAT SCI 130Experimental Materials Science and Design3
or BIO ENG 115 Cell Biology for Engineers
or BIO ENG 110 Biomedical Physiology for Engineers
MAT SCI 151Polymeric Materials3
or CHM ENG C178 Polymer Science and Technology
MCELLBI C100A/CHEM C130Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life4
or MCELLBI 102 Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
BIO ENG 110Biomedical Physiology for Engineers4
or BIO ENG 113 Stem Cells and Technologies
ENGIN 115Engineering Thermodynamics4
or CHEM 120B Physical Chemistry
Select two courses from the following:
BioMEMS and Medical Devices
Introduction of Bionanoscience and Bionanotechnology
Properties of Electronic Materials
Corrosion (Chemical Properties)
MAT SCI 113Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials3
Upper-division Technical Elective: Select one course from the following:
Stem Cells and Technologies
Cell and Tissue Engineering
Structural Aspects of Biomaterials
BioMEMS and Medical Devices
Honors Undergraduate Research
Phase Transformations and Kinetics
Properties of Electronic Materials
Corrosion (Chemical Properties)
Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials
Engineering Design Project or Research: Select one of the following:
BioMems and BioNanotechnology Laboratory
Synthetic Biology Laboratory
Practical Light Microscopy
Senior Design Projects
Honors Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate Design Research

College Requirements

Students in the College of Engineering must complete 120 semester units with the following provisions: 

1.        Completion of the requirements of one Engineering major program  of study. 

2.        A minimum overall grade point average of 2.000 (C average) and a minimum 2.000 grade point average in upper division technical course work required of the major. 

3.        The final 30 units must be completed in residence in the College of Engineering on the Berkeley campus in two consecutive semesters. 

4.        All technical courses (math, science & engineering), required of the major or not, must be taken on a letter graded basis (unless they are only offered P/NP). 

5.        Entering freshman are allowed a maximum of eight semesters to complete their degree requirements.  Entering junior transfers are allowed a maximum of four semesters to complete their degree requirements. Summer terms are optional and do not count toward the maximum. Students are responsible for planning and satisfactorily completing all graduation requirements within the maximum allowable semesters. 

Humanities and Social Science Requirement
To promote a rich and varied educational experience outside of the technical requirements for each major, the College of Engineering has a Humanities and Social Sciences breadth requirement, which must be completed to graduate. This requirement is built into all the Engineering programs of study. The requirement includes two approved reading and composition courses and four additional approved courses, within which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. 

1.        Complete a minimum of six courses (3 units or more) from the approved Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) lists

2.        Two of the six courses must fulfill the  Reading and Composition Requirement. These courses must be taken for a letter grade (C- or better required), and MUST be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year (4th semester of enrollment). The first half of R&C, the “A” course, must be completed by the end of the freshman year; the second half of R&C, the “B “course, by no later than the end of the sophomore year. For detailed lists of courses that fulfill Reading and Composition requirements, please see the Reading and Composition page in this bulletin. 

3.        The four additional courses must be chosen from the H/SS comprehensive list. These courses may be taken on a Pass/Not Passed Basis (P/NP).

4.        At least two of the six courses must be upper division (courses numbered 100-196).

5.        At least two courses must be from the same department and at least one of the two must be upper division. This is called the *Series requirement. AP tests can be combined with a course to complete the series requirement. For example, AP History (any) combined with an upper division History course would satisfy the series requirement

6.        One of the six courses must satisfy the campus American Cultures Requirement. For detailed lists of courses that fulfill American Cultures requirements, please see the American Cultures page in this bulletin. 

7.        A maximum of two exams (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level) may be used toward completion of the H/SS requirement. Visit this link

8.        No courses offered by an Engineering department (IEOR, CE, etc.) other than BIOE 100, CS C79, ENGIN 125, ENGIN 130AC, 157AC, ME 191K and ME 191AC may be used to complete H/SS requirements.

9.        Courses may fulfill multiple categories. For example, if you complete City and Regional Planning 115 and 118AC that would satisfy the series requirement, the two upper division courses requirement and the American Cultures Requirement.

