Biomedical Engineering Program
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2005
Table of contents
1. Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University
2. Minor in Biomedical Engineering
3. Curriculum for a Minor in Biomedical Engineering
4. Second Major in Biomedical Engineering
5. Curriculum for a Second Major in Biomedical Engineering
6. Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees
7. Engineering-Medical Degrees (EMD) Program
8. Engineering-Dental Medicine Degrees (EDD) Program
9. Biomedical Engineering Courses
10. Related Courses
11. Tufts Biomedical Engineering Student Club
12. Research Projects in Vision and Ophthalmology
13. Research Projects in Other Fields
1.
Biomedical Engineering at
Biomedical Engineering is an
interdisciplinary domain which links many disciplines such as engineering,
medicine, biology, physics, psychology, etc. This quickly growing field must
meet the needs of industrial, clinical, and scientific research communities. It
involves the application of state-of-the-art technology to the creation of
methodologies and devices for human welfare and for better understanding of
human biological processes. At Tufts we put the emphasis on the design and
application of biomedical devices, an area where the
The Biomedical Engineering Program at
Our mission is to provide students an excellent interdisciplinary research and educational atmosphere with an opportunity to develop strong academic and industrial links and an understanding of the indispensable relationship between people, technology, and the environment. For more information please contact:
Professor Vo Van Toi
Tufts University
Biomedical Engineering Department
Science and Technology Center
Medford, MA 02155
Tel: (617) 627-5191
Fax: (617) 627-3220
E-mail:
vovantoi@eecs.tufts.edu
WWW: http://www.tufts.edu/~vvo
2. Minor in Biomedical Engineering
Graduates of the Biomedical Engineering program may typically work in industry as designers, in hospitals as engineers, or go on to graduate or medical school. The greatest problem with many Biomedical Engineering undergraduate programs is that the student learns some medicine and some engineering, but not a sufficient amount of either to compete effectively with graduates of programs devoted to one or the other. Our Biomedical Engineering Minor addresses this problem by requiring all the courses for the Engineering major while specifying courses in engineering and the natural sciences that are normally electives. The Minor is open to students in all the engineering and liberal arts disciplines, and is an excellent fit for pre-medical students. For more information, please contact the BME Department, (617) 627-2580.
3. Curriculum for a Minor in Biomedical Engineering
At the present time the following courses are required:
- EN 64: Biomedical Engineering Primer (1/2 credit course)
- Another EN course (except EN 1 and EN 2)
- One course selected from:
- ES 50 - Biomedical Engineering I
- ES 75 - Biomedical Engineering II
- Two courses selected from:
- Bio 1 - Biology for Engineering
- Bio 13 - Cells and Organisms
- Bio 14 - Organisms and Population
- Chem 1 - Chemical Fundamentals
- Phy 11 - General Physics
- One course selected from:
- EE 100 - Design of Medical Devices
- ES 121 - Engineering Challenges in Physiology I
- ES 122 - Engineering Challenges in Physiology II
- ES 150 - Biomedical Engineering I
- ES 175 - Biomedical Engineering II
- ChE 164 - Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
- ENP 161 - Human Factors in Product Design
- ME 121 - Introduction to Biomaterials
- BIO 115 - General Physiology I
- BIO 116 - General Physiology II
- BIO 132 - Biostatistics
- MATH 150 - Math. Models in Biology
- PSY 103 - Brain and Behavior
- PSY 129 - Cognitive Neuroscience
- PHIL 124 - Bioethics
These courses must be taken for a letter
grade. No more than two courses used to fulfill a foundation or concentration
requirement may be counted toward fulfillment of the minor. The course details
are described in the Bulletin of Tufts University,
Undergraduate Mirna Armaleh, Biology major, and Professor Vo Van Toi experiment with a prototype of an entoptoscope. This device, controlled by a personal computer, allows a non-invasive measurement of the retinal blood flow.
4. Second Major in Biomedical Engineering
The Second Major in Biomedical Engineering is
offered to both liberal arts and engineering students. Students must enroll in
conjunction with another undergraduate departmental major. Two tracks are
offered: Biomedical Engineering Design and Biomedical Engineering
Systems. Biomedical Engineering Design emphasizes the practical aspect and
is for engineering students while Biomedical Engineering System emphasizes the
multidisciplinary aspect and is for liberal arts students.
