Bioinstrumentation Curriculum Workshop
Whitaker Foundation
Biomedical Engineering Educational Summit
December 9, 2000
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, PhD
The University of Texas at Austin
John G. Webster, PhD
The University of Wisconsin
Goals: Bioinstrumentation Curriculum
• Discuss and Generate Consensus Report:
– Current Status and Best Practices
– Critical Incoming Knowledge Base Needed
– Role of Experiential Learning
– Intellectual Trends for the Future
– Recommendations for Future Curriculum
Whitaker Foundation Philosophy
1. A thorough understanding of life sciences, with life
sciences a critical component of the curriculum.
2. Mastery of advanced engineering tools/approaches.
3. Familiarity with problems of making and interpreting
quantitative measurements in living systems.
4. The ability to use modeling techniques as a tool for
integrating knowledge.
5. The ability to formulate and solve problems with
medical relevance, including the design of devices,
systems, and processes to improve human health.
Current Status: Courses at Top 12 Institutions
Number of Courses
3
2
1
0
CWRU
Penn
UCSD
Duke
JHU
Berkeley
Rice
NWU
Current Status
Institution
Required Courses
Year
Taken
Pre-Requisites
UCSD
Principles of Bio-inst.
Design
Junior
Linear Circuits,
Exptl. Techs.
Biomedical Electronics
Senior
Biomedical Electronics
and Measurements I
Soph.
Biosystems and
Control, Princ. of
Bioinst. Design
Introduction to
Electric Circuits
Duke
University
Biomedical Electronics
and Measurements II
Junior
Biomedical
Electronics and
Measurements I
Current Status
Institution
Required Courses
Year
Taken
Pre-Requisites
Case
Western
Reserve
Principles of
Biomedical Instrum.
Junior
Physiol./Biophys. I/II,
Circuits, Signals/Sys. I
BME Instrumentation
Lab
Junior
Principles of
Biomedical Instrum.
Biomedical
Engineering Lab I
Univ. of
Penn.
Bioengineering
Laboratory I
Bioengineering
Laboratory IV
Junior
Soph.
Junior
Physiol./Biophys. I/II,
Circuits, Signals/Sys. I
1 year of calculus,
physics
Bioengineering Lab III
Current Status
Institution
Required
Courses
Johns Hopkins
None
UC–Berkeley
None
Rice
None
Northwestern
None
Year Taken
PreRequisites
Current Status: Review of Syllabi
Institution
Course
UCSD
BE186B: Principles of Bio-inst. Design
UCSD
BE122B: Biomedical Electronics
Duke
BME163L: Biomed. Elec./Measurements I
Duke
BME164L: Biomed. Elec./Measurements II
CWRU
EBME310: Principles of Biomedical Inst.
CWRU
EBME313: Biomedical Eng. Lab I
CWRU
EBME360: BME Instrumentation Lab
Penn
BE209: Bioengineering Laboratory I
Penn
BE 310: Bioengineering Laboratory IV
CWRU EBME310: Biomedical Instrum.
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Biopotential Electrodes
Electrochemical Transducers of Biochemical Variables
Temperature Transducers
Measuring Flow
Mechanical Transducers
Optical Sensing
Imaging in Single Cells
Single Cell Electrophysiological Measurements
Piezoelectric Transducers and Instruments
Analytical Instruments for Biomaterials Research
CWRU EBME360: Biomedical Instrum. Lab
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Body Surface Electrochemistry
Multi-electrode ECG
EMG Transduction
LED pulse Plethysmograph Circuit
Patch Lamp Technique
Ultrasound Image Formation
CWRU EBME313: BME Lab I
• Topics:
– Errors and Error Analysis
– Ethics
– Computer Presentation
• Lab (63% of grade) – choose three from:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
3D landmark coordinates from bi-orthogonal film x-rays
Ultrasound measurements of flow
Measuring neurotransmitters with microelectrode
Quantitative Properties of the Neuromuscular system
Evaluation of bone/implant interface using radiography
Patch clamp recording from retinal cells
Measurement of blood flow using PET
Compare mammographic image registration algos
Measuring the compliance of heart valves
UCSD BE122B: Biomedical Electronics
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Analog to Digital Conversion
Digital Ckt Building Blocks
Convolution
Sampling Theorem
Fourier Transforms
Image Processing
Ultrasound
Computed Tomography
Electrokinetic Phenomena
• Lab: No
• Project: 25%
UCSD BE 186B: Principles of Bioinst. Design
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Biopotentials
Electronics Review
Amplifiers
Electrical Safety
Biopotential Electrodes
Chemical Sensors
Light Based Instrumentation
Video Systems
Flow Measurements
Ultrasound
• Lab: No
• Project: No
Duke 163L: BME Elec. and Meas. I
• Topics:
Duke BME164L: BME Elec. and Meas. II
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
Transducers and Sensors
Op Amps, Filter, Differential and Instrument Amplifiers
Digital Devices and Circuits
Recording and Display Devices
Fourier Transforms, Series and Sampling
• Lab (20% of grade)
• Project (50% of grade)
– Sensor, signal processing unit, A/D converter, Display
Penn BE209: Bioengineering Lab I
• Topics:
– Biomedical Electronics
– Mechanical Testing of Biological Specimens
• Lab: (50% of grade)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Electronic thermometer
Building the electronic scale
Building the electronic exercise evaluation device
Building the electronic signal generator
Uniaxial Load testing of biological specimens
Tensile properties of chicken skin
Three point bending of chicken bones
Impact strength of chicken bone
• Uses Discovery Learning
Penn BE310: Bioengineering Lab IV
• Topics:
– Fluid Mechanics
– Signal Analysis
• Lab:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Fluid Mechanical Simulation of Coughing
Measurement of Pressure and Flow in Straight Tube
Steady Flow through a Sacular Aneurysm Model
Conservation of Energy - Thermodilution
Signal Analysis: The Electrocardiogram
Signal analysis: Vibration Analysis
• Project:
– Several weeks duration
Wisconsin BME310: Bioinstrumentation
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Measurement systems
Signal Processing
Molecules in Clinical Chemistry
Mol. Measurements in Biomaterials and Tissue Eng.