10.     The College of Engineering (COE) uses modified versions of five of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) breadth requirements lists to provide options to our students for completing the Humanities and Social Science requirement. Our requirement is different than that of L & S, so the guidelines posted on the top of each L & S breadth list do NOT apply to COE students.

11.     Foreign language courses MAY be used to complete H/SS requirements. L & S does not allow students to use many language courses, so their lists will not include all options open to Engineering students. For a list of language options, visit http://coe.berkeley.edu/FL

*NOTE: for the Series Requirement: The purpose of the series requirement is to provide depth of knowledge in a certain area. Therefore, a two-course sequence not in the same department may be approved by petition, in cases in which there is a clear and logical connection between the courses involved. 

Plan of Study

For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the Major Requirements tab.

Freshman
FallUnitsSpringUnits
Chemistry: CHEM 1A & CHEM 1AL, or CHEM 4A4PHYSICS 7A4
Reading and Composition course from List A4MATH 1B4
MATH 1A4ENGIN 74
BIO ENG 241Chemistry: CHEM 3A & CHEM 3AL, or CHEM 112A5
BIO ENG 104 
 17 17
Sophomore
FallUnitsSpringUnits
PHYSICS 7B4BIOLOGY 1A
  & 1AL
5
ENGIN 453MATH 544
MATH 534Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4
Reading and Composition course from List B4EL ENG 404
 15 16-17
Junior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
BIO ENG 1024BIO ENG 1044
CHEM 120B or ENGIN 1153BIO ENG 100 or Humanities/Social Sciences course (with ethics content)3-4
MCELLBI C100A or 1024BIO ENG 110 or 1134
MAT SCI 1023MAT SCI 1044
 14 15-16
Senior
FallUnitsSpringUnits
BIO ENG 110, 115, or MAT SCI 1303-4BIO ENG 116, C117, or 1114
BIO ENG C1184MAT SCI 111, 112, 113, BIO ENG 121, or BIO ENG 1503-4
MAT SCI 111, 112, 113, BIO ENG 121, or BIO ENG 1503-4Bioengineering Design Project or Research4
MAT SCI 1513Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4
Humanities/Social Sciences course3-4Technical Elective3
 16-19 17-19
Total Units: 127-134

Courses

Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering

BIO ENG 10 Introduction to Biomedicine for Engineers 4 Units

This course is intended for lower division students interested in acquiring a foundation in biomedicine with topics ranging from evolutionary biology to human physiology. The emphasis is on the integration of engineering applications to biology and health. The goal is for undergraduate engineering students to gain sufficient biology and human physiology fundamentals so that they are better prepared to study specialized topics, e.g., biomechanics, imaging, computational biology, tissue engineering, biomonitoring, drug development, robotics, and other topics covered by upper division and graduate courses in UC Berkeley departments of Molecular and Cell Biology, Integrative Biology, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and courses in the UC San Francisco Division of Bioengineering. The specific lecture topics and exercises will include the key aspects of genomics and proteomics as well as topics on plant and animal evolution, stem cell biomedicine, and tissue regeneration and replacement. Medical physiology topics include relevant engineering aspects of human brain, heart, musculoskeletal, and other systems.

BIO ENG 24 Aspects of Bioengineering 1 Unit

This introductory seminar is designed to give freshmen and sophomores a glimpse of a broad selection of bioengineering research that is currently underway at Berkeley and UCSF. Students will become familiar with bioengineering applications in the various concentration areas and see how engineering principles can be applied to biological and medical problems.

BIO ENG 25 Careers in Biotechnology 1 Unit

This introductory seminar is designed to give freshmen and sophomores an opportunity to explore specialties related to engineering in the pharmaceutical/biotech field. A series of one-hour seminars will be presented by industry professionals, professors, and researchers. Topics may include biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing; process and control engineering; drug inspection process; research and development; compliance and validation; construction process for a GMP facility; project management; and engineered solutions to environmental challenges. This course is of interest to students in all areas of engineering and biology, including industrial engineering and manufacturing, chemical engineering, and bioengineering.

BIO ENG 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units

Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.

