Virtual Experiments for Biomedical Engineering Education

Illinois Institute Of Technology, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The PIs state that quantitative modeling, analysis, and design which are of critical importance to engineers must be supported by project-based experience with realistic biological models and open-ended problems. The proposed approach of integrating mathematical simulations with didactic teaching material to create "virtual experiments" addresses this need. Novel simulation tools will be developed and incorporated into teaching material in biomedical engineering. These tools are a collection of mathematical models of biological systems and/or processes and will be implemented as computer programs with a unified and user-friendly development and operating environment. Students will be able to perform "virtual experiments" using these tools and carry out engineering design studies where the focus is to design and test a man-made device that either interacts with or mimics a biological system. In addition, these tools will be useful for expanding the career perspectives of undergraduate students in biomedical engineering. Summer programs that include lectures, participation in the development of virtual experiments and biomedical engineering research will be offered to undergraduate students of Chicago State University to facilitate the transition of minority students to Ph.D. programs in biomedical fields and thereby increase the number of underrepresented minority scientists in leadership roles in the nation's biomedical research endeavors. The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Cincinnati are also collaborating institutions. The objectives of the simulation-based modules to be developed focus on case studies in: 1) cardiovascular system and blood flow, 2) pharmacokinetic models and dynamics of glucose-insulin interaction, 3) cardiac biomechanics, and 4) electrical activity in the heart and pacemakers.