Students in each track are required to
complete 10 courses. No more than 5 of these courses may be used to fulfill the
Concentration requirement of the First Major. All required courses must be
taken for a letter grade. Because this is a One-Degree-Two-Major program,
students must have 4 years of residency at Tufts University, a minimum of 38
credits (for engineering students) or 34 credits (for liberal arts students),
and may have additional majors but may not have a minor.
For more information,
please contact the BME Department, (617) 627-2580.
5. Curriculum for a Second Major in Biomedical Engineering
|
|
|
|
BIO 1/ES 11 - Introduction to Biology |
|
Notes:
·
No more than 3
courses in any single discipline can be counted.
·
The
Engineering Senior Design Project of the first engineering major must have an
emphasis on Biomedical Engineering.
·
Liberal Arts
students are encouraged to undertake an independent study, as an Elective,
related to Biomedical Engineering at their senior year.
·
Research,
design projects, and courses not listed here may be counted toward electives by
consent of the Program Director.
6.
Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees
The intention of the Master's and Ph.D.
programs is to prepare proficient engineers with the tools they need to have a
thorough understanding of medical issues. Graduates will be able to address
technology and health care issues from scientific perspectives. We believe that
these programs are critical to adequately educate students in the fundamental
principles of engineering, physiology and clinical issues, as well as provide
multiple opportunities for experiential learning with industry. Students will
participate in the synergies between the Engineering, Liberal Arts, and
Medical, Dental and Veterinary schools.
For more information, please contact the
BME Department, (617) 627-2580. For admission information, please contact the
7.
Engineering-Medical Degrees (EMD) Program
This is a joint program between the Tufts
School of Engineering and Tufts School of Medicine. Currently we stop accepting
new students into the program.
8.
Engineering-Dental Medine Degrees (EDD)Program
This is a joint program
between the Tufts College of Engineering and Tufts School of Dental Medicine.
Currently we stop accepting new students into the program.
9. Biomedical Engineering Courses
* EN 16-BME
- Applications of Engineering Design and Methodology in the Life Sciences
This is a hands-on course involving the
Department of Biomedical and the Department of Biology and is open to students
in Engineering as well as in Liberal Arts. It is project oriented, allowing
students to be aware of, and participate in research activities already in
progress. Each course topic is carefully selected from among the research
projects currently underway in these departments. The topics include: life
sciences, engineering design and a hands-on project. Engineering solutions to
life science problems will involve the following fields: electronics, electromechanics, mechanics, computer science, and optics.
Written personal-activities reports will be required of each student. Half
credit, no prerequisites, can be used to fulfill Mathematical Science
requirements for Liberal Arts students, offered in Spring
semester. For more information: BME department.
Students in the EN 16 course experiment
with a tracking device to help study the migration of salamanders. This course
has been designed and taught by Professor Vo Van Toi of the BME Department and Professors
Frances Chew and George Ellmore, both of the Biology
Department.
*EN
29-BME - Biomedical Engineering Primer
This course
is intended to accomplish two goals: to give students a broad but accurate
understanding of different aspects of the biomedical engineering field and to
help students develop and focus their interest in a more specific orientation
in this field. This course consists of three parts: an in-class lecture, field
trips and a project. The in-class lectures are conducted by the instructor and
guest speakers. In general, the guest speakers are selected from engineers and
Tufts alumni who are currently working in local Biomedical Engineering
industries, or are otherwise experts in the field. The field trips are to local
medical device manufacturing companies. The project requires an independent
study; typically, students have to identify and investigate a novel biomedical
engineering technology, or a commercially available medical product. This
course is open to engineering and liberal arts students. Half credit, no
prerequisites, can be used to fulfill Mathematical Science requirements for
Liberal Arts students, offered in Fall semester. For
more information: BME department.
Professor
George Ellmore of the Biology Department advises
engineering students on the applications of engineering technology in
biological problem.