BIO ENG 98 Supervised Independent Group Studies 1 - 4 Units

Organized group study on various topics under the sponsorship of a member of the Bioengineering faculty.

BIO ENG 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Supervised independent study for lower division students.

BIO ENG 100 Ethics in Science and Engineering 3 Units

The goal of this semester course is to present the issues of professional conduct in the practice of engineering, research, publication, public and private disclosures, and in managing professional and financial conflicts. The method is through historical didactic presentations, case studies, presentations of methods for problem solving in ethical matters, and classroom debates on contemporary ethical issues. The faculty will be drawn from national experts and faculty from religious studies, journalism, and law from the UC Berkeley campus.

BIO ENG 101 Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine 4 Units

This course teaches the fundamental principles underlying modern sensing and control instrumentation used in biology and medicine. The course takes an integrative analytic and hands-on approach to measurement theory and practice by presenting and analyzing example instruments currently used for biology and medical research, including EEG, ECG, pulsed oximeters, Complete Blood Count (CBC), etc.

BIO ENG 102 Biomechanics: Analysis and Design 4 Units

This course introduces, develops and applies the methods of continuum mechanics to biomechanical phenomena abundant in biology and medicine. It is intended for upper level undergraduate students who have been exposed to vectors, differential equations, and undergraduate course(s) in physics and certain aspects of modern biology.

BIO ENG 104 Biological Transport Phenomena 4 Units

The transport of mass, momentum, and energy are critical to the function of living systems and the design of medical devices. Biological transport phenomena are present at a wide range of length scales: molecular, cellular, organ (whole and by functional unit), and organism. This course develops and applies scaling laws and the methods of continuum mechanics to biological transport phenomena over a range of length and time scales. The course is intended for undergraduate students who have taken a course in differential equations and an introductory course in physics. Students should be familiar with basic biology; an understanding of physiology is useful, but not assumed.

BIO ENG 110 Biomedical Physiology for Engineers 4 Units

This course introduces students to the physiology of human organ systems, with an emphasis on quantitative problem solving, engineering-style modeling, and applications to clinical medicine. The course will begin with a review of basic principles of cellular physiology, including membrane transport and electrophysiology, and then take a system-by-system approach to the physiology of various organ systems, including the cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, and endocrine systems. Throughout, the course will feature extensive discussions of clinical conditions associated with dysfunction in specific physiological processes as well as the role of medical devices and prostheses. This course is geared towards upper-division bioengineering students who wish to solidify their foundation in physiology, especially in preparation for a career in clinical medicine or the biomedical device industry.

BIO ENG 111 Functional Biomaterials Development and Characterization 4 Units

This course is intended for upper level engineering undergraduate students interested in the development of novel functional proteins and peptide motifs and characterization of their physical and biological properties using various instrumentation tools in quantitative manners.

BIO ENG 112 Molecular Cell Biomechanics 4 Units

This course develops and applies scaling laws and the methods of continuum and statistical mechanics to biomechanical phenomena over a range of length scales, from molecular to cellular levels. It is intended for senior undergraduate students who have been exposed to differential equations, mechanics, and certain aspects of modern biology.

BIO ENG C112 Molecular Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of the Cell 4 Units

This course applies methods of statistical continuum mechanics to subcellar biomechanical phenomena ranging from nanoscale (molecular) to microscale (whole cell and cell population) biological processes at the interface of mechanics, biology, and chemistry.

BIO ENG 113 Stem Cells and Technologies 4 Units

This course will teach the main concepts and current views on key attributes of embryonic stem cells (ESC), will introduce theory of their function in embryonic development, methods of ESC derivation, propagation, and characterization, and will discuss currently developing stem cell technologies.

BIO ENG 115 Cell Biology for Engineers 4 Units

This course aims to provide a practical understanding of the nature of cell and tissue biology research. Students will be introduced to cell biology techniques as applied to cells and tissues including immunofluorescence, image analysis, protein quantification, protein expression, gene expression, and cell culture. The course culminates with a group project which synthesizes literature review, experimental design, implementation, troubleshooting, and analysis of results.

