Bioengineering Program Objectives

The educational objectives of the B.S. degree in Bioengineering at Rice University are:

· Provide students with a fundamental understanding of mathematics and the natural, life and medical sciences;

· Teach students bioengineering principles and their applications in the life and medical sciences;

· Develop their critical problem solving skills in bioengineering;

· Develop their ability to communicate effectively and participate in interdisciplinary teams;

· Expose students to a broad education that prepares them for diverse careers.

Bioengineering Program Outcomes

1. Knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals including mathematics, general and organic chemistry, physics, statistics, and computational methods. Knowledge of the life sciences, including general biology, cell biology, physiology, and biochemistry.

2. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve a breadth of bioengineering problems, specifically:

a) Apply a core knowledge of mathematics, engineering, statistics, natural, life and medical sciences, physics, chemistry, and computational skills to problems at the leading edge of the life sciences;

b) Recognize the complexity of living systems and how they may differ from non-living systems;

c) Develop models to describe living systems;

d) Knowledge of the societal and global context of the problem.

3. An ability to design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze and interpret data, specifically:

a) Design experimental systems, including design to identify and isolate important parameters;

b) Conduct experiments on living and non-living systems using appropriate bioengineering tools (see 4.);

c) Recognize the complexity of living systems and interactions between living and non-living materials and systems;

d) Employ rigorous data interpretation and analysis, including appropriate statistical analysis, in order to evaluate the hypothesis or answer a question.

4. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice, specifically:

a) Exhibit familiarity with state-of-the-art physical and biological measurement systems used in the life sciences;

b) Hands-on experience with procedures in cell, molecular, and tissue engineering;

c) Skillfully use computers as resources for models and data acquisition and visualization and as a tool to access information.

5. An ability to design a system or component by synthesizing a breadth of knowledge in bioengineering and related fields, specifically:

a) Solve open-ended problems;

b) Design new forms of analyses, new processes, and new experimental constructs;

c) Generate a precise description of the behavior to be synthesized, factors and variables that are important to design, and constraints on the design;

d) Knowledge of the societal and global context of the design.

6. An ability to solve advanced bioengineering problems in one of three emphasis areas of Cellular and Molecular Engineering, Bioinstrumentation, Imaging and Optics, or Biomaterials and Biomechanics.

7. An ability to communicate effectively to technical and non-technical audiences through written reports and oral presentations.

8. An ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams, specifically:

a) Participate effectively on teams by sharing responsibilities and contributions;

b) Serve as a leader on a multi-disciplinary team;

c) Plan and organize effective meetings.

9. An understanding of the professional and ethical responsibilities required of bioengineers, specifically:

a) Understand and articulate the impact of research, new process, and new products on society and community;

b) Understand and articulate the ethical issues faced at the interfaces of medicine, technology, and the life sciences.

10. An education that includes opportunities for “out-of-classroom” learning focused on contemporary issues, which may include participation in a research project at Rice or an affiliated medical school, an industrial internship, or an internship in the public sector, including a government lab or public health facility.

11. An education that prepares the students for successful post-graduate education and life-long learning, specifically:

a) An in-depth study of the fundamentals of mathematics, life sciences, engineering tools, and computational skills useful over a wide range of problems that prepares them to tackle new problems as they arise;

b) A recognition that technology is changing and that the rate of change is increasing, thus requiring engineers to continually acquire new knowledge and skills.

Fifth draft - Anvari, Liebschner, San, Saterbak - May 2002