To: Bioengineering students, all years

As you prepare for Fall 2008 advance registration, here are some important notes, new courses and various new options.  Be sure to look at your class’s curriculum posted on the BE website for options not explicit in the eCPG. 

 

BE 305 -- Engineering Principles of Human Physiology

 

This old favorite has been revised and updated by Professor Leif Finkel who originated the course and will be teaching it in the Fall of 2008. Leif is a really fantastic teacher and the course provides an engineering approach to topics in physiology. This could be a supplement to BIOL 215 if you are a premed, and really great if you think of grad school. There are several options associated with this course.

 

  1. You can take it in lieu of BIOL 215, or in addition to BIOL 215.
  2. You can take BE305 as a science elective (in addition to BIOL 215), if you have room for it in the natural science category.
  3. You can take BE305 as an engineering elective (in addition to BIOL 215 in science) to fulfill a 3xx or above requirement in either the engineering category or technical electives category.
  4. Subject to the posted AP credit policy, you can take BE305 to replace science labs.

 

****Fall Electives

 

Course syllabi are posted at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/courses/

 

BE305 – Engineering Principles of Human Physiology, Professor Leif Finkel

 

BE330 – Soft Materials, Professor Russell Composto

This course cross-listed with MSE 330.  BE 330 is a good course to take for MSE dual majors and MSE minors and for anyone interested in soft biomaterials offered by a renowned expert in this field.

 

BE402/502 – From Biomedical Laboratory to Marketplace, Professor Paul Ducheyne

 

Professor Ducheyne, who has national and international experience in biomedical engineering entrepreneurship covers in this course all aspects of bringing a biomedical invention from the laboratory to the marketplace, including the FDA approval process. The course can be used in the Engineering category or can fulfill the Professional requirements.

 

BE440 – Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering, Professor Casim Sarkar

Now offered in the Fall instead of Spring.  This course provides an introduction to the quantitative methods used in characterizing and engineering biomolecular properties and cellular behavior, focusing primarily on receptor-mediated phenomena.  This is an elective which can be used to fulfill ‘BE 4xx/5xx or ‘any engineering’ requirements.

 

BE450/550 – Hemodynamics, Professor Bram Noordergraaf

This course provides a broad systems approach to the cardiovascular system by a truly great teacher and renowned author in the field.

 

BE455 – Continuum Biomechanics, Professor George Biros

 

BE480 – Intro to Biomedical Imaging, Professor Vadim Markel

 

BE483/583 – Molecular Imaging, Professor Andrew Tsourkas

 

BE510 – Biomechanics and Biotransport, Professor John Schotland

 

BE513 –  Molecular and Cell Biology, Professor Paul Janmey

 

BE562 – Drug  Discovery and Development, Professor Scott Diamond

 

BE580 – Medical Radiation Engineering, Professor Zhu

 

BE584 – Mathematics of Medical Imaging and Measurement, Professor Epstein

These courses fulfill 4xx/5xx engineering or 3xx and above or any engineering course requirement in the worksheet. BE099 and BE 225 can only fulfill any engineering.

 

BSE Juniors: Important note regarding Quantitative Depth Requirement

This requirement in your CPG can be fulfilled by a wide array of courses. In the Fall of 2008 the requirement can be fulfilled by BE 440, 450, 455, 480, 510 or 584. Please plan on fulfilling this requirement in the Fall if you have not already done so.

 

Important note – You can petition to take BE 513 in lieu of BIOL 215 or BE 305.  BE 513 is open only to juniors and above.

 

Sophomores and Juniors (Class of 2010 and 2009) – notes regarding EAS 445

Consider taking EAS 445 in the Fall to fulfill your Engineering Entrepreneurship Professional Elective.  There will be special sections of EAS 445 reserved for BE students but any section will fulfill the Engineering Entrepreneurship Professional Elective requirement.

 

Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors (Class of 2011, 2010 & 2009) – notes regarding BE303


BE303 -- Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Engineering
. Professor Foster, who authored two books, wrote many articles and lectured about this topic, will be the teacher. BE303 is also offered during Summer Session I

 

Freshmen (Class of 2011) -- If you have room in your fall schedule, consider taking BE303 in your sophomore year.

Submatriculation


Sophomores and Juniors, BSE and BAS -- Consider submatriculation into a Masters degree. You need to enroll between the end of the sophomore and the end of the junior year. Please look up the BE WEB site at

 

  http://www.seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/degrees/submatriculation/

 

for the BE MSE curriculum and links to the Biotechnology program and other information in the SEAS Student Handbook. Students who are strong academically will be considered for admission into the submatriculation program, and can start taking courses towards their graduate degree.


 Freshmen and sophomores

If you plan on taking an independent study course (BE99) you need to secure a project and advisor before the start of classes in the fall semester. Advisors must be Penn faculty members in any department or school, including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital.

Sophomores and Juniors

If you plan on taking an elective independent study/research course (BE490) or the BAS senior thesis (BE497/8) or BSE senior design (BE495/6), you need to secure a project and advisor before the start of classes in the fall semester.

There has been a change in the designation of the independent study/research courses. All students must register in BE490. BE490 can be a 1-semester project or the 1st semester of a 2-semester project. The designation BE492 is reserved for the second semester of the same project.

You are allowed 2 SEAS independent study courses of any number towards degree requirements, in addition to the required BE495/6 (BSE) and BE497/8 (BAS). Additional independent study courses can be taken in free electives.

Advisors in BE99 and all BE49x courses must be Penn faculty members in any department or school, including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital.

 

Some important notes for all Bioengineering students

 

  1. BSE students cannot take CSE140 (aka Linguistics 105, Cognitive Science 001, Philosophy 044, Psychology 107) in the Engineering category or as Technical Electives. BAS students can take it in Technical Electives. Dual-degree BAS students can petition for it to be a linking course, if it fulfills a requirement for the second degree.
  2. If you have AP credits for chemistry and wish to replace the labs with another science or engineering course, it must be a bioengineering, other engineering, or biomedical science including chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry and biology courses. Astronomy, geology, oceanography and other non-biomedical science courses can be taken only in free electives.
  3. BE juniors and seniors cannot take 100-level SEAS courses to fulfill Engineering or Technical Electives requirements. Exceptions will be made for courses specifically required in dual major and formal minor or certificate programs. CSE110, 120 & 121 are exempt from this policy. Students planning a career in engineering design can petition to take MEAM101 (CAD/CAM) in their junior or senior years.
  4. Bioengineering students can take cross-listed courses only in their SEAS designation. For example, OPIM 415 = MEAM 415 and GCB536=BIOL536=CIS536 can be taken only as MEAM 415 and CIS536 respectively. Exceptions, by petition, will be made in case the course is needed for a second major or a minor.
  5. New Note:  Students with AP credit who take the equivalent course at Penn forfeit the AP credit.  This applies to CHEM 091, PHYS 093/094, and MATH 104/114.  This means that if you get credit for CHEM 101 & 102, you can NOT use CHEM 091 ANYWHERE on your BE worksheet, not even in free electives.  [Bioengineering students are required to obtain credit for CHEM 101 & 102 and cannot use CHEM 091. An exception is BIOL 091 that can still be used,  if students get credit for BIOL121]


If you have questions please email Ms. Valerie Dorn, BE Associate Director for Advising, vrdorn@seas.upenn.edu