Bioengineering 487 --- Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
Instructor: D. Ratner and X. Gao
Credits: 4
UW General Catalog Course Description:
Bioengineering and nanotechnology unite biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Together they provide tools to address fundamental problems in biomedical science. Explores basic concepts of nanoscience and the current literature, focusing on practical applications for nanotechnology in biology and medicine.
Prerequisites:
One quarter general biology and chemistry
Overview:
Molecular engineering and nanotechnology is an emerging area where biology, medicine and the nanosciences converge. It’s a multidisciplinary field combining biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The rapid development of nanotechnology also has ethical and environmental implications. Bioen498a will focus on nanomaterials with practical applications in biology and medicine. The course will address molecular probe engineering, nanomaterials characterization techniques, separation sciences, and applications of nanotechnology in biological detection, sensing, and imaging. A special emphasis will be placed on the fundamentals of design in nanoscience. The class will culminate in a group design project that will be presented to and reviewed by the entire class.
Textbook:
There is no required textbook for this course. Reference articles will be posted on the course website. The length and number of articles will be limited to ensure students have time to thoroughly read and enjoy the material.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completing this course, students will be able to:
- Understand, explain, and discuss scientific papers in the area of molecular engineering and nanotechnology.
- Effectively communicate ideas and make constructive criticism of others’ science.
- Apply nanotechnology and bioengineering approaches to future research and design projects.
Course Grading:
The course employs class discussions, lectures, assigned readings, short problem sets, class participation, a midterm exam, laboratory and a final group project. The grade assignment is based on the following criteria:
- Reading Assignments / Problem Sets (10%): Reading, consisting of the current literature, will be assigned prior to each lecture. Some assignments may also be accompanied by short questions. Students are expected to prepare a 1- or 2-paragraph summary of each article, and provide short answers to the assigned questions. All assignments should be typed and turned in electronically before class to bioenano@u.washington.edu, or in person in class.
- Class Participation (10%): Each lecture will consist of a ~30 minute class discussion on the assigned reading and or problems. Students are expected to be present, guide and contribute to these discussions. The lectures are designed to be interactive, and student participation will factor into the final grade.
- Midterm Exam (15%): There will be one closed-notes exam to evaluate comprehension of the material presented during lecture.
- Seminar Attendance (5%): To encourage students to seek out new and exciting research in the field of nanotechnology, students are asked to attend 1 seminar outside of class given anywhere in the field of nanotechnology, as long as it relates to biology/bioengineering. Students should prepare a 1-2 paragraph summary of the seminar, and provide a 1 page critical review of a recent article published by the seminar speaker. This assignment should be turned in electronically before the end of instruction (June 5).
- Group Design Project (20%): Students will be divided into small groups (3-5 people) and asked to prepare a short (6 pages maximum) proposal for a design project based on the current literature. These proposals will be presented to the class and evaluated in a review session during the last week of lecture.
- Individual Critical Review (15%): In place of a final exam, students will demonstrate their mastery of the course material by preparing a critical evaluation of a proposal from another team (2 pages maximum). The successful review should provide constructive feedback on the merits of the science, the design, the feasibility of the proposal as well as pose alternate solutions.
- Laboratory (25%): The laboratory will be graded on participation (7%), pre-lab preparation (8%) and 3 laboratory reports (10%).
Course Topics:
Week |
Lecture Topics | Laboratory |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Introduction to Nanotechnology (History and prospective) | Gold Nanoparticles (A) |
2 |
Metallic nanoparticles (Intro, synthesis and functionalization) | Gold Nanoparticles (B) |
3 |
Metallic nanoparticles (purification/characterization & Applications) | Nanoparticle characterization (A) |
4 |
Metallic nonoparticles (biomedical applications) | Nanoparticle characterization (B) |
5 |
Fluorescent nanoparticles | NTUF Characterization lab |
6 |
Purification of functional nanoparticles for biomedical applications | Quantum Dots (A) |
7 |
Characterization techniques in nanotechnology (AFM & electron microscopy) | Quantum Dots (B) |
8 |
Microscopy and applications of nanotechnology in biomedical research | Applications lab (A) |
9 |
Clinical applications of nanotechnology | Applications lab (B) |
10 |
Group presentation and mock NIH review session |
