Chair    Robert L. Spilker
Department Home Page   http://www.bme.rpi.edu/

Biomedical engineers are typically involved in research and design. They discover new knowledge that they apply to designing new engineering devices and systems for the fields of medicine and biology. Among the devices that biomedical engineering (BMED) has produced are noninvasive body imaging systems, critical-care monitoring instruments used in intensive care units, and a wide spectrum of implants, such as artificial joints, oral implants, and vascula r grafts, all of which are used to replace diseased tissues. With new discoveries related to stem cells, genomics, and proteomics, BMED is becoming increasingly involved in cellular and molecular biology for basic research and design of new devices and technologies. For instance, many biomedical engineers are helping to advance the new field of tissue engineering. In this capacity, they use basic knowledge about the cellular/molecular processes of tissue regeneration to help design replacement tissues and organs. At Rensselaer, a key focus is functional tissue engineering, which encompasses the biology and engineering necessary to understand, characterize, synthesize, and shape the requisite mechanical behavior of living tissues.

Founded upon a strong engineering base, the BMED curriculum combines significant life science content with courses that bring engineering solutions to medical needs. BMED students may shape their mechanical, materials, or electrical concentration to develop knowledge and skills in one of the following areas: cell and tissue engineering, implant design, signal and image processing, and the design of sensors and instruments.

Research Innovations and Initiatives

Cellular Bioengineering
Cultural mammalian cells are used to study, in vitro and at the molecular level, systems of biomedical interest. Experimental projects in progress include investigations of the mechanisms of osteoblast interactions with orthopedic/dental implant materials; structure and biochemistry of the cell/biomaterial interface; and the effects of mechanical stresses on cellular function, morphology, and structure. Theoretical approaches are used in modeling proliferation of anchorage-dependent, contact-inhibited cells, and in quantifying morphological responses of cells to mechanical forces.

Computational Bioengineering
The level of complexity inherent in the study of human systems such as musculoskeletal or cardiovascular systems frequently dictates the need for numerical solution methods. Rensselaer is developing and applying high-performance computational methods to the study of diathrodial joint mechanics, cardiovascular mechanics, dental mechanics, and imaging. Projects involving the development of computational methods for bioengineering applications are done in collaboration with Rensselaer’s Scientific Computation Research Center.

Orthopedic Biomechanics
In an aging individual, musculoskeletal well-being is a key factor that contributes towards quality of life by directly affecting mobility and the ability of an individual to carry out daily tasks. The Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory uses a combination of cellular and tissue-level approaches to (1) identify changes in the biological and mechanical characteristics of skeletal tissues with emphasis on aging and osteoporosis; and (2) develop microenvironments conducive to regeneration of lost or damaged matrix. Current research areas include biology and mechanics of hard tissue, cellular control of tissue growth and development, mechanobiology of skeletal tissue regeneration, and fatigue fractures of long bones.

Oral and Maxillofacial Implants and Bone-Implant Interfaces
In oral/maxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, and tissue engineering, events at the bone-implant interface ultimately determine clinical implant performance. All such interfaces transmit loads, so interfacial biomechanics and biomaterials become extremely relevant. Continuing projects include (1) characterization of applied forces and moments on oral implants in vivo, and (2) assessment of bone biology at loaded verses unloaded bone-implant interfaces. New aspects of these projects include digital image-based strain analysis of bone at interfaces and cellular/molecular-level approaches to understand interfacial bone healing and remodeling under the influence of interfacial biomechanics and biomaterials.

Systems Physiology and Clinical Medicine and Surgery
Systems modeling techniques are applied to a variety of physiological systems to elucidate their function and behavior, to determine the etiology of disease, to suggest improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, and to predict courses of response and recovery. Experimental facilities include a bioinstrumentation laboratory, an analytic research laboratory, a physiology laboratory with an extensive array of research equipment, and online data acquisition computers. Computer control of the administration of vasoactive drugs is actively studied.

Other Research
Biomedical engineering research at Rensselaer involves three schools within the Institute and interactions with Albany Medical College, Columbia University, Université de Montreal, UC San Francisco, Center for Tissue Integrated Prostheses (Spokane, WA.), and several other hospitals.

Faculty

Departmental faculty listings are accurate as of the date generated for inclusion in this catalog. For the most up-to-date listing of faculty positions, including end-of-year promotions, please refer to the Faculty Roster section of this catalog, which is current as of the May 2002 Board of Trustees meeting.

Professors
Bizios, R.—Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); cellular bioengineering, cell/biomaterial interactions, biomaterials.
Brunski, J.B.—Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania); dental biomechanics and implants, bone healing at interfaces, biomaterials.
Newell, J.C.—Ph.D. (Albany Medical College); cardiopulmonary physiology, systems modeling, impedance imaging.
Spilker, R.L.—Sc.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); computational mechanics and biomechanics (department chair).
Associate Professors
DePaola, N.—Ph.D. (MIT-Harvard Medical School); biofluid mechanics, cellular bioengineering.
Roysam, B.—D.Sc. (Washington University); electrical, computer, and systems engineering; intelligent imaging at low SNR; parallel computation; biomedical applications.

