Undergraduate Concentrations

BIOMECHANICS

Coordinator: Rakie Cham (chamr@upmc.edu)

Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems. The biomechanics concentration curriculum was designed for flexibility so that students are able to tailor their degree into a focus area that may be of interest to them. Examples of such areas include cell biomechanics, tissue / organ biomechanics, orthopaedic biomechanics, design, biomaterials, whole-body biomechanics, human factors, rehabilitation biomechanics and robotics. The biomechanics concentration curriculum was also designed to ensure that the fundamentals of contemporary biomechanics are covered. Just like the other two concentrations, the biomechanics concentration is defined by five “concentration” courses. Our goal to cover the fundamentals in biomechanics while still allowing some flexibility is achieved as follows:

Three of the five concentration courses are required courses for all students pursuing the biomechanics track. These courses are specified below.
Two of the five concentration courses are elective courses. Students can choose these two courses from bioengineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, robotics, math, biomaterials, cell/molecular biology, nursing, etc. Examples of such courses are listed below. Please note that this list is only a sample of courses compiled based on concentration courses taken by students who have pursued the biomechanics concentration in the past. If you’re interested in taking courses that are not listed here, please request the approval of your academic advisor. Additionally, if you’re interested in these courses but cannot count them as concentration courses, please be advised that these courses could also count as engineering/science elective courses.

FIVE BIOMECHANICS CONCENTRATION COURSES

Three Required Biomechanics Concentration Courses

BIOENG 1631 - Biomechanics II: Introduction to biodynamics/biosolid mechanics
BIOENG 1632 - Biomechanics III: Biodynamics of Movement
BIOENG 1633 - Biomechanics IV: Tissues and Organ

Sample of Elective Biomechanics Concentration Courses (select two)**

BIOENG 1050 - Artificial Organs I
BIOENG 1051 - Artificial Organs II
BIOENG 1052 - Artificial Organs III
BIOENG 1061 - Human Factors Engineering
BIOENG 1351 - Computer Applications in Bioengineering
BIOENG 1810 - Biomaterials and Biocompatibility
BIOENG 2000 - Bioengineering Signal Acquisitions Lab
BIOENG 2061 - Ergonomics and Occupational Biomechanics
BIOSC 1850 - Microbiology
CHEM 0320 - Organic Chemistry 2
ENGR 0022 - Materials Structure and properties
IE 1054 - Productivity Analysis
IE 1087 - Finite Element Analysis in Product Design
MATH 1080 - Numerical Linear Algebra
MATH 1110 - Industrial Mathematics
MATH 1180 - Linear Algebra 1
MATH 1360 - Modeling in Applied Math 1
ME 1047 - Finite Element Analysis
ME 1062 - Orthopaedic Engineering
ME 2003 - Introduction to Continuum Mechanics
ME 2045 - Linear Control Systems
MEMS 0024 - Introduction to Engineering Design
MEMS 0051 - Introduction to Thermodynamics
MEMS 1014 - Dynamic Systems
MEMS 1028 - Mechanical Design 1
MEMS 1072 - Applied Fluid Dynamics
NUR 0012 - Human Anatomy and Physiology 1
NUR 0013 - Human Anatomy and Physiology 2
REHSCI 1200 - Human Anatomy
REHSCI 1220 - Kinesiology and Biomechanics

OPTION: A MINOR IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Students pursuing the Biomechanics concentration may be interested in pursuing a minor in Mechanical Engineering. This is a particularly attractive option for students interested in industrial positions post-graduation. If advanced planning is done, it is possible to obtain a minor in Mechanical Engineering by taking only 1-3 additional courses. The following describes the details of such option.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science is offering a minor for students in the School of Engineering who are not currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering. A total of fifteen (15) units required to complete the minor. Students must obtain a GPA of at least 2.0 for the courses taken.

REQUIREMENTS

To provide students with a background in mechanical design the following two courses are required for the Mechanical Engineering minor:

MEMS 0024: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design (3 units)

Pre-req: ENGR 0011

MEMS 1028: Mechanical Design 1 (3 units)

Pre-req: ENGR 0145 or BIOENG 1630

MINOR OPTIONS

Students must choose one of the following four options to complete the courses required for the minor.

THERMAL-FLUIDS OPTION:

MEMS 0051: Introduction to Thermodynamics (3 units) or

BIOENG 1210: Biothermodynamics

Pre-req: PHYS 0175 & CHEM 0960 Co-req: MATH 0290

MEMS 1051: Applied Thermodynamics (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 0051

MEMS 1072: Applied Fluid Dynamics (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 0051

DYNAMIC SYSTEMS OPTION:

MEMS 1014: Dynamic Systems (3 units) or BIOENG 1255: Dynamic Systems

Pre-req: MEMS 0031

MEMS 1015: Rigid-Body Dynamics (3 units)

Pre-req: MATH 0240 and ENGR 0135

MEMS 1045: Automatic Controls or ECE controls course (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 1014 or BIOENG 1255

MECHANICAL DESIGN OPTION:

MEMS 1029: Mechanical Design 2 (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 0024 and MEMS 1028

MEMS 1033: Fracture Mechanics for Manufacturing and Performance (3 units)

Pre-req: ENGR 0022 or BIOENG 1631 and MEMS 1028

MEMS 1047: Finite Element Analysis (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 1028, MEMS 1052 or BIOENG 1220, and MEMS 1072 or BIOENG1311

MECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS OPTION:

MEMS 1014: Dynamic Systems (3 units) or BIOENG 1255: Dynamic Systems

Pre-req: MEMS 0031

MEMS 1041: Mechanical Measurements 1 (3 units)

Pre-req: ENGR 0145 or BIOENG 1630 and MEMS 0031 or BIOENG 1310
Co-req: MEMS 1014 or BIOENG 1255

MEMS 1042: Mechanical Measurements 2 (3 units)

Pre-req: MEMS 1041

EXAMPLES OF FOCUS AREAS IN BIOMECHANICS
(click on available links for further details on research interests of faculty members and their laboratory)