[Teaching reform and practice of bioengineering comprehensive experiment based on virtual simulation technology].

Bioengineering majors require students to acquire excellent abilities of thinking and analyzing complex problems and have high requirements for students' comprehensive practical skills. Because of the professional characteristics, it is necessary to develop students' abilities to solve complex problems via the teaching of a series of experiments. Therefore, it is particularly important to reform the traditional experiment teaching for students majoring in bioengineering to improve the teaching quality, which have great significance for the cultivation of comprehensive talents. In this study, with the advantages of geographical location and resources to cultivate application-oriented innovative talents, the course group of Comprehensive Experiment of Bioengineering has designed the course based on virtual simulation technology in Binzhou University. Taking the experiment of extraction and bioactivity analysis of Suaeda salsa (growing in the Yellow River Delta) polysaccharide in fermentation as a case, we studied the course design idea, experimental process, teaching method and result analysis, and have improved the teaching performance. This case analysis provides new ideas and content reference for the teaching reform of similar courses.

Teaching reform and practice of bioengineering comprehensive experiment based on virtual simulation technology / 生物工程学报

Bioengineering majors require students to acquire excellent abilities of thinking and analyzing complex problems and have high requirements for students' comprehensive practical skills. Because of the professional characteristics, it is necessary to develop students' abilities to solve complex problems via the teaching of a series of experiments. Therefore, it is particularly important to reform the traditional experiment teaching for students majoring in bioengineering to improve the teaching quality, which have great significance for the cultivation of comprehensive talents. In this study, with the advantages of geographical location and resources to cultivate application-oriented innovative talents, the course group of Comprehensive Experiment of Bioengineering has designed the course based on virtual simulation technology in Binzhou University. Taking the experiment of extraction and bioactivity analysis of Suaeda salsa (growing in the Yellow River Delta) polysaccharide in fermentation as a case, we studied the course design idea, experimental process, teaching method and result analysis, and have improved the teaching performance. This case analysis provides new ideas and content reference for the teaching reform of similar courses.

[Construction of five-level practical teaching system for bioengineering under Emerging Engineering Education background].

Strengthening practical teaching, together with improving innovation ability is one of the key tasks of Emerging Engineering Education. This paper is based on the revision of the training program of bioengineering in School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, improved the practical teaching system and curriculum content, built a five-level teaching system for basic experiment, comprehensive experiment, course design, scientific research and practical training. In order to cultivate outstanding innovative talents with practical ability and innovative spirit, innovative teaching reform mode is proposed. Furthermore the new thought and new schemes for Emerging Engineering Education are put forward.

[Reform of courses for microbial genetics and breeding].

Microbial genetics and breeding is a compulsory course for "Bioengineering Excellence Talents Experimental Class" and "Bioengineering International Student Class". However, the traditional teaching model has many deficiencies in terms of content selection, teaching methods and examination forms. At Tianjin University of Science and Technology, to improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching, especially in the field of microbiology, innovative leaders who meet the needs of national and international communities are highly needed. This article describes the reformed teaching content, teaching methods, and curriculum assessment methods of microbial genetics and breeding. With the help of the latest scientific research progress, pre-class preview system, video display, and diversified assessment methods, teaching mode has been innovatively reformed. As such, students not only mastered the relevant professional knowledge of microbial genetics and breeding, but also exercised their subjective initiative, teamwork consciousness, professional foreign language expression level, and cultivated their interest in scientific knowledge related to microbial genetics.

Digital posters for interactive cellular media and bioengineering education.

Conventional posters are effective in disseminating progress reports in scientific meetings, but they fail to deliver the need for visualization of dynamic biological data and become costly with the increasing number of conferences and the reprinting needs for emerging research. Here we present digital posters that repurpose digital frames from the art community and experiment with multiplexed imaging movies of cells as a demonstration of the digital poster concept, providing an interactive and low-cost tool for next-generation sharing platforms.

Design and implementation of a student-taught course on research in regenerative medicine.

In the Undergraduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at the University of Virginia (UVa), there are few opportunities for undergraduate students to teach, let alone develop, an introductory course for their major. As two undergraduate engineering students (D. N. Tavakol and C. J. Broshkevitch), we were among the first students to take advantage of a new initiative at UVa SEAS to offer student-led courses. As part of this new program, we designed a 1000-level, 1-credit, pass-fail course entitled Introduction to Research in Regenerative Medicine. During a student's first year at the University, opportunities to build research skills and gain exposure to topics within the field of the biomedical sciences are relatively rare, so, to fill this gap, we focused our course on teaching primarily freshman undergraduate students how to synthesize and contextualize scientific literature, covering both basic science and clinical applications. At the end of the course, students self-reported increased confidence in reading and discussing scientific papers and review articles. The critical impact of this course lies not only in an early introduction to the popularized field of regenerative medicine, but also encouragement for younger students to participate in research early on and to appreciate the value of interdisciplinary interactions. The teaching model can be extended for implementation of student-taught introductory courses across diverse undergraduate major tracks at an institution.

Simulation Research in Gastrointestinal and Urologic Care-Challenges and Opportunities: Summary of a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Workshop.

