Biosciences in the ECE Curriculum Should biology be required

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Biosciences in the ECE Curriculum Should
biology be required?

• Mark J. T. Smith
• Purdue University

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Electrical Computer Engineering

• 80 Faculty
• 4-12 in biomedical imaging and sensing
• 1100 Undergraduate Students
• 200 Masters Students
• 320 Ph.D. Students

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New School of Biomedical Engineering New ECE
area Biomedical imaging and sensing

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Bindley Biosciences Center

• proteomic, metabolomic and cellular analysis
  tools
• tools for the prediction, diagnosis and
  treatments of diseases.
• tissue engineering
• electronic devices that
• use proteins, DNA, and
• even living cells to detect
• substances in blood, air,
• water and food.

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Birck Nanotechnology Center
There is clearly recognition that the life
sciences are important.
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Tradeoff between time-to-degree and content 124
credit hours for BSEE degree. 125 for CompE
Average time to degree is 8.14 semesters,
exluding summers. Including summers, it takes on
average 9.39 terms to graduate. More attractive
for us to infuse bio into current program. Offer
ECE bio courses later.

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Freshman Requirements1 (30 - 31 credit hours) ECE
Core Requirements (47 credit hours) Senior
Design Labs, breadth, ECE electives Engineering
Science Elective (3 credit hours) Physics (4
credits) Math (10-11) General Education Electives
(18 credit hours) Unrestricted Electives (10 - 12
credit hours)

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Electives Biomedical imaging and sensors ECE
520 (Bioengineering Seminar) ECE 522
(Physiological Measurements) ECE 595T (Meas Sim
of the Nervous System) BIOL 110 (Fundamentals of
Biology I) BIOL 111 (Fundamentals of Biology II)
BIOL 301 (Anatomy Physiology I) BIOL 302
(Anatomy Physiology II) CHM 255 (Organic
Chemistry) 595T Engineering in Medicine Neural
Systems

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ECE 595C Biologically Inspired Engineering The
objective of this course is to prepare the
student to use modern design strategies rooted in
biological principles. Examples include the use
of biological genetics as an inspiration for
genetic algorithms for the automated design of
components and systems the use of linguistic
based controls strategies based on human speech
and logic to formulate control systems (a
strategy formally known as fuzzy logic) the
construction of artificial neural networks
modeled after the construction of biological
nervous systems for information processing and
control use of protein classification and
identification algorithms to solve engineering
design problems and the study of immunology and
how it relates to computer viruses and synthetic
immune systems.

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Gene Sequence Inspired Plagiarism Screening
An example of the influence the biosciences are
having on how engineers think Recent ASEE
presentation

• Dr. Mark C. Johnson
• June 23, 2004

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A Strategy

• Should biology be required?
• Given the current curricular constraints and
  pressures, a strategy is
• to exploit current research to provide more
  course opportunities.
• to infuse bioscience principles into the current
  course curriculum
• to take advantage of the excitement to attract
  domestic students (including women and
  minorities) into ECE.

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Nano-Mechanical Sensors for Virus Detection
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Micro-Biotechnology

• Marriage of nanotechnology and biotechnology
• Highly interdisciplinary
• Exploits life sciences (biology, biomedical
  engineering, and veterinary medicine)

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Research in implantable devices e.g. diabetes
monitoring and treatment and for vision.

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Example Tele-Ultrasound
Infusion into curriculum
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Teleradiology-motivation for compression
Without ROI
Spatial ROI, box
Transform ROI, gradual
0.1bpp
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Mammography Research
Automatic Detection
Ground truth
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3-D reconstruction for surgical planning
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Conclusion

• Should biology be required?
• In our environment, not yet.
• Better to exploit current research to provide
  more course opportunities.
• Better to infuse bioscience principles into the
  current course curriculum
• Better to take advantage of the excitement to
  attract domestic students (including women and
  minorities) into ECE.
• Work toward a custom intro ECE bio course