Hematology
Cell. Measurements in Biomaterials and Tissue Eng.
Nervous System, Heart and Circulation, Lungs, Kidney,
Bone and Skin
• Labs (20% of grade):
– 1. Blood Pressure, 2. Circuits, 3. Pressure Sensor, 4. Pulse
Oximeter, 5. ECG, 6. Ultrasonic Flowmeter, 7.
Spirometery, 8. Temperature, 9. Spectrophotometer, 10.
Electrophoresis, 11. Dynamic Light Scattering, 12.
Microscopes
UT EE374k: Biomedical Instrumentation
• Topics:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Transducers
Light sources, Photodetectors
Signal conditioning and amplification
Biopotentials
EMG, ECG
Electrodes
Microeelctrodes
Blood Pressure
Flow
Ultrasound
Pacemakers, Defribrillators
Electrical Safety
Comparison of Courses
CWRU
Electronics
A to D and D to A
Amplifiers
Recording and Display Devices
Error Analysis
Biopotentials
Biopotential Electrodes
ECG
EMG
Convolution
Sampling
Fourier Transforms
Image Processing
Video
UCSD
x
x
x
Duke
x
x
x
x
Penn
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Comparison of Courses
Ultrasound
CT
Temperature Transducers
Mechanical Transducers
Piezoelectric transducers
CWRU
x
UCSD
x
x
x
x
x
Chemical Sensors
Light Based Instrumentation
x
x
x
x
Flow
x
x
Electrophysiology
x
Biomaterials Instruments
x
Electrical Safety
Duke
Penn
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Current Status: Exercise Number One
• Introductions
• Describe Bioinstrumentation Curriculum
at Your Institution
Best Practices
• Issues to Consider:
– Course Subject Matter
• General Course Outcomes
• Specific Course Learning Objectives
– Course Outline
– Prerequisites
– Course Level
– Textbooks
– Laboratories
Best Practices: Industrial Survey
• Please list the 5 most important technical
topics that a BME who graduates with a BS in
the next 5-10 years will need to know.
• 1. PSI, 2. Sulzer Carbomedics, 3. Sulzer
Biologics, 4. Sulzer Orthopedics, 5. Sulzer
Carbomedics, 6. GE, 7. Zeiss
Company #: Top 5 Skills
1 DSP
Analog ckts,
electronics
Chemistry
(thru
Organic)
Programming/ Basic
Software
biology/human
design
physiology
2 Blood-mat.
Bio-compat.
Experiment
Design
Eng. Prop. of
Materials
Tissue
Engineering
Molecular
biology
Tissue
Const.
Prin. of tissue
eng.
Molecular
biology
Intro. to Med.
Indus.
Report writing,
technical pres.
Informatics
Statistical
Analysis
Pharmacology
inter.
3 Delivery of
agents
4 One eng.
field well
5 Protein ads.
cell interac.
6 Imaging
Molecular
Technologies Function
7 Good found.
in physics
Matls. Sci. and Inter-, intra- Gene, protein
combo chem
cell. Proc.
func.
Molecular
Biology
Course Subject Matter: Overall Goal
• Prepare students to design and utilize
biomedical instrumentation for
measurements on humans and animals.
– Sensors
– Diagnostic Devices
– Therapeutic Devices
– New Fields: Molecular engineering, cell and
tissue engineering, biotechnology
General Course Outcomes
• Recall bioinstrumentation vocabulary
• Analyze measurement specifications
• Choose the best method of making a measurement of
performing therapy
• Perform open-ended design of a measurement or
therapeutic device
• Analyze data resulting from a measurement of
therapeutic device
• Search internet, medical, engineering and patent
databases
• Communicate effectively
• Pass nationally-normed subject content exams
Specific Course Learning Objectives
• Behaviorally observable objectives that
illustrate concepts, relationships and skills to
be gained
• Examples:
– Draw circuit / amplifier design for a pO2 electrode
– Draw block diagrams for A-mode, B-mode and TM ultrasonic image scanners
– Design grounding system for an ICU
– Explain how DNA is automatically sequenced and
and how fluorescence assists signal processing
Course Outline: Exercise #2
• Rank the ten most important topics to cover
Specific Course Learning Objectives
•
Pre-requisites
• Should include:
– One year of calculus and physics
– One semester of chemistry
– Differential equations
– Cell and molecular biology
– Electric circuits
– Electronics
– Background in programming, statistics,
signal analysis
Course Level
• Junior year
Textbooks
Author/Editor
Title
Comments
Webster, J. G.