: A workshop on "Simulation Research in Gastrointestinal and Urologic Care: Challenges and Opportunities" was held at the National Institutes of Health in June 2016. The purpose of the workshop was to examine the extent to which simulation approaches have been used by skilled proceduralists (not trainees) caring for patients with gastrointestinal and urologic diseases. The current status of research findings in the use and effectiveness of simulation applications was reviewed, and numerous knowledge gaps and research needs were identified by the faculty and the attendees. The paradigm of "deliberate practice," rather than mere repetition, and the value of coaching by experts was stressed by those who have adopted simulation in music and sports. Models that are most useful for the adoption of simulation by expert clinicians have yet to be fully validated. Initial studies on the impact of simulation on safety and error reduction have demonstrated its value in the training domain, but the role of simulation as a strategy for increased procedural safety remains uncertain in the world of the expert practitioner. Although the basic requirements for experienced physicians to acquire new skills have been explored, the widespread availability of such resources is an unrealized goal, and there is a need for well-designed outcome studies to establish the role of simulation in improving the quality of health care.

Tradeoffs in Capstone Design Courses Involving More Than One Discipline [Senior Design].

According to a 2015 survey, 5% of capstone design course instructors indicated that their courses involve students from more than one engineering discipline [1]. Students in these courses may hear presentations on topics of common interest and work together on project teams that require knowledge and skills from more than one discipline. Some courses make use of occasional breakout sessions in which discipline-specific topics (such as U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations) of greater value to students in a particular discipline are presented during class sessions where only students of that discipline meet [2].

An engineering design approach to systems biology.

Measuring and modeling the integrated behavior of biomolecular-cellular networks is central to systems biology. Over several decades, systems biology has been shaped by quantitative biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and engineers in different ways. However, the basic and applied versions of systems biology are not typically distinguished, which blurs the separate aspirations of the field and its potential for real-world impact. Here, we articulate an engineering approach to systems biology, which applies educational philosophy, engineering design, and predictive models to solve contemporary problems in an age of biomedical Big Data. A concerted effort to train systems bioengineers will provide a versatile workforce capable of tackling the diverse challenges faced by the biotechnological and pharmaceutical sectors in a modern, information-dense economy.

A Conversation with John McKetta.

John J. McKetta, Jr. is a foundational figure in chemical engineering education and energy policy in the United States. An authority on the thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons and an energy adviser to several US presidents, McKetta helped to educate and mentor thousands of students at the University of Texas at Austin for over 40 years, many of whom became leading figures in the energy and petrochemical industries, as well as in academia. As dean of the College of Engineering, McKetta helped to establish a bioengineering program, which later became the Biomedical Engineering Department, at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a tireless advocate for excellence and a focus on the student. At age 100, McKetta recalls the challenges and opportunities he faced in childhood, his memories of the emergence of petrochemical engineering, and his views on chemical engineering education and the people it has impacted in the United States over the past 100 years.

Improving Bioengineering Student Leadership Identity Via Training and Practice within the Core-Course.

The development of a leadership identity has become significant in bioengineering education as a result of an increasing emphasis on teamwork within the profession and corresponding shifts in accreditation criteria. Unsurprisingly, placing bioengineering students in teams to complete classroom-based projects has become a dominant pedagogical tool. However, recent research indicates that engineering students may not develop a leadership identity, much less increased leadership capacity, as a result of such efforts. Within this study, we assessed two similar sections of an introductory course in bioengineering; each placed students in teams, while one also included leadership training and leadership practice. Results suggest that students in the leadership intervention section developed a strong self-image of themselves as leaders compared to students in the control section. These data suggest that creating mechanisms for bioengineering students to be trained in leadership and to practice leadership behaviors within a classroom team may be keys for unlocking leadership development.

Promoting convergence: The integrated graduate program in physical and engineering biology at Yale University, a new model for graduate education.

In 2008, we established the Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (IGPPEB) at Yale University. Our goal was to create a comprehensive graduate program to train a new generation of scientists who possess a sophisticated understanding of biology and who are capable of applying physical and quantitative methodologies to solve biological problems. Here we describe the framework of the training program, report on its effectiveness, and also share the insights we gained during its development and implementation. The program features co-teaching by faculty with complementary specializations, student peer learning, and novel hands-on courses that facilitate the seamless blending of interdisciplinary research and teaching. It also incorporates enrichment activities to improve communication skills, engage students in science outreach, and foster a cohesive program cohort, all of which promote the development of transferable skills applicable in a variety of careers. The curriculum of the graduate program is integrated with the curricular requirements of several Ph.D.-granting home programs in the physical, engineering, and biological sciences. Moreover, the wide-ranging recruiting activities of the IGPPEB serve to enhance the quality and diversity of students entering graduate school at Yale. We also discuss some of the challenges we encountered in establishing and optimizing the program, and describe the institution-level changes that were catalyzed by the introduction of the new graduate program. The goal of this article is to serve as both an inspiration and as a practical "how to" manual for those who seek to establish similar programs at their own institutions. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):537-549, 2016.

Experiencing Functional Electrical Stimulation Roots on Education, and Clinical Developments in Paraplegia and Tetraplegia With Technological Innovation.

Cybernetics-based concepts can allow for complete independence for paralyzed individuals, including sensory motor recovery. Spinal cord injuries are responsible for a huge stress on health and a financial burden to society. This article focuses on novel procedures such as functional diagnosis for paraplegics and tetraplegics, cybertherapies toward lessening comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, etc., and the production of new technology for upper and lower limb control. Functional electrical stimulation reflects a unique opportunity for bipedal gait to be achieved by paraplegics and tetraplegics. Education and training of undergraduates and postgraduates in engineering and life sciences have also been a major aim of this work.