Course and research work focuses on the design, development and engineering of nanobiological systems, components, and processes. It also includes the development and engineering of biomaterials and nano-biosystems for lab-on-a-chip (LOC), biomanufacturing, pharmaceutics, nanomedicine, and health applications.
Faculty members for research coursework: Profs Benoit Boivin, Nate Cady, Michael Fasullo, Andre Melendez, Janet Paluh, Susan Sharfstein, Scott Tenenbaum, and Yubing Xie
NENG 424 Nanoscale Chemical and Biological Sensors (3 Cr – Fall even years)
Principles of design, operation, and implementation principles of chemical and biological sensors. Focus on the application of fundamental sensing mechanisms and architectures to prevailing and emerging techniques for device design and integration within a specific chemical and/or biological sensing system. Emphasis will be placed on the engineering of the signal transduction mechanism and implications towards design and fabrication.
NENG 431 Advanced Materials Processing for NEMS/MEMS (4 Cr - Spring)
The course will cover advanced topics of design, fabrication and packaging of various MEMS/NEMS devices including accelerometers, gyroscopes, micro-actuators, micro-robots, and other micro and nano electromechanical devices. Students will learn how to design MEMS/NEMS devices and will gain understanding of device fabrication approaches. The course will cover both fabrication approaches and materials selection.
NSCI 441 Nanobiology for Nanotechnology Applications (3 Cr - Spring)
The course will provide an understanding of how structure, functionality, energy transduction and kinetic properties of biological systems can be applied to nanotechnology. Topics will include biosensors, bio-MEMS/NEMS, biomolecular electronics, energy production, biomedical nanotechnology or other nanobiological systems.
NSCI/ NENG 445 Introduction to Pharmaceuticals & Biomanufacturing (3 Cr - Fall)
Introduces students to the use of nanotechnology in the discovery, production and use of therapeutics that include small molecules produced by chemical synthesis and nucleic acids, proteins, antibodies and vaccines produced by biomanufacturing. Students will be introduced to basic concepts in the drug development pipeline, genetic, molecular and cell biology, toxicology and pharmacology topics, and specific nanotechnology concepts and applications in these areas. Students will also be introduced to federal regulatory (FDA) requirements pertinent to drug development and biomanufacturing, as well as commercialization aspects that influence whether a drug makes it to the market. Students will also perform engineering design projects detailing how different nanotechnology applications have or could improve current specific drugs on the market.