*EN
34-ME - Biomechanical Systems and Materials
This is a survey course of biomedical
engineering highlighting how engineering mechanics is applied to understand and
solve clinical problems of the human body. This course is designed to interest
entry level students in biomechanical engineering. This course is organized so
that each part of the body will be discussed with examples of research and
current designs. For example, the heart will be discussed by briefly presenting
a clinical problem, and then artificial hearts, valves, and other devices will
be demonstrated. Other topics will include the skeleton, and articulating
joints, soft tissue, sensory organs, kidney, lung and gastrointestinal and
urologic organs. Rehabilitation engineering will also be a specific topic.
There will be guest speakers from engineering and medical schools in the
Professor
Frances Chew, Biology Department instructs engineering students on a biological
problem which requires engineering technology support.
*BME/EE/ES 50 - Introduction to
Biomedical Engineering
The
goals of the course are to offer a more focused view of biomedical engineering.
It consists of two main parts: fundamental engineering technologies and
methodologies, and clinical applications. In the first part students learn
different engineering techniques and methods including mathematical modeling
and simulation of dynamic systems, design methodology, geometrical optics,
kinematics, and statistics. In the second part students learn how these
techniques or methods are applied to medical problems. Study is focused on
specific organs such as the eyes, ears, or lungs. In each case three aspects
are covered: physiological, clinical, and instrumentation. In addition, a
semester long project is assigned, which requires students to conceive, design
and build a working device related to Biomedical Engineering. One credit. Sophomore standing,.
Required for all Biomedical Engineering degrees. Can be used to fulfill Mathematical Science requirements for
Liberal Arts students. Offered in Spring
semester. For more information: BME department.
The
early prototype of a visual stimulator "Papillometer"
assembled from an Erector toy set. This device is used to study the sensitivity
of the eyes to the flickering light. This sensitivity may be affected by
diseases such as ocular hypertension, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes
or by drugs or medications such as LS and digitalis.
*BME/EE 100 - Design of Medical
Instrumentation
The goal of the course is to encourage students to use
the technical knowledge acquired in other classes to develop simple analog and
digital circuits for medical devices. The course has three components: class
lectures, laboratories, and a project. The lectures emphasize the design
principles of medical instrumentation and biomedical signal analysis. Topics
include the origin of bioelectric potentials; the characteristics of various
biological signals, transducers, instrumentation amplifiers, analogue and
digital devices; and computer interfaces. Labs include the design, construction
and testing of electrical circuits and computer interfaces to measure diverse
biological signals. The project consists of designing a medical instrument
which may be used for advanced medical research. One
credit. Senior standing, prerequisite: EE 11, recommended: EE 14.
Required for Biomedical Engineering Minor. Offered in Fall
semester. For more information: BME department.
*EE/ES
121 - Engineering Challenges in Physiology I and
EE/ES 122 - Engineering Challenges in Physiology II
Courses designed
for students interested in advanced work in Biomedical Engineering. The first
course contains modules that cover the central nervous system, muscles/bone,
lungs and heart. The second course covers the endocrine and sensory systems and
the digestive system including dentistry. The courses emphasize vital
biological signals, their measurement, and the required instrumentation with
examples drawn from current joint research efforts between the engineering
faculty and the professional schools. Courses are team taught. Each course
involves a semester long project. Prerequisites: Bio13 or equivalent,
Engineering senior standing or consent. One credit each, offered alternately in
Spring semester. For more information: BME department.
*OTS 294D/ES 96 Assistive
Technology
This course is a survey of selected topics in
assistive technology designed for engineering students, occupational therapy
students, engineers, occupational therapists, special educators, speech and
language pathologists and other health care professionals. You will have an
opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team, have hands-on exposure to a
variety of technologies, and gain an appreciation of assistive technology
available to people with disabilities. Also, you will have on-site laboratory
experience with clientele, complete case studies, obtain feedback from experts
in the field, and discuss funding and legislative issues. One credit,
offered in Spring Semester. For more information: Occupational Therapy
department.
Professor Vo Van
Toi tests a mechanical wheelchair propeller designed by his undergraduate
students as part of a class project.
