Summary

This course consists of an introduction to biology and more particularly to biology as a multidisciplinary field, emphasizing natural examples of materials engineering. It should therefore allow engineering students to find inspiration from biology in future materials research problems.

Content

Keywords

Life, Cells, Tissues, Interactions, Natural Materials, Bioengineering, Bioinspired Engineering, Molecular Biology, Structure - Function relationships in Biology

Learning Prerequisites

Important concepts to start the course

Students should appreicate that many materials engineering problems have been solved by nature.

Evolution is always billion years ahead of what we can engineer as humans.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Describe the building blocks of life and how their interactions dictate structure and function in biology
• Identify materials and architectures found in nature
• Realize how cellular communication mechanisms are important in the engineering of biomaterials
• Integrate examples from nature in materials engineering challenges

Teaching methods

Classroom teaching and handouts

Expected student activities

Be present at lectures and actively participate in discussions on the subject.

Assessment methods

Written exam at the end of the semester (exam period)

Supervision

Resources

Bibliography

Materials will be distributed on Moodle

Prerequisite for

MSE 471: Biomaterials