BIO ENG 116 Cell and Tissue Engineering 4 Units

The goal of tissue engineering is to fabricate substitutes to restore tissue structure and functions. Understanding cell function in response to environmental cues will help us to establish design criteria and develop engineering tools for tissue fabrication. This course will introduce the basic concepts and approaches in the field, and train students to design and engineer biological substitutes. Lectures will be based on the textbook, the reference books and recent literature. Discussion sections will include the discussion of current literature and issues related to course content, homework, exams, and projects. Homework includes quantitative analysis, essay questions, and literature research. There will be a midterm exam, final exam, and a design project (presentation and paper). The final project will be a group project (three to four students) or independent project (required for graduate students). The topic will be chosen by each group and approved by instructor/GSIs.

BIO ENG C117 Structural Aspects of Biomaterials 4 Units

This course covers the structure and mechanical functions of load bearing tissues and their replacements. Natural and synthetic load-bearing biomaterials for clinical applications are reviewed. Biocompatibility of biomaterials and host response to structural implants are examined. Quantitative treatment of biomechanical issues and constitutive relationships of tissues are covered in order to design biomaterial replacements for structural function. Material selection for load bearing applications including reconstructive surgery, orthopedics, dentistry, and cardiology are addressed. Mechanical design for longevity including topics of fatigue, wear, and fracture are reviewed. Case studies that examine failures of devices are presented. This course includes a teaching/design laboratory component that involves design analysis of medical devices and outreach teaching to the public community. Several problem-based projects are utilized throughout the semester for design analysis. In addition to technical content, this course involves rigorous technical writing assignments, oral communication skill development and teamwork.

BIO ENG C118 Biological Performance of Materials 4 Units

This course is intended to give students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of topics related to biomedical materials selection and design. Structure-property relationships of biomedical materials and their interaction with biological systems will be addressed. Applications of the concepts developed include blood-materials compatibility, biomimetic materials, hard and soft tissue-materials interactions, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biotechnology.

BIO ENG C119 Orthopedic Biomechanics 4 Units

Statics, dynamics, optimization theory, composite beam theory, beam-on-elastic foundation theory, Hertz contact theory, and materials behavior. Forces and moments acting on human joints; composition and mechanical behavior of orthopedic biomaterials; design/analysis of artificial joint, spine, and fracture fixation prostheses; musculoskeletal tissues including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, and muscle; osteoporosis and fracture-risk predication of bones; and bone adaptation. MATLAB-based project to integrate the course material.

BIO ENG 121 BioMEMS and Medical Devices 4 Units

Biophysical and chemical principles of biomedical devices, bionanotechnology, bionanophotonics, and biomedical microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS). Topics include basics of nano- and microfabrication, soft-lithography, DNA arrays, protein arrays, electrokinetics, electrochemical, transducers, microfluidic devices, biosensor, point of care diagnostics, lab-on-a-chip, drug delivery microsystems, clinical lab-on-a-chip, advanced biomolecular probes, etc.

BIO ENG 121L BioMems and BioNanotechnology Laboratory 4 Units

Students will become familiar with BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip research. Students will design and fabricate their own novel micro- or nano-scale device to address a specific problem in biotechnology using the latest micro- and nano-technological tools and fabrication techniques. This will involve an intensive primary literature review, experimental design, and quantitative data analysis. Results will be presented during class presentations and at a final poster symposium.

BIO ENG 124 Basic Principles of Drug Delivery 3 Units

This course focuses on providing students with the foundations needed to understand contemporary literature in drug delivery. Concepts in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physical chemistry needed to understand current problems in drug delivery are emphasized.

BIO ENG 125B Robotic Manipulation and Interaction 4 Units

This course is a sequel to Electrical Engineering C106A/Bioengineering C125, which covers kinematics, dynamics and control of a single robot. This course will cover dynamics and control of groups of robotic manipulators coordinating with each other and interacting with the environment. Concepts will include an introduction to grasping and the constrained manipulation, contacts and force control for interaction with the environment. We will also cover active perception guided manipulation, as well as the manipulation of non-rigid objects. Throughout, we will emphasize design and human-robot interactions, and applications to applications in manufacturing, service robotics, tele-surgery, and locomotion.