*EE 101- Introduction
to Medical Optics
Laser and optical
instrumentation techniques in medicine. Medical areas include ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology,
otolaryngology, gastroenterology. The course will
contain lectures and demonstrations at various clinical and research facilities
in the
*EE 156 - Medical
Optics Laboratory
Radiation delivery systems,
non-invasive and minimally invasive diagnostic techniques, ablation and
ablation diagnostics, dosimeter, photobiology, medical imaging and image
processing. The student will
measure the properties of scattering media, such as tissue, evaluate ablative
and thermal tissue removal and denaturalization, measure photoacoustic
processes, and use spectroscopic diagnostics. In the laboratory the students
will employ a variety of lasers, spectroscopic instruments, imaging devices,
and computer based systems for experimental control and data acquisition. One and half credit. For more information: BME
Department.
*ME 121 -
Introduction to Biomaterials
This course presents the following topics:
elementary solid mechanics; aspect of materials science applied to metals,
polymers, ceramics, and biological tissues; tissue reactions to artificial materials;
pathohistology; and inflammatory and immune
responses. This course is completed by a survey of artificial materials and
devices in clinical use, emphasizing vascular and orthopedic prostheses. A
literature review and oral presentation covering a current device is assigned.
One credit, offered in Fall semester. For more
information: ME department.
*ChE
164 - Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Synthesis, characterization and functional
properties of organic and inorganic biomaterials and the process of tissue
engineering are covered. Fundamental issues related to the utility of
biomaterials will be explored based on their biocompatibility, stability,
interfaces and fate in the body. Clinical applications for biomaterials will be
explored as will new directions in design and synthesis to achieve better
biocompatibility. Tissue engineering and biomedical implants will be emphasized
as key uses for biomaterials. Testing methods, regulatory issues, legal
constraints, and emerging research directions will also be discussed. Students
will prepare a project report on a key aspect of the field of biomaterials and
tissue engineering. One credit. For more
information: contact Chemical Engineering department.
Strabismus detector: this device examines
cross-eye problem in children. It is based on the after-image effect.
The following is a sample of courses whose contents
are related to the Biomedical Engineering field. For more information, please
contact the listed departments. Description of these courses can be found in
the Bulletin of Tufts University, College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering.
- BIO
115/6 General Physiology I/II
- BIO
132 Biostatistics
- CHEM
135 Biophysical Chemistry
- CHEM
155 Organic Spectroscopy
Civil Engineering and Environmental
Department
- CEE
137 Public Health
- CEE
158 Occupational Environmental Health
Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department
- EE
133 Digital Image Processing
Computer Science Department
- Comp
150bio Computational Biology
- Comp0150cb
Data Warehousing/Data Mining
- Comp
171 Human-Computer Interaction
Engineering Psychology Program
- ENP
162 Man-Machine System Design
- MATH
150 Mathematical Models in Biology
Mechanical
Engineering Department
- ME
121 Introduction to Biomaterials
- PHIL
124 Bioethics
- PSY 129 Cognitive neuropsychology
- PSY 140 Mathematical psychology
11.
Tufts Biomedical Engineering Student Club
The Tufts University Biomedical Engineering
Club (TUBEC) is a student organization that helps its members pursue their interests in the biomedical field. TUBEC
provides its members with both academic and social opportunities. Club members
have access to many biomedical related events, national design competitions,
career information and corporate contacts. For more information: contact BME
department.
A toy designed and built by undergraduate
students as part of the ES 50 class project. It allows two handicapped children
to play in collaboration. In observing these children playing researchers can
assess the children's cognitive behavior. This toy won the Design Contest
sponsored by the
Click here to surf the homepage of the Tufts
University Biomedical Engineering Club.
12.
Research Projects in Vision and Ophthalmology
Click here for the List
of Patents and Publications
Click here for the
Portfolio of the medical devices
Automatic eyedroplet dispenser
Patients
having dry eyes experience much pain and may eventually go blind. It is
estimated that between 9 to 15 million Americans
suffer from this disease. Currently, therapy is tedious and costly. We have
developed a new instrument, mounted on a patient's eyeglass frame, which
automatically ejects droplets at an adjustable pace into the patient's eyes.
