Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate Program

Victor G. J. Rodgers, D.Sc., Chair Department Office, 215 MSE

• (951) 827-6241; vrodgers@engr.ucr.edu

Distinguished Professors Robert C. Haddon, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Natasha Raikhel, Ph.D. (Botany & Plant Sciences) Jerome S. Schultz, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Professors Michael E. Adams, Ph.D. (Cell Biology & Neuroscience/ Entomology) Bahman Anvari, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) G. John Andersen, Ph.D. (Psychology) Bir Bhanu, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering) David Bocian, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Richard Cardullo, Ph.D. (Cell Biology & Neuroscience) Quan Cheng, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Wilfred Chen, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D. (Cell Biology & Neuroscience/ Entomology) Tao Jiang, Ph.D. (Computer Science) David Johnson, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences) Cynthia K. Larive, Ph.D. (Chemistry) David Lo, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences) Elizabeth Lord, Ph.D. (Botany & Plant Sciences) Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D. (Cell Biology & Neuroscience) Umar Mohideen, Ph.D. (Physics & Astronomy) Dimitrios Morikis, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Thomas H. Morton, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Ashok Mulchandani, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Nosang Myung, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Eugene Nothnagel, Ph.D. (Botany & Plant Sciences) Cengiz S. Ozkan, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Mihri Ozkan, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering) Victor G. J. Rodgers, D.Sc. (Bioengineering) Thomas F. Stahovich, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Prudence Talbot, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Harry W. K. Tom, Ph.D. (Physics & Astronomy) Kambiz Vafai, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Jianzhong Wu, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Yushan Yan, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Associate Professors Guillermo Aguilar, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Christopher J. Bardeen, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Sean Cutler, Ph.D. (Plant Cell Biology and Chemistry) Iryna Ethell, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences) Thomas Girke, Ph.D. (Bioinformatics) Jiayu Liao, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Stefano Lonardi, Ph.D. (Computer Science) Michael Marsella, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Aaron Seitz, Ph.D. (Psychology) Valentine Vullev, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Sharon Walker, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Assistant Professors Devin K. Binder, Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences) Anupama Dahanukar, Ph.D. (Entomology) Elisa Franco, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Kastaubh Ghosh, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate Program 122 / Programs and Courses

Elaine Haberer, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering) Huinana Liu, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Julia Lyubovitsky, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Jin Nam, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) B. Hyle Park, Ph.D. (Bioengineering) Masaru P. Rao, Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering) Khalefi A. Razak, Ph.D., (Psychology) Ian Wheeldon, Ph.D. (Chemical & Environmental Engineering) Nicole I. Zur Nieden, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Adjunct Professor Shu-Wei Sun, Loma Linda University

The Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate program (BIG) is the umbrella for graduate level research effort associated with the faculty in the Department of Bioengineering as well as other faculty at UCR who have an interest in training graduate students in bioengineering. The program offers graduate instruction leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Bioengineering.

Our interdisciplinary program combines a solid fundamental foundation in biological science and engineering, and aims to equip the students with diverse communication skills and training in the most advanced quantitative bioengineering research so that they can become leaders in their respective fields. The result is a rigorous, but exceptionally interactive and welcoming educational training for Bioengineering graduate students.

The interdepartmental aspect of the program allows students to develop skills related to bioengineering with faculty in a broad range of disciplines. The research vision is to build strength from experts in biochemistry, biophysics, biology and engineering to focus on critical themes that impact bioengineering.

Contributing departments include: Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Botany & Plant Sciences, Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Chemistry, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Entomology, Mechanical Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, and Psychology.

The dominant research themes of BIG are advanced techniques development, bioimaging, biophysics of cellular systems, biomaterials, drug design and delivery, tissue engineering, cellular control and regulation, and computational modeling of biological systems.

Other research areas include: high-throughput screening systems, structural bioinformatics, microfluidics, charge transfer in biological and biomimetic systems, immunophysics, auditory bioengineering, molecular mechanisms of platelets activation, fatty acid contributions to obesity and diabetes, brain imaging, and bioseparations.

Please visit the UCR website to determine the research emphasis of the various participating faculty. The research efforts of faculty in the Department of Bioengineering can be found at www.bioeng.ucr.edu.

Combined B.S. + M.S. Five-Year Program The college offers a combined B.S. + M.S. program in Bioengineering designed to lead to a Bachelor of Science degree as well as a Master of Science degree in five years. Applicants for this program must have a high school GPA above 3.6, a combined SAT Reasoning score above 1950 (or ACT plus Writing equivalent), complete the Entry Level Writing Requirement before matriculation, and have sufficient mathematics preparation to enroll in calculus in their first quarter as freshmen.

Interested students who are entering their junior year should check with their academic advisor for information on eligibility and other details.

Students in the B.S. + M.S. program may use units from their last two technical electives from their undergraduate course work towards their M.S. degree in addition to their B.S. degree. Students may not choose which technical elective units they will use. Only the last two courses will count. To transfer the units to the M.S. degree, students must see the department to submit the proper paperwork.

Admission In addition to the following requirements, all applicants must meet the general requirements as set forth in this catalog under the Graduate Studies section.

Application to the BIG program is limited to the fall quarter.