BIO ENG C125 Introduction to Robotics 4 Units

An introduction to the kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators, robotic vision, and sensing. The course covers forward and inverse kinematics of serial chain manipulators, the manipulator Jacobian, force relations, dynamics, and control. It presents elementary principles on proximity, tactile, and force sensing, vision sensors, camera calibration, stereo construction, and motion detection. The course concludes with current applications of robotics in active perception, medical robotics, and other areas.

BIO ENG 131 Introduction to Computational Molecular and Cell Biology 4 Units

Topics include computational approaches and techniques to gene structure and genome annotation, sequence alignment using dynamic programming, protein domain analysis, RNA folding and structure prediction, RNA sequence design for synthetic biology, genetic and biochemical pathways and networks, UNIX and scripting languages, basic probability and information theory. Various "case studies" in these areas are reviewed; web-based computational biology tools will be used by students and programming projects will be given. Computational biology research connections to biotechnology will be explored.

BIO ENG 132 Genetic Devices 4 Units

This senior-level course is a comprehensive survey of genetic devices. These DNA-based constructs are comprised of multiple "parts" that together encode a higher-level biological behavior and perform useful human-defined functions. Such constructs are the engineering target for most projects in synthetic biology. Included within this class of constructs are genetic circuits, sensors, biosynthetic pathways, and microbiological functions.

BIO ENG 135 Frontiers in Microbial Systems Biology 4 Units

This course is aimed at graduate and advanced undergraduate students from the (bio) engineering and chemo-physical sciences interested in a research-oriented introduction to current topics in systems biology. Focusing mainly on two well studied microbiological model systems--the chemotaxis network and Lambda bacteriophage infection--the class systematically introduces key concepts and techniques for biological network deduction, modelling, analysis, evolution, and synthetic network design. Students analyze the impact of approaches from the quantitative sciences--such as deterministic modelling, stochastic processes, statistics, non-linear dynamics, control theory, information theory, graph theory, etc.--on understanding biological processes, including (stochastic) gene regulation, signalling, network evolution, and synthetic network design. The course aims to identify unsolved problems and discusses possible novel approaches while encouraging students to develop ideas to explore new directions in their own research.

BIO ENG C136L Laboratory in the Mechanics of Organisms 3 Units

Introduction to laboratory and field study of the biomechanics of animals and plants using fundamental biomechanical techniques and equipment. Course has a series of rotations involving students in experiments demonstrating how solid and fluid mechanics can be used to discover the way in which diverse organisms move and interact with their physical environment. The laboratories emphasize sampling methodology, experimental design, and statistical interpretation of results. Latter third of course devoted to independent research projects. Written reports and class presentation of project results are required.

BIO ENG 140L Synthetic Biology Laboratory 4 Units

This laboratory course is designed as an introduction to research in synthetic biology, a ground-up approach to genetic engineering with applications in bioenergy, heathcare, materials science, and chemical production. In this course, we will design and execute a real research project. Each student will be responsible for designing and constructing components for the group project and then performing experiments to analyze the system. In addition to laboratory work, we will have lectures on methods and design concepts in synthetic biology including an introduction to Biobricks, gene synthesis, computer modeling, directed evolution, practical molecular biology, and biochemistry.

BIO ENG 143 Computational Methods in Biology 4 Units

An introduction to biophysical simulation methods and algorithms, including molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, mathematical optimization, and "non-algorithmic" computation such as neural networks. Various case studies in applying these areas in the areas of protein folding, protein structure prediction, drug docking, and enzymatics will be covered. Core Specialization: Core B (Informatics and Genomics); Core D (Computational Biology); BioE Content: Biological.

BIO ENG C144 Introduction to Protein Informatics 4 Units

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of molecular biology, and to the bioinformatics tools and databases used for the prediction of protein function and structure. It is designed to impart both a theoretical understanding of popular computational methods, as well as some experience with protein sequence analysis methods applied to real data. This class includes no programming, and no programming background is required.

