Syllabus Worcester Polytechnic Institute BME 3605

BME 3605 Biotransport Laboratory

Raymond Page
4005 Gateway, x4109
rpage@wpi.edu (please post general questions on the Discussion Board)

Lecture: B01 M 10:00-10:50am. GH 207

Lab: B01 R 10:00-11:50am, GH 207

Office Hours: By appointment. I’m happy to meet with you at Gateway or on the main campus.

Lab Manager Lisa Wall (ljwall@wpi.edu)

PLA: Elizabeth (Elzani) van Zyl (emvanzyl@wpi.edu)

Grading: Lab Notebook 10%

Homework 50%
Self & Team Evaluations 5%
Final Report 15%
Final Poster Content 10%
Final Poster Presentation 10%

Required Texts: No textbook required. A bound laboratory notebook is required for each project team.
Relevant articles and reading will be posted to Canvas. Independent research will be
required.
Course Format: Formal lectures will be kept to a minimum to provide more time for in lab
consultation and hands on experience. The scheduled lecture and laboratory time
represent times where the instructor and/or PLA will be available in the lab for
consultation and assistance. Students will have free access to the laboratory at other
times as long as they do not conflict with other courses in progress. The PLA or
laboratory manager Lisa Wall will manage the laboratory access schedule.

Course Schedule:

Part I: Fluid Mechanics

Lab weeks 1-3 Introduction and orientation to the lab
Homeworks 1and 2
Design, build and test a flow system to evaluate laminar and turbulent flow.
Use flow system to evaluate flow through a constriction (partial stenosis), and
progressively dilating vessel.
Compare flow behavior over a range of flow rates. Use fluid mechanics theory to
predict pressure in vessel and construct a device to measure it and compare the results.

Part II: Mass Transport

Lab weeks 4-6 Design and construct a device to measure the diffusion coefficient of molecules
relevant to cell metabolism and nutrient exchange.
Homeworks 3 and 4
Compare measured values to those reported in literature.
Provide an analysis of how these values impact the design of a device to culture tissue
engineered cell based constructs in vitro.

Supplemental Texts (on reserve in Gordon Library)

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Syllabus Worcester Polytechnic Institute BME 3605

Fundamentals of Momentum, Mass and Heat Transfer, by Welty, Wicks, Wilson and Rorrer, 5th
Edition, John Wiley and Son Publishing, New York, 2007. This book provides an excellent
introduction to the field of transport phenomena.
Transport phenomena by R. Byron Bird, Warren E. Stewart, Edwin N. Lightfoot. 2nd edition, New
York : J. Wiley, 2007. This book provides introductory as well as advanced coverage of transport
phenomena.

Course Description
Cat. I (1/6 unit) This laboratory-driven transport course provides hands-on experience in measuring fluid flow and
mass transport for applications to biologically-relevant systems. Students gain an in-depth understanding of the
course material from personal observations and measurements on model cardiovascular systems and connective
tissues. Challenge-based laboratory projects will be assigned which will require the students to determine and
execute effective test methods at their own pace in a team setting and communicate their findings effectively.
Systems modeled may include blood vessels, stenotic vessels, and aneurysms. Connective tissues tested may
include blood vessels and skin. Recommended background: Fluid mechanics and transport (BME 2511 and ES
3002, ES 3004 or equivalent).

Course Topics Include

Newtonian fluid mechanics in laminar and turbulent flow.
Process flow diagrams and cardiovascular fluid flow modeling.
Design and construction of devices to measure fluid and mass transport properties.
Conservation of mass, transport gradients, mass flux, and molecular diffusion theory.
Extrapolation of measured data in the laboratory to biologically relevant transport systems.

Course Objectives and Outcomes

The objective of this course is to aid each student in making progress in the following areas:
1. Learning to apply course material to improve thinking, problem solving, and decision making in analyzing
the factors that affect the behavior of fluid flow and characterizing the properties that govern mass
transport.
2. Gaining practical experience in designing and fabricating experimental test systems to measure properties
of fluid flow and mass transport by diffusion.
3. Applying fundamental principles of Newtonian fluid mechanics and mass transport in a laboratory setting
to enable modeling of these properties related to biological systems.
ABET Criteria applicable to this course:
(1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems at the interface of engineering
and biology by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
(5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a
collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
(7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Course Website:
Copies of the course syllabus and schedule as well as homework assignments, solution sets and grades will be
available online at canvas.wpi.edu. If you are registered for the course you will have a link to the website for BME
3605 on Canvas. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS POSTED ON
CANVAS, CHECK IT OFTEN.

Grading:

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 Lab notebook: 10 percent of the final grade will be based upon the content of your team’s laboratory
notebook. The notebooks will be collected periodically and at the end of the course class and evaluated for
content. Items evaluated will be that entries are properly dated and the completed pages signed. Entries must
be legible and clearly state the objectives of the recorded experiments with relevant calculations with units and
significant figures. It should be clear to someone skilled the art what you have done and what your results
were such that the experiments could be repeated.
 Homework: 50 percent of the final grade will be based upon 4 homework assignments constructed to show
that you have a mastery of the governing equations and concepts relevant to the course material. Homework is
due at the beginning of class on the posted due date. Late assignments will not be accepted for grading.
 Self & team Evaluations: 5 percent of the final grade will be based upon completion of a self and team
evaluation questionnaire.
 Final Report: 15 percent of the final grade will based on the content of a final report detailing your
methodology and materials, experimental design, results and data analysis , discussion, conclusions,
recommendations and references. Specific detailed instructions and content expectations will be provided in a
separate document.
 Final Poster Content: 10 percent of the final grade will be based on the content of the final poster. The
poster must contain an abstract identifying the goals of the project, a summary of the principle findings and
future recommendations. Other sections include experimental methodology and materials, experimental
design, results, discussion, conclusions, recommendations and references. Specific detailed instructions and
content expectations will be provided in a separate document.
 Final Poster Presentation: 10 percent of the final grade will be based on the oral presentation of the poster.
Each team member will be graded on their ability to describe aspects of the project including significance,
knowledge of theory, methodology, the results and their impact, and answer questions.

Academic Integrity
In your Campus Planner and Resource Guide (available at https://www.wpi.edu/about/policies/academic-
integrity/student-guide) there is a statement regarding Academic Honesty. You should read and understand this
policy and the implications for any violation of that policy. While this course is largely team based, you may not
work together on homework or pre-lab assignments. Copying of a solution is not acceptable. For the poster
presentation, copying text and figures from the Web or from the literature without proper citations will be treated as
plagiarism.
As required by WPI, any occurrences of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Department Chair and
Dean of Student Life.
Students with Disabilities:
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you have medical information to
share with me, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office location and hours are listed
above. If you have not already done so, students with disabilities, who believe that they may need accommodations
in this class, are encouraged to contact the (DSO), as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are
implemented in a timely fashion. The DSO is located in Daniels Hall, 508-831-5381.

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