Graduate Courses BIOE 2064

BIOE 2064 - Biomechanics of Organs, Tissues, and Cells

Instructor:

Credits: 3

Term: Spring

Class:

TA: Chad Eckert

Description: Modern biomechanics is an increasingly diverse field that encompasses the mechanics of the whole human body and all the way to the cellular and molecular levels. This comprehensive course covers the application of solid mechanics to describe the mechanical behavior of organs, soft biological tissues, and cells. The course will include a review of fundamental concepts and techniques of mechanics (e.g. stress, strain, constitutive relations), and of the structure and composition of tissues and cells. The course will then focus on the mechanical properties of specific tissues, (e.g. tendon, muscle, heart, vascular) and cells (e.g. blood cells, valvular interstitial cells).

Prerequisites: ME 2003 Continuum Mechanics or equivalent.

Office Hours:

• Dr. Sacks: Wednesdays, 9:30 - 12:00, Room 742 BEH
• Chad Eckert: T Th 10:45 - 12:00, Room 750 BEH -

CourseWeb: I will be using CourseWeb for this entire course. Information placed on this site include updated syllabi, homework assignments and solutions, and supplemental materials. PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK THE COURSEINFO pages regularly for updates. I will try to be sure to email everyone to alert them of new announcements, but its best to also check on your own, just in case...

Attendance Policy: CLASS STARTS PROMPTLY AT 9:30 AM. While attendance will not be taken, students are responsible for any and all materials presented in class.

Required Texts:

1. "BIOE 2064 - Course Notes" by Sacks et al.

Recommended Texts:

1. "Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics" by J.D. Humphrey. Published by Springer-Verlag, 2001
2. "Introduction to Continuum Mechanics" by Lai, Rubin, and Krempl, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999 (This may be available as PDF file - stay tuned).
3. "Continuum Mechanics" by A.W. Spencer (This is out of print, so see me for a free copy).
4. "Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues" by Y.C. Fung, published by Springer-Verlag, 1993.

Assignments: Homework will be assigned on a regular basis and due as listed on the schedule at the beginning of the lecture, unless otherwise noted. Late homework will accepted only at the instructors discretion, with points taken off.

Exams: There will be no exams. All assignments will be in th eform of homework assignments/mini-projects.

Term Paper: Each student will be required to write a detailed 15 page written report of a topic of your choice.

Grading: Homework will count as 75% of your grade, and 25% from the presentation/report.