Assistant Professors
Vashishth, D.—Ph.D. (University of London, UK); orthopedics biomechanics, hard tissue biology (aging and osteoporosis), sports medicine (stress fractures and running injuries).
Affiliated Faculty
Cheney, M.—Ph.D. (Indiana University); professor of mathematical sciences; applied mathematics, differential equations, mathematical computed tomography.
Doremus, R.D.—Ph.D. (University of Illinois, University of Cambridge); professor of glass and ceramics science; physical chemistry, solutions of polyelectrolytes and proteins.
Isaacson, D.—Ph.D. (New York University); professor of mathematics and computer science; electric current computed tomography.
Savic, M.—Eng.D.Sc. (University of Belgrade); professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering; controlled cryodestruction, signal processing.
Scarton, H.A.—Ph.D. (Carnegie Mellon University); associate professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics; biomechanics, wave phenomena, acoustics, noise control.
Xu, G.X. —Ph.D. (Texas A&M University); environmental health physics, health and medical physics, Monte Carlo simulations, anatomical modeling, biomedical use of radiation.

Adjunct Faculty
Bowser, S.S., Jr.—Ph.D. (University of Albany, SUNY); cell structure and function, particularly cell motility and cytoskeleton-membrane interactions, effects of mechanical forces on cell physiology, biology of benthic foraminifera.
Cousins, J.R.—Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University); magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy.
Del Vecchio, P.J.—Ph.D. (Fordham University); biology, vascular endothelium.
Edic, P.M.—Ph.D. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); electrical impedance imaging and magnetic resonance imaging computation.
Fuestel, P.—Ph.D. (Albany Medical College); cerebral circulation and respiration regulation.
Jacobs, R.L.—M.D. (State University of Iowa); orthopedics, physiology, bone biochemistry.
Lee, B.Y.—M.D. (Seoul National University School of Medicine); surgical research, peripheral vascular surgery.
Metzger, D.—Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Chicago); regulation of immunity, mucosal immunology, immune response to xenogenaic tissue implants.
Rangert, B.—Ph.D. (Chalmers Institute of Technology); dental implants, biomaterials, biomechanics.
Saba, T.M.—Ph.D. (University of Tennessee); physiology of the reticuloendothelial system, cardiovascular and pulmonary function during shock, host defense mechanisms.
Singer, H.—Ph.D. (University of Virginia); vascular smooth muscle cell biology, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, intracellular regulation of smooth muscle contractility.
Turner, J.N.—Ph.D. (State University of New York, Buffalo); biophysics, anatomic pathology, quantitative light microscopy.

Emeritus Faculty
Ostrander, L.E.—Ph.D. (University of Rochester); information processing, biomedical signal analysis, human factors in medical equipment design.
Roy, R.J.—M.D. (Albany Medical College), D.Eng.Sci. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); systems physiology, digital signal processing, pattern recognition.
Zelman, A.—Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley); membrane transport phenomena, food processing.

Undergraduate Programs

Objectives of the Undergraduate Curriculum
While the objectives stated in the School of Engineering’s Overview of Undergraduate Programs apply to all departments, achievement of the third objective requires a subset of specific objectives to ensure all graduates have specialized technical knowledge in their chosen fields. In this regard, the Biomedical Engineering Department’s baccalaureate programs will ensure that its graduates will:

• Understand physiology at the organ, tissue, and cellular levels, and be able to analyze physiological systems using control-systems concepts
• Be able to apply engineering methods to formulate and solve problems in medicine and biology, for example in the areas of biomechanics, tissue-biomaterial interactions, signals and systems, and imaging as they relate to biomedical devices and systems
• Be able to design and conduct experiments that yield quantitative data from living systems, and be able to evaluate and report data from experiments
• Have project experience in design

Students may achieve these objectives through completion of either the baccalaureate program leading to the B.S. degree or the professional program leading to the M.Eng. degree. Both programs are described in detail below. However, to ensure selection of the appropriate concentration and courses to meet individual interests and goals, students should consult their academic adviser as early as possible.

Baccalaureate Program   In lieu of the general core engineering program presented earlier, students who identify biomedical engineering as their discipline may follow the program outlined below. This curriculum requires a minimum of 126 credit hours.

1. ENGR-1330 Introduction to BMED or ENGR-1310 Introduction to Engineering Electronics or ENGR-1300 Engineering Processes; may be taken in first or second year.
2. Placement of Hum. and Soc. Sci. electives can be varied with Free Electives. The courses counted as Free Electives must show a minimum of 12 credit hours. The total credit hours for the degree is 126-128.
3. Science requirement.
4. For the materials/mechanics emphasis, choose ENGR-2250 Thermal-Fluids Engineering. Choose ENGR-4300 Electronic Instrumentation OR ECSE-2010-Electric Circuits for the computer-based and electrical emphasis. For other elective choices, see a departmental adviser.
5. BMED specified concentration courses (see listing below). Check prerequisites to assure that courses are taken in appropriate order. Free Electives may be moved to different semesters to accommodate timing of concentration courses.
6. The minimum total credit hours of Free Electives is 12, with no restrictions on the included number of 3 and 4 credit hour courses.
7. PDII will be fulfilled from a published list at the start of each semester and can be taken either semester; PDIII can be taken either semester of the senior year. PDI is part of ENGR-2050, Intro to Engineering Design.
8. Capstone and writing-intensive course.

