Program Director:

Dr. Gul Afshan
Office: CC-252
Phone: (414) 277-7211
Fax: (414) 277-2878
Email: afshan@msoe.edu

Biomolecular engineering is a diverse, application-driven discipline in the areas of medical, agricultural, environmental, biotechnical and other life-science fields. International chemical, biological and nanotech industries seek engineering graduates who are prepared to work at a molecular level in life-science related fields. Biomolecular engineering (BioE), a four-year bachelor of science degree program at MSOE, meets this need. The curriculum of the BioE program is a balanced combination of application-driven engineering, science, computational and biotechnology courses. Along with rigorous laboratory, math and science training, these courses address the cross-disciplinary nature of biomolecular engineering.

Biomolecular engineers work at the interface of engineering and molecular biology to solve engineering problems, improve current products and processes and develop new products and processes at the molecular level.

The biomolecular engineering program at MSOE enables BioE students to:

• gain a solid foundation in basic mathematics and sciences.
• learn and apply theoretical principles in modern and well-equipped laboratories.
• experience involved discussions with industrial and academic contacts via a series of seminar courses that emphasize biomolecular engineering design and foster academic and professional discussions, group learning and entrepreneurship.
• work at the molecular level with simple and complex molecules through courses that cover concepts of thermodynamics, transport phenomena, cell engineering, biophysics, bioinformatics, nanotechnology and genomics.
• learn cell culture and its applications in the design and development of therapeutics and diagnostic products through the BioE program’s cell culture facility.
• mathematically model biomolecules and biological processes and quantitatively measure, visualize and analyze with instruments like the atomic force microscope.
• learn concepts of rapid prototyping and biomolecular modeling through MSOE’s Center for BioMolecular Modeling (CBM) and Rapid Prototyping Center (RPC).
• engineer new or improved bioactive compounds or improve process efficiencies for such systems via senior design experience.

Additional features of the BioE program:

• the curriculum of the BioE program prepares graduates to handle the changing faces of the bio- and nano- industries thus allowing flexibility of career opportunities in a dynamic job market. Recent developments in this field have positively impacted the human condition, via the development of biotechnological systems and devices.
• the curriculum prepares graduates to pursue quality graduate programs nationally and internationally.
• graduates can follow a pre-med option by taking a few supplementary courses
• the curriculum is flexible enough for students to pursue a physics, chemistry or math minor along with the degree in BioE.
• the BioE program at MSOE promotes equal academic and professional opportunities for all.

Program Educational Objectives

Professional Skills

BioE alumni will:

• possess required skills to function beyond entry-level engineers.
• demonstrate sustainable professional development and planning to ensure their own success as well as the success of others around them.
• solve interdisciplinary engineering problems.
• be professional role models for the next generation of students at MSOE.

Sense of Excellence and Achievement

BioE alumni will:

• exhibit professional and ethical responsibilities.
• be recognized for excellence, and selected by a variety of industries for both their up-to-date engineering skills and for their comprehensive expertise.
• compete for positions in local, state, national and international industries.
• Pursue a graduate degree in the sciences and engineering.

Social Skills

BioE alumni will:

• display communication, management and leadership skills.
• function creatively and independently under diverse cultural and workplace settings.
• exhibit perception of their profession as the one with a high impact on immediate and future social, economical, ethical and environmental issues as well as on the very condition of life itself.
• demonstrate acceptance and tackle social, economical, ethical and environmental issues with respect, responsibility and a professional legal and moral code of conduct.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the biomolecular engineering program will:

• apply knowledge of basic sciences, including physics, mathematics, biology, systemic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and biomolecular engineering.
• perform biomolecular engineering experimentation, including hypothesis formulation, model development, measurements with positive and negative controls, data analysis and data interpretation.
• apply acquired knowledge especially for the integration of molecular information into analysis and design of chemical and biological processes and products.
• function on multidisciplinary teams with professional ethics.
• develop criteria by which to rank the merits of feasible solutions. Identify, devise and solve biomolecular engineering problems.
• understand professional and ethical responsibility.
• communicate effectively with colleagues and with nontechnical audiences, in oral, written and graphical forms.
• understand the direct and indirect impact of biomolecular engineering on contemporary scientific issues in a global, economic, environmental and societal context.
• recognize the need for a lifelong learning approach towards new professional ideas.
• exhibit knowledge of contemporary issues.
• demonstrate the use of technical skills, tools, equipment and safety rules associated with biomolecular engineering practice.
• display a thorough foundation in the basic sciences and sufficient knowledge in the concepts and skills required to design, analyze and control physical,chemical and biological processes in the field of biomolecular engineering.

Future Directions

Important areas of biomolecular engineering such as bioinformatics, bioremediation, bio-nanotechnology and genetic therapeutics can be offered as concentrations of the program in the future.