The functions of the device are monitored by a built-in microcontroller which
is battery powered. The efficiency of this device and the study of new
therapeutic methods are in progress.
Automatic eyedroplet
dispenser designed by Professor Vo Van Toi and commercialized
by the Technological Ophthalmic Instruments Inc.
Inside view of the
Automatic eyedroplet dispenser. The microcomputer monitors the device functions in
programmable, automatic or manual mode.
Noninvasive method to
evaluate visual fatigue
Workers who use video display units (VDU)
often experience visual fatigue. How to quantify visual fatigue is still a
controversial topic. It is known that the technique of measuring the
sensitivity of the eyes using sinusoidal waveform flickering light is a
powerful tool for evaluating human visual function. Currently, we are designing
a new and practical visual stimulator, to be made commercially available, using
the delta modulation method and single chip microcomputer. Experiments are
planned using this instrument to establish the visual functions of VDU users to
test for visual fatigue.
It was reported that blinking is associated
with the state of the eye as well as the state of the mind. We have developed a
portable device which automatically records the blink rate in a non-invasive
way and without coming in contact with the subject eyes, obstructing the
subject’s view, or interfering with the subject’s activities. The
device is self-contained and battery powered and consists of an infrared sensor
mounted on an eyeglass frame. Data are recorded for up to 24 hours and then
down loaded into a personal computer, and processed for further analysis or
plotting. This device is an important tool for our research on the relationship
between blinking and visual fatigue, dry eye, and the mechanism of blinking.
This is a prototype of the Blink Rate
Recorder. It records the blink rate in a non-invasive way and without coming in
contact with the subject eyes, obstructing the subject’s view, or
interfering with the subject’s activities.
A chart generated by our Blink Rate
Recorder which indicates the blink rate fluctuation of a subject while he was not
using the computer (from 0 to 60 minutes) and while he was using it (from 60 to
120 minutes). The average blink rate when using a computer was considerably
reduced.
Relieving visual fatigue of visual-display-terminal operators
Studies have shown that VDT operators blink
three times less frequently than non-VDT operators, therefore they may
experience dry eyes which results in visual fatigue. We hypothesize that: (1)
the reduction of visual fatigue will improve the VDT operators’ comfort,
(2) visual fatigue conditions can be monitored and measured, and (3) visual
fatigue is produced by eye dryness which may be relieved by administering eye
drops or by increasing the blinking rate. The proposed techniques consist of
stimulating, in a non-invasive way, the blinking rate of VDT users and of
supplying additional tears to their eyes automatically. This work could have a
significant impact on people who are engaged in various professions involving
repetitive eye strain, for instance, air traffic controllers. It should benefit
the search for an adequate working environment and provide methods for a better
understanding of the visual fatigue mechanism.
Using a computer for long hours may cause
visual fatigue. To test our new way to relieve this visual impairment, Biology
student Xuan Mai Vo, wears
our Blink Rate Recorder to monitor the blinking and used the Automatic Eyedrop Dispenser to constantly keep her eyes moist.
Psychophysical method
for measuring retinal blood flow
Looking at a bright, homogeneous blue field
one can perceive the white blood cells (leukocytes) moving in one's own retinal
vessels. This is known as the blue-field entoptic
phenomenon. Knowing the density and speed of these leukocytes, one can
investigate, in vivo, the subject's retinal blood flow and therefore may be
able to develop a diagnostic method for glaucoma, ocular hypertension and
diabetes. We have successfully developed a method to measure these
characteristics in a reliable way. We also have developed a portable and
efficient entoptoscope using a single chip
microcomputer and electro-optic materials such as LCD and PLZT. A laptop
computer can be used to monitor this instrument and process the obtained
experimental data. This device also allows measuring the size of the fovea avascular zone, the area on the retina which contains no
blood vessels.
