Department of Biomedical Engineering

www.bme.unc.edu

H. TROY NAGLE, Chair

The joint Department of Biomedical Engineering is a department of both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The department maintains a joint graduate program, and, at UNC–Chapel Hill, it participates in the undergraduate program of the Curriculum in Applied Sciences and Engineering (CASE). Students interested in biomedical engineering should consider the CASE program.

BMME courses at the 400 level are intended for undergraduates. BMME courses at the 500 level are open to advanced undergraduates but are intended for graduate students. Undergraduates should consult with the course director before registering for 500-level courses.

BMME

400 [100] Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (1). Seminar introducing students to biomedical engineering research, including literature search, faculty presentation of ongoing research, and student discussion of research papers.

430 [121] Digital Signal Processing I (APPL 430) (3). Prerequisite, COMP 110 or 116 or equivalent. This is an introduction to methods of automatic computation of specific relevance to biomedical problems. Sampling theory, analog-to-digital conversion, digital filtering will be explored in depth.

450 [132] Linear Control Theory (APPL 450) (4). Prerequisite, MATH 528 or equivalent. Linear control system analysis and design are presented. Frequency and time domain characteristics and stability are studied. These techniques are applied in an included laboratory.

460 [110] Survey of Engineering Math Applications (APPL 460) (1). Computational laboratory that surveys engineering math with emphasis on differential equations, and Laplace and Fourier analysis. Applications in biomedical engineering emphasized through problem set computation using Matlab. This course should be taken concurrently with MATH 528.

465 [111] Biomedical Instrumentation I (APPL 465) (4). Prerequisite, PHYS 351. Topics include basic electronic circuit design, analysis of medical instrumentation circuits, physiologic transducers (pressure, flow, bioelectric, temperate, and displacement). This course includes a laboratory where the student builds biomedical devices.

505 [102] Biomechanics (3). Prerequisites, MATH 383, PHYS 116, and permission of the instructor. Fundamental principles of solid and fluid mechanics applied to biological systems. Human gait analysis, joint replacement, testing techniques for biological structures, and viscoelastic models are presented. Papers from current biomechanics literature will be discussed.

510 [112] Biomaterials (APPL 510) (3). Prerequisite, BMME 589 or one year of college-level biology. Chemical, physical engineering, and biocompatibility aspects of materials, devices, or systems for implantation in or interfering with the body cells or tissues. Food and Drug Administration and legal aspects.

515 [153] Biomathematical Modeling (3). Prerequisite, engineering-level mathematics, e.g., MATH 383, 528. Various approaches to mathematical modeling of biological systems will be considered. The major focus at the cellular level will be expanded to include examples in organs, organisms, and populations.

520 [160] Fundamentals of Materials Engineering (3). The structure, defects, thermodynamics, kinetics, and properties (mechanical, electrical, thermal, and magnetic) of matter (metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites) will be considered.

532 [154] Microelectrode Techniques (4). Prerequisites, BIOL 101 and PHYS 351 or equivalent. Models for measurement of cellular transmembrane voltages with microelectrodes are introduced. Basic and technical aspects of the measurements are described. Students fabricate microelectrodes and measure action potentials in living cells.

550 [141] Medical Imaging: Ultrasonic, Optical, and Magnetic Resonance Systems (3). Prerequisites, BIOS 550, BMME 430, and PHYS 128. Physical and mathematical foundations of ultrasonic, optical, and magnetic resonance imaging systems in application to medical diagnostics.UNC–Chapel HillEach imaging modality is examined on a case-by-case basis, highlighting the following critical system characteristics: 1) underlying physics of the imaging system, including the physical mechanisms of data generation and acquisition; 2) image creation, and 3) basic processing methods of high relevance, such as noise reduction.

560 [142] Medical Imaging: X-Ray, CT, and Nuclear Medicine Systems (3). Prerequisites, APPL 410, BIOS 550, and PHYS 128. Overview of medical imaging systems using ionizing radiation. Interaction of radiation with matter. Radiation production and detection. Radiography systems and applications. Tomography. PET and SPECT systems and applications.

570 [151] From Genes to Tissues: Molecular Biology and Genetics for Biomedical Engineers (4). Prerequisites, undergraduate organic chemistry or biochemistry and undergraduate biology, or permission of the instructor. An introduction to molecular, cell, and tissue biology for BMME students covering molecular genetics, gene expression, self-assembling mechanisms, metabolism, bioenergetics, cell organelles, regulation of growth and differentiation, and signaling.

580 [120] Microcontroller Applications I (3). Introduction to digital computers for online, real-time processing and control of signals and systems. Programming analog and digital input and output devices using C and assembly language is stressed. Case studies are used as vehicles to present software design strategies for real-time laboratory systems.

581 [220] Microcontroller Applications II (3). Prerequisites, BMME 465 and 580. Problems of interfacing computers with biomedical and systems are studied. Students collaborate to develop a new biomedical instrument. Projects have included process control, data acquisition, disk systems interfaces, and DMW interfaces between interconnected computers.

589 [181] Systems Physiology for Biomedical Engineers (5). Prerequisites, six hours of undergraduate biology or chemistry and permission of the instructor. A graduate-level introduction to systems and organ physiology. Topics covered will include membrane structure and physiology, muscle physiology, central neural systems, cardiac electrophysiology, and endocrinology.