Generally, biological engineers attempt to mimic biological systems to create products or modify and control biological systems. Working with doctors, clinicians, and researchers, bioengineers use traditional engineering principles and techniques to address biological processes, including ways to replace, augment, sustain, or predict chemical and mechanical processes.[5][6]
Before WWII, biological engineering had begun being recognized as a branch of engineering and was a new concept to people. Post-WWII, it grew more rapidly, and the term "bioengineering" was coined by British scientist and broadcasterHeinz Wolff in 1954 at theNational Institute for Medical Research. Wolff graduated that year and became the Division of Biological Engineering director atOxford. This was the first time Bioengineering was recognized as its own branch at a university. The early focus of this discipline was electrical engineering due to the work with medical devices and machinery during this time.[9]
When engineers and life scientists started working together, they recognized that the engineers did not know enough about the actual biology behind their work. To resolve this problem, engineers who wanted to get into biological engineering devoted more time to studying the processes of biology, psychology, and medicine.[10]
More recently, the term biological engineering has been applied to environmental modifications such as surfacesoil protection,slope stabilization, watercourse and shoreline protection,windbreaks, vegetation barriers includingnoise barriers and visual screens, and the ecological enhancement of an area. Because other engineering disciplines also addressliving organisms, the term biological engineering can be applied more broadly to includeagricultural engineering.[citation needed]
The average length of study is three to five years, and the completed degree is signified as abachelor of engineering (B.S. in engineering).[citation needed] Fundamental courses include thermodynamics, biomechanics, biology, genetic engineering, fluid and mechanical dynamics, chemical and enzyme kinetics, electronics, and materials properties.[15][16]
Modeling of the spread of disease usingCellular Automata and Nearest Neighbor Interactions
Depending on the institution and particular definitional boundaries employed, some major branches of bioengineering may be categorized as (note these may overlap):
Biomedical engineering: application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes.[17]
Biochemical engineering: fermentation engineering, application of engineering principles to microscopic biological systems that are used to create new products by synthesis, including the production of protein from suitable raw materials.[17]
Biological systems engineering: application of engineering principles and design concepts to agriculture, food sciences, and ecosystems.[7]
Environmental health engineering: application of engineering principles to control the environment for the health, comfort, and safety of human beings. It includes the field of life-support systems for the exploration of outer space and the ocean.[17]
Biomimetics: the imitation of models, systems, and elements of nature to solve complex human problems. (Ex: velcro, designed afterGeorge de Mestral noticed how easily burs stuck to a dog's hair.)[19]
Bioelectrical engineering
Biomechanical engineering: is the application of mechanical engineering principles and biology to determine how these areas relate and how they can be integrated to potentially improve human health.[20]
Bionics: an integration of Biomedical, focused more on the robotics and assisted technologies. (Ex: prosthetics)[17]
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET),[23] the U.S.-based accreditation board for engineering B.S. programs, makes a distinction between biomedical engineering and biological engineering, though there is much overlap (see above).
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is made up of 1,500 members. Their main goal is to educate the public about the value biological engineering has in our world, as well as invest in research and other programs to advance the field. They give out awards to those dedicated to innovation in the field, and awards of achievement in the field. (They do not have a direct contribution to biological engineering; they recognize those who do and encourage the public to continue that forward movement).[24]
Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) is a non-profit organization that runs on donations alone. They aim to encourage the public to learn and to continue advancements in biological engineering. (Like AIMBE, they do not perform research directly; however, they offer scholarships to students who show promise in the field).[25]
Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) is a technological community associated with theAmerican Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). SBE hosts international conferences, and is a global organization of leading engineers and scientists dedicated to advancing the integration of biology with engineering.[26]
MediUnite Journal is a medical awareness campaign and newspaper that has often published biomedical findings and has cited biomedicine in various research papers.[27]
^Abramovitz, Melissa (2015).Biological engineering. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 10.ISBN978-1-62968-526-7.
^Herold, Keith; Bentley, William E.; Vossoughi, Jafar (2010).The Basics of Bioengineering Education. 26th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference. College Park, Maryland: Springer. p. 65.ISBN978-3-642-14997-9.
^abAbramovitz, Melissa (2015).Biological Engineering. Gale Virtual Reference Library. p. 18.ISBN978-1-62968-526-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Cuello JC, Engineering to biology and biology to engineering, The bi-directional connection between engineering and biology in biological engineering design, Int J Engng Ed 2005, 21, 1-7
^Medical & biological engineering. Oxford; New York: Pergamon Press. 1966–1976.
^Naik, Ganesh R., ed. (2012).Applied biological engineering: principles and practice. Rijeka: InTech.ISBN978-953-51-0412-4.