Concentrations   Biomedical Engineering offers several concentrations. Students interested in implant design, cell and tissue engineering, and computational biomechanics, for instance, may select a materials or mechanics concentration. Students interested in biomedical signals, images, sensors, and instrumentation may choose a concentration emphasizing electrical or computer systems. For additional concentration choices, consult a department adviser.

Humanities and Social Sciences Electives   In this area, electives are based on the Institute and School of Engineering requirements. Students are urged to elect humanities and social science sequences, through which they will obtain adequate breadth and depth in subject areas. Students desiring minors in humanities or social sciences must consult the school or department in which the courses are offered to obtain further information and specific requirements.

Minor Programs   The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers a minor in biomedical engineering for undergraduates majoring in other engineering and science fields. The selection of courses must have the prior approval of the department and must form a coherent program. Below is a list of suggested courses for minors in biomedical engineering.

Graduate Programs

The department offers programs leading to M.Eng., M.S., D.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees. Persons seeking admission to any of these graduate degree programs in biomedical engineering should have their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) aptitude test scores sent to the Biomedical Engineering Department. Applicants who cannot take the test should attach an explanation to the application. Submission of the GRE advanced test scores is also recommended. For further information on the GREs, write to Graduate Record Examinations, Box 955, Princeton, NJ 08541.

Master’s Programs
Rensselaer requires completion of at least 30 credit hours (with satisfactory grades) beyond the bachelor’s degree. At least 15 of these credit hours must have suffix numbers 6000–6990.

Master of Science
The Biomedical Engineering M.S. degree can be obtained with or without a thesis. The latter option is recommended for students who do not plan further graduate studies. The thesis option is advised for students who plan to obtain a higher graduate degree. The master’s thesis should contribute new knowledge to the field of study.

Students pursuing either M.S. option must complete a minimum of 30 credits. In consultation with the adviser, they must develop a plan of study that satisfactorily meets Institute requirements, core concentration requirements, and recommended technical electives. For students completing a thesis, at least 24 credits must be met in these requirements, and a maximum of six may be earned by thesis work.

Master of Engineering
This option is recommended for students interested in industrial positions. The M.Eng. requires completion of a minimum of 30 credits. Students pursuing this option must also develop a plan of study with their adviser which includes at least 24 credits, that satisfactorily meet Institute requirements, core concentration requirements, and recommended technical electives. Although a project is not required, an applied research, development, or design project may be completed, with the academic adviser’s approval, for a maximum of six credits.

Concentrations
At the M.Eng. and M.S. level in Biomedical Engineering, programs of study fall into three different concentration areas:

Biomedical Instrumentation
Bioinstrumentation, systems modeling, and computer technology and techniques have been the basis for some of the most advanced and intensive achievements in biomedical engineering. Students in this concentration prepare to work in the design and construction of transducers and electronic processing equipment for online measurements and control of physiological parameters. Techniques for computer simulation, pattern recognition, feedback control, and nonlinear and linear systems analysis of biological systems are additional aspects of advanced training in this concentration. There are active research programs in electrical impedance imaging, automated closed-loop drug delivery systems, tissue perfusion measurements, and image processing that cover the theoretical basis and practical applications of noninvasive internal imaging of animate and inanimate objects.

Biomaterials
Engineering applications for the design of prosthetic devices such as implants or tissue-engineered constructs require sophisticated knowledge of the structure, properties, and behavior of a wide range of materials—metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, composites, and biological materials. Implant design and the new field of tissue engineering involve a working knowledge of material properties, tissue-biomaterial interactions, and biocompatibility.

Biomechanics
Mechanics has helped solve problems involving cell physiology, blood flow, skin rheology, bone mechanics, load-bearing prostheses design, joint lubrication methods, and countless other items of interest in medicine. Continuum mechanics, finite element analysis, strain gauge techniques, model analysis techniques, and micromechanics are some of the methods used to attack these problems in biomechanics.

Biomedical Engineering Requirements
In addition to the Biomedical Engineering core requirements, students must also meet the concentration and elective requirements.

Recommended Technical Electives   In consultation with his/her adviser, the student should select engineering and science courses that complement his/her program of study and career plans. Examples of such courses are given in the summaries below:

Doctoral Programs   Matriculation into the doctoral program is based upon prior demonstration of a high level of academic achievement in graduate and/or undergraduate work. Advanced study and research are conducted under the guidance of a faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and an interdisciplinary committee. Usually 54 credits of formal courses are required in addition to the residency and thesis requirements. These requirements are formalized in a plan of study that is prepared in consultation with the research adviser and doctoral committee.

Courses   Courses directly related to this curriculum are described in this catalog in the courses section under the department codes BMED, CHME, ECSE, MTLE, and MANE.