BIO ENG C144L Protein Informatics Laboratory 3 Units

This course is intended to introduce students to a variety of bioinformatics techniques that are used to predict protein function and structure. It is designed to be taken concurrently with C144 (which provides the theoretical foundations for the methods used in the laboratory class), although students can petition to take this laboratory course separately. No programming is performed in this class, and no prior programming experience is required.

BIO ENG C145L Introductory Electronic Transducers Laboratory 3 Units

Laboratory exercises exploring a variety of electronic transducers for measuring physical quantities such as temperature, force, displacement, sound, light, ionic potential; the use of circuits for low-level differential amplification and analog signal processing; and the use of microcomputers for digital sampling and display. Lectures cover principles explored in the laboratory exercises; construction, response and signal to noise of electronic transducers and actuators; and design of circuits for sensing and controlling physical quantities.

BIO ENG C145M Introductory Microcomputer Interfacing Laboratory 3 Units

Laboratory exercises constructing basic interfacing circuits and writing 20-100 line C programs for data acquisition, storage, analysis, display, and control. Use of the IBM PC with microprogrammable digital counter/timer, parallel I/O port. Circuit components include anti-aliasing filters, the S/H amplifier, A/D and D/A converters. Exercises include effects of aliasing in periodic sampling, fast Fourier transforms of basic waveforms, the use of the Hanning filter for leakage reduction, Fourier analysis of the human voice, digital filters, and control using Fourier deconvolution. Lectures cover principles explored in the lab exercises and design of microcomputer-based systems for data acquisitions, analysis and control.

BIO ENG 147 Principles of Synthetic Biology 4 Units

The field of synthetic biology is quickly emerging as potentially one of the most important and profound ways by which we can understand and manipulate our physical world for desired purposes. In this course, the field and its natural scientific and engineering basis are introduced. Relevant topics in cellular and molecular biology and biophysics, dynamical and engineering systems, and design and operation of natural and synthetic circuits are covered in a concise manner that then allows the student to begin to design new biology-based systems.

BIO ENG 148 Bioenergy and Sustainable Chemical Synthesis: Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology Approaches 3 Units

This course will cover metabolic engineering and the various synthetic biology approaches for optimizing pathway performance. Use of metabolic engineering to produce biofuels and general "green technology" will be emphasized since these aims are currently pushing these fields. The course is meant to be a practical guide for metabolic engineering and the related advances in synthetic biology as well the related industrial research and opportunities.

BIO ENG 150 Introduction of Bionanoscience and Bionanotechnology 4 Units

This course is intended for the bioengineering or engineering undergraduate students interested in acquiring a background in recent development of bio-nanomaterials and bio-nanotechnology. The emphasis of the class is to understand the properties of biological basis building blocks, their assembly principles in nature, and their application to build functional materials and devices. The goal is for the bioengineering students to gain sufficient chemical and physical aspects of biological materials through the case study of spider webs, silks, sea shells, diatoms, bones, and teeth, as well as recently developed self-assembled nanostructures inspired by nature. The course covers the structures and properties of amino acids, DNAs, sugars, lipids, and their natural and artifical assembly structures. It also covers nanoscale inorganic materials used to develop nano medicines, bio-imaging, bio-sensors, bioelectronics, and machinery.

BIO ENG 151 Micro/Nanofluidics for Bioengineering and Lab-On-A-Chip 4 Units

Introduction and in-depth treatment of theory relevant to fluid flow in microfluidic and nanofluidic systems supplemented by critical assessment of recent applications drawn from the literature. Topics include low Reynolds Number flow, mass transport including diffusion phenomena, and emphasis on electrokinetic systems and bioanalytical applications of said phenomena.

BIO ENG 163 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biophotonics 4 Units

This course provides undergraduate and graduate bioengineering students with an opportunity to increase their knowledge of topics in the emerging field of biophotonics with an emphasis on fluorescence spectroscopy, biosensors and devices for optical imaging and detection of biomolecules. This course will cover the photophysics and photochemistry of organic molecules, the design and characterization of biosensors and their applications within diverse environments.

