Improvement of bioengineering courses through systems biology and bioprocess modeling

(Jointed Teaching between MSU and WashU)

Yinjie Tang, Kirk Dolan, Wei Liao

Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering; Washington University, St. Louis

Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, and Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Michigan State University

This joint course development project is to develop new curricula for bioengineering classes to bridge the gap between systems biology and bioprocess engineering. We will train students how to use MATLAB, Simulink, and SBPD to model the bioprocessing and systems biology. Our course development was supported by MathWorks Educational Grant  (2011 –  2012). Both Matlab and Simulink were intensively used in these courses to estimate parameters for fermentation kinetics (a group of ordinary differential equations), to  numerically solve  kinetic models (ode functions), to simulate the bioethanol/biomass production (Systems Biology toolbox), and to model a bioreactor combining mass and heat transfer (Basic Simulink). The two universities share class notes and teaching evaluations. More than 200 undergraduate and graduate students per year from both universities have been enrolled in the classes in the past two years.

See the presentation for details: American Society for Engineering Education Presentation

Washington University Class slides resulting from MATLAB educational grant

Process Control (ChE462/ChE463) Computer Lab: Part B

Metabolic Engineering (ChE596) and Bioprocess Engineering (ChE453) Flux Analysis Overview: Lectures