(ed.)
Medical
instrumentation:
application and
design, 3rd. ed
systems, sensors, circuits, hospital
instrumentation, therapeutic devices,
safety, but omits the new fields.
Togawa, T., T.
Tamura, P. A.
Oberg
Biomedical
transducers and
instruments
short descriptions of very many
biomedical transducers, but omits the
new fields
Northrop, R.B.
Introduction to
instrument. and
measurements
physical sensors, electrical
measurements, digital interfaces and
signal conditioning, but lacks
biomedical instrumentation
Welkowitz, W.,
S, Deutsch, M.
Akay
Biomedical
physical sensors, analog and digital
instruments: theory circuits, 12 biomedical instrumentation
and design, 2nd. ed. designs, medical imaging.
Textbooks
Author/Editor
Title
Comments
Aston, R.
Principles of
descriptive, lacks equations, and omits
biomedical
the new fields
instrumentation and
measurement
Geddes, L. A.
and L. E. Baker
Principles of
many sensors for biomedicine,
applied biomedical therapeutic devices, but omits the new
instrumentation, 3rd fields
Normann, R. A.
Principles of
bioinstrumentation
circuits, sensors for biomedicine,
computers, signal processing, safety, but
omit the new fields
Bronzino, J. D.
Biomedical
engineering and
instrumentation
many sensors for biomedicine,
therapeutic devices, but omits the new
fields
Textbooks
Author/Editor
Title
Comments
Cromwell, L., F. Biomedical
descriptive lacks equations, and omits
J. Weibell, E. A. instrumentation and the new fields
Pfeiffer
measurements, 2nd
ed
Cobbold, R. S.
C.
Transducers for
biomedical
measurements
systems, many sensors for biomedicine,
but omits the new fields
Webster, J. G.
(ed.),
Bioinstrumentation introduces 4th semester student to
measurements. Covers necessary
electronics, then measurements in the
new fields of molecular engineering,
cellular engineering, tissue engineering,
biotechnology plus hospital
instrumentation. No therapy.
Role of Experiential Learning
• Knowledge taught in a single context is less likely to
support flexible transfer of knowledge.
• Laboratory modules:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Develop intuition and deepen understanding of concepts
Apply concepts learned in class to new situations
Experience basic phenomena
Develop critical, quantitative thinking
Develop experimental and data analysis skills
Learn to use scientific apparatus
Learn to estimate statistical errors, recognize systematic errors
Develop reporting skills
Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook; National Research Council
Laboratories
• Exercise #3: Rank the top 5 most important
laboratory experiences
Laboratories
•
Role of Technology in Learning
• Bring real world problems into classrooms
• Provide scaffolding to augment what learners can do
and reason about on their path to understanding
• Increase opportunities for learners to receive feedback;
to reflect on their learning process; to receive guidance
toward progressive revisions that improve learning
• Build local, global communities of teachers and learners
• Expand opportunities for teacher learning
Bransford et al; How People Learn
Web Based Instructional Materials
• http://utwired.engr.utexas.edu
• http://utwired.engr.utexas.edu/swpm/
• http://www.utwired.engr.utexas.edu/ee302videos/
ERC
• NSF ERC: Bioengineering Educational Tech.
– Modular, multimedia learning tools
– Collaboration of bioengineering educators and
learning scientists
– $10 Million over 5 years
http:www.vanth.org
Recommendations for Future Curriculum
• Past: emphasized measurements in traditional
areas such as biomedical instrumentation and
imaging
• Future: Expand these areas to include
measurements in biosensors, molecular, cell and
tissue engineering and biotechnology
The UT Electronic Taste Chip
salts, sugars, acids,
alkaloids, small molecules,
proteins, antibodies, DNA,
redox species, solvents
John T. McDevitt / UT Chem. Biochem. Dept.
sour
bitter
salt
sweet
sour
The Bead Array Chip
Mass Production of Customized Chips
106 Beads per
Gram
John T. McDevitt / UT Chem. Biochem. Dept.
Science Demonstration #1
Ca(2+) Flow Dynamics Visualized (OCP Beads)
John T. McDevitt / UT Chem. Biochem. Dept.
Science Demonstration #4
Beads
conjugated to
monoclonal
antibody to HIV
p24
Blank control
beads
John T. McDevitt / UT Chem. Biochem. Dept.
Areas for the Future: Exercise #5
• What new areas of bioinstrumentation will be
important to emphasize in the next 5 – 10 years?
Questions for Discussion:
Should all BME students take a
bioinstrumentation course?
Questions for Discussion:
What role can technologyenhanced learning play in
bioinstrumentation courses and
laboratories?