BIO ENG 163L Molecular and Cellular Biophotonics Laboratory 4 Units

This course provides undergraduate and graduate bioengineering students with an opportunity to acquire essential experimental skills in fluorescence spectroscopy and the design, evaluation, and optimization of optical biosensors for quantitative measurements of proteins and their targets. Groups of students will be responsible for the research, design, and development of a biosensor or diagnostic device for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of a specific biomarker(s).

BIO ENG 164 Optics and Microscopy 4 Units

This course teaches fundamental principles of optics and examines contemporary methods of optical microscopy for cells and molecules. Students will learn how to design simple optical systems, calculate system performance, and apply imaging techniques including transmission, reflection, phase, and fluorescence microscopy to investigate biological samples. The capabilities of optical microscopy will be compared with complementary techniques including electron microscopy, coherence tomography, and atomic force microscopy. Students will also be responsible for researching their final project outside of class and presenting a specific application of modern microscopy to biological research as part of an end-of-semester project.

BIO ENG C165 Medical Imaging Signals and Systems 4 Units

Biomedical imaging is a clinically important application of engineering, applied mathematics, physics, and medicine. In this course, we apply linear systems theory and basic physics to analyze X-ray imaging, computerized tomography, nuclear medicine, and MRI. We cover the basic physics and instrumentation that characterizes medical image as an ideal perfect-resolution image blurred by an impulse response. This material could prepare the student for a career in designing new medical imaging systems that reliably detect small tumors or infarcts.

BIO ENG 168L Practical Light Microscopy 3 Units

This laboratory course is designed for students interested in obtaining practical hands-on training in optical imaging and instrumentation. Using a combination of lenses, cameras, and data acquisition equipment, students will construct simple light microscopes that introduce basic concepts and limitations important in biomedical optical imaging. Topics include compound microscopes, Kohler illumination, Rayleigh two-point resolution, image contrast including dark-field and fluorescence microscopy, and specialized techniques such as fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Intended for students in both engineering and the sciences, this course will emphasize applied aspects of optical imaging and provide a base of practical skill and reference material that students can leverage in their own research or in industry.

BIO ENG C181 The Berkeley Lectures on Energy: Energy from Biomass 3 Units

After an introduction to the different aspects of our global energy consumption, the course will focus on the role of biomass. The course will illustrate how the global scale of energy guides the biomass research. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of the biological aspects (crop selection, harvesting, storage and distribution, and chemical composition of biomass) with the chemical aspects to convert biomass to energy. The course aims to engage students in state-of-the-art research.

BIO ENG 190 Special Topics in Bioengineering 1 - 4 Units

This course covers current topics of research interest in bioengineering. The course content may vary from semester to semester.

BIO ENG 192 Senior Design Projects 4 Units

This semester-long course introduces students to bioengineering project-based learning in small teams, with a strong emphasis on need-based solutions for real medical and research problems through prototype solution selection, design, and testing. The course is designed to provide a "capstone" design experience for bioengineering seniors. The course is structured around didactic lectures, and a textbook, from which assigned readings will be drawn, and supplemented by additional handouts, readings, and lecture material. Where appropriate, the syllabus includes guest lectures from clinicians and practicing engineers from academia and industry. The course includes active learning through organized activities, during which teams will participate in exercises meant to reinforce lecture material through direct application to the team design project.

BIO ENG H194 Honors Undergraduate Research 3 or 4 Units

Supervised research. Students who have completed 3 or more upper division courses may pursue original research under the direction of one of the members of the staff. May be taken a second time for credit only. A final report or presentation is required. A maximum of 4 units of this course may be used to fulfill the research or technical elective requirement or in the Bioengineering program.

BIO ENG 196 Undergraduate Design Research 4 Units

Supervised research. This course will satisfy the Senior Bioengineering Design project requirement. Students with junior or senior status may pursue research under the direction of one of the members of the staff. May be taken a second time for credit only. A final report or presentation is required.

BIO ENG 198 Directed Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Group study of a selected topic or topics in bioengineering, usually relating to new developments.

BIO ENG 199 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Supervised independent study.