We have developed the blue-field entoptoscope which allows for in vivo and non-invasive
measurements of the retinal blood flow in the human eye. It can also be used to
measure the size of the fovea avascular zone. A
laptop computer can be used to monitor this device and the experimental
protocols and to process the obtained data. This device is used to investigate
eye diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
Laser Doppler technique for measuring eye fundus
blood flow
A direct and objective method of measuring
the retinal blood flow is based on the Doppler technique which consists of
passing a laser beam into the subject's eye, targeting it on moving red blood
cells inside a retinal blood vessel and recording the scattered light emitted
from the eye. Measurements on animals have been successful. We are developing a
device using an eye-tracker to compensate eye motions. This device will be
useful for the study of human fundus blood flow.
Perception of
raggedness of dot-matrix characters
The raggedness of characters or patterns
formed by dot matrix printing techniques is unaesthetic and sometimes
disturbing to the reader. Optimization of the number of dots is still a subject
of discussion due to a fundamental lack of comprehension on the part of the
designer concerning human visual perception of this kind of stimulus. Using the
concept of Fourier analysis, we are simulating the scalloped edge of the
characters as a patterned stimulus modulated sinusoidally
in an attempt to relate this problem to the human eye's sinusoidal vernier acuity. This investigation is important to the
designers of characters that are generated by ink jet, laser, and needle
printers.
High rate pattern visual stimulator
The pattern visual stimulation technique is a
common tool used by physiologists, biologists, psychologists and
ophthalmologists in the investigation of the human visual system. A great
number of investigations that are devoted to stimulation at a low rate have
been reported. We designed an electro-mechanical visual stimulator to generate
pattern stimuli which was modulated up to 220 reversals/sec.
and found that human pattern reversal VEPs are not,
as previously thought, limited to low frequencies. These results open the door
to other physiological and clinical investigations.
Miniature eyedrop monitor
Success in the development of new drugs for
the treatment of glaucoma, ocular hypertension and eye infections requires
investigators to know how patients use them. We are developing a prototype
which records the time and date when a patient inserts the prescribed eyedrops. The data can be later read by a computer.
Artificial increase of intraocular pressure
Glaucoma and ocular hypertension are the two
most severe eye diseases. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the
Effect of LSD on
flicker-fusion sensitivities
LSD and similar agents may alter visual perceptions
continuously and permanently in certain users resulting in a condition called
hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder (HPPD). We have found that the
flicker sensitivities at lower frequencies vary markedly. At 5 Hz the
sensitivities of a control group were more than 3 times those of LSD subjects
without HPPD, and 5 times those of LSD subjects with HPPD. Decreased
sensitivity to flicker is consistent with the hypothesis that HPPD is
associated with disinhibition of visual information
processing.
Professor Vo Van
Toi helps monitor the use of his visual stimulator "Papillometer"
as graduate student Barbara Dumery tests her visual
flicker-fusion sensitivity.
Mathematical modeling of the human visual system responses to flicker
stimulation
The
main purpose of this project is to establish a mathematical model which relates
experimental data that we obtained in psychophysics, electrophysiology, and
laser fundus reflectometry
to physiological facts. This model would describe the mechanism of the human
color vision system.
13.
Research Projects in Other Fields
Fracture behavior of viscoelastic biological membranes
A major obstacle in the development of
implantable micro-biosensors or microelectrodes is designing a method to insert
these devices through a membrane wrapped around a nerve without breaking the
micro-electrode or destroying the nerve and at the same time positioning them
in a predetermined place. We investigated the interaction between the viscoelastic membrane and the electrodes during the
piercing procedure through experiments, mathematical modeling, and computer
simulation. This study is a cornerstone in the development and design of
chronically implantable biosensors, neural prostheses or surgical instruments,
and it may help investigators to understand the factors involved in the
fracturing of the human fetal membrane and the fetal skull.
Cognitive
skill development of handicapped infants.
Children with motor impairments have varying
motor skills. Although some children with motor impairments also have
concomitant brain damage (and consequent mental retardation), others have
normal or even above normal levels of intelligence. Standard evaluation
instruments rely heavily on motor skills. The cognitive skills of children with
motor impairment are seldom fully recognized. We designed and built an
appropriate tool to study the behavior of young handicapped children. This tool
is built in such a way that a child can use it in spite of his/her motor
impairment. While a child is playing with it, researchers are able to study
his/her proficiencies.
A toy designed and built by undergraduate
students as part of a class project which was used by researchers at the