Faculty

Professors

Adam Paul Arkin, PhD, Professor. Systems and Synthetic Biology, Environmental Microbiology of Bacteria and Viruses, bioenergy, Biomedicine, Bioremediation.
Research Profile

Steven Michael Conolly, PhD, Professor. Instrumentation, medical imaging reconstruction, contrast, MRI.
Research Profile

Daniel Alden Fletcher, PhD, Professor. Bioengineering, optical and force microscopy, microfabrication, biophysics, mechanical properties of cells.
Research Profile

Kevin E. Healy, PhD, Professor. Bioengineering, biomaterials engineering, tissue engineering, bioinspired materials, tissue and organ regeneration, stem cell engineering, microphysiological systems, organs on a chip, drug screening and discovery, multivalent bioconjugate therapeutics.
Research Profile

Luke P Lee, PhD, Professor. Biophotonics, biophysics, bionanoscience, molecular imaging, single cell analysis, bio-nano interfaces, integrated microfluidic devices (iMD) for diagnostics and preventive personalized medicine.
Research Profile

Song Li, Professor. Bioengineering, vascular tissue engineering, stem cell engineering, mechano-chemical signal transduction, biomimetic matrix, molecules, bioinformatic applications in tissue engineering, molecular dynamics.
Research Profile

Dorian Liepmann, Professor. Bioengineering, mechanical engineering, bioMEMS, microfluid dynamics, experimental biofluid dynamics, hemodynamics, valvular heart disease, cardiac flows, arterial flows.
Research Profile

Gerard Marriott, Professor.

Phillip B Messersmith, Professor.

Mohammad R. K. Mofrad, PhD, Professor. Nuclear pore complex and nucleocytoplasmic transport, mechanobiology of disease, cellular mechanotransduction, integrin-mediated focal adhesions.
Research Profile

Niren Murthy, Professor.

David Rempel, Professor.

Kimmen Sjolander, PhD, Professor. Computational biology, algorithms, phylogenetic tree reconstruction, protein structure prediction, multiple sequence alignment, evolution, bioinformatics, hidden Markov models, metagenomics, statistical modeling, phylogenomics, emerging and neglected diseases, machine-learning, genome annotation, metagenome annotation, systems biology, functional site prediction, ortholog identification.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Irina M Conboy, Associate Professor. Bioengineering, stem cell, tissue repair, tissue regeneration.
Research Profile

Amy E. Herr, Associate Professor. Microfluidics, nanofluidics, bioanalytical separations, disease diagnostics.
Research Profile

Ian Holmes, Associate Professor. Computational biology.
Research Profile

Sanjay Kumar, MD PhD, Associate Professor. Biomaterials, molecular and cellular bioengineering, stem cells, cancer biology, translational medicine.
Research Profile

Seung-Wuk Lee, PhD, Associate Professor. Nanotechnology, bio-inspired nanomaterials, synthetic viruses, regenerative tissue engineering materials, drug delivery vehicles.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

John Christopher Anderson, PhD, Assistant Professor.

John Eugene Dueber, PhD, Assistant Professor.

Adjunct Faculty

Paul D. Adams, PhD, Adjunct Faculty. Biofuels, computational methods, Macromolecular Crystallography, Structural Biology, abra.
Research Profile

Howard L. Fields, Adjunct Faculty.

Lecturers

Terry D Johnson, Ms, Lecturer.

Hayley Lam, PhD, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department Office, Bioengineering and Materials Science & Engineering

306 Stanley Hall

Phone: 510-642-5833

Fax: 510-642-5835

Visit Department Website

Department Chair, Bioengineering

Kevin Heely, PhD

Phone: 510-643-3559

khealey@berkeley.edu

Department Chair, Materials Science and Engineering

Mark Asta, PhD

384 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-3803

mdasta@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Adviser

Genie Foon

eugenia@berkeley.edu

Department of Bioengineering

306 Stanley Hall

Phone: 510-642-5833

Fax: 510-642-5835

http://bioeng.berkeley.edu/

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-3801

Fax: 510-643-5792

http://www.mse.berkeley.edu/

College of Engineering

Student Services

230 Bechtel Engineering Center

Phone: 510-643-7594

Fax: 510-643-8653

ess@ce.berkeley.edu

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