Applicants will need to have completed coursework in chemistry, physics, math, biochemistry and biology, and engineering. Students without an undergraduate engineering degree should have excellent training in mathematics and the physical sciences.

Specific recommendations for students without an undergraduate engineering degree are:

• • Two years of mathematics (equivalent UCR

course = MATH 009A, MATH 009B, MATH 009C, MATH 010A, MATH 010B).

• • One year of physics (equivalent UCR course

= PHYS 002A, PHYS 002B, PHYS 002C with lab).

• • One year of inorganic chemistry including

lab (equivalent UCR course = CHEM 001A, CHEM 001B, CHEM 001C).

• • One year of organic chemistry including

lab (equivalent UCR course = CHEM 112A, CHEM 112B, CHEM 112C).

• • One course in biochemistry (equivalent UCR

course = BCH 100 or BCH 110A or BCH 110B or BCH 110C).

• • One course in molecular biology (equivalent

UCR course = BCH 110C or BIOL 107).

Students with strong academic records may be admitted with limited coursework deficiencies, provided that these are satisfied by appropriate coursework taken during the first two years of graduate study.

Language Requirement All International students whose first language is not English must satisfactorily complete the SPEAK test.

Students may be admitted to either the Master’s or the Ph.D. program. Students in the Master’s program may petition for admission into the Ph.D. program.

The M.S. program is ideal for professionals seeking greater depth in several areas of bioengineering. The degree requires a minimum of 36 quarter credits and may be completed in three to four academic quarters of full-time study. Both thesis and non-thesis options are offered for the degree program (Plan I, Thesis and Plan II, Comprehensive Examination).

Student must request permission to pursue an M.S. in Bioengineering while simultaneously pursing a Ph.D. in a program other than Bioengineering.

Normative Time to Degree Two years.

Plan I (Thesis)

In addition to the following requirements, all applicants must meet the requirements for Plan I as set forth in this catalog under the Graduate Studies section Master’s Degree Plan I (Thesis).

Course Requirements Students must satisfy the core course requirements (see Core Courses). Students must enroll in BIEN 286, Colloquium in Bioengineering, each quarter it is offered.

Plan II (Comprehensive Examination)

This plan is designed primarily for students who do not intend to pursue a Ph.D. in Bioengineering.

In addition to the following requirements, all applicants must meet the requirements for Plan I as set forth in this catalog under the Graduate Studies section Master’s Degree Plan II (Comprehensive Examination).

Course Requirements Students must satisfy the core course requirements (see Core Courses). Students must enroll in BIEN 286, Colloquium in Bioengineering, each quarter it is offered.

The comprehensive examination is prepared and administered by the Graduate Examination Committee. The student is allowed to choose between an oral and a written examination. The examination covers a broad range of topics chosen from upper division undergraduate courses and graduate courses taken by M.S. students.

Subsequent to the examination, the Graduate Examination Committee issues a passing or failing grade. Students who fail in the first attempt may retake the examination at the next scheduled comprehensive examination period. No more than two attempts to pass the exam are allowed.

The M.S. Comprehensive Examination may be held at the end of any quarters throughout the year. The committee to administer the M.S. Comprehensive Examination is selected by the Graduate Advisor and approved by the Graduate Program Committee.

The Ph.D. program is heavily integrated with research activities and is intended for well-qualified individuals who wish to pursue leadership careers in academic or industrial research. The Ph.D. program requires approximately three years of full-time study beyond the master’s degree. In consultation with a faculty advisor, Ph.D. students plan their program of study.

The doctoral dissertation is based on original research in the field of specialization. An M.S. degree is not a prerequisite for entering the Ph.D. program.

The doctoral program includes a teaching requirement, an oral and written qualifying examination, and a dissertation.

Normative Time to Degree Five years.

Course Requirements Students must satisfy the core course requirements (see Core Courses). Students must enroll in BIEN 286, Colloquium in Bioengineering, each quarter it is offered.

Written Qualifying Examination Students in the Ph.D. program must pass a written qualifying examination that covers the fields of engineering and biology that relate to the student’s dissertation project.

Oral Qualifying Examination Following successful completion of the written examination, candidates for the doctoral degree must pass an oral examination, normally within three quarters of the date of their written exam. The oral examination is scheduled only after the candidate has written a proposal detailing the rationale, specific aims and approaches to be undertaken for her/his dissertation research.

Dissertation A written dissertation is completed by each student.

Candidates for the degree of Ph.D. may be required to defend the dissertation in a public, oral presentation at a time announced to members of the University community.

Core Courses All BIG graduate students are required to take at least three courses from the following six Bioengineering courses. Other courses may be substituted but must be approved by the bioengineering graduate advisor. Students from non-engineering backgrounds are also required to take BIEN 264 as one of their core course requirements.

Bioengineering Core

• 1. BIEN 223 - Engineering Analysis of

Physiological Systems

• 2. BIEN 224 - Cellular and Molecular

Engineering

• 3. BIEN 245 - Optical Methods in Biology,

Chemistry, and Engineering

• 4. BIEN 249 - Integration of Computational and

Experimental Biology

• 5. BIEN 264 - Biotransport Phenomena

• 6. BIEN 270 - Transport with Reactions in

Biological Systems

Other required courses:

• 1. One bioscience class chosen from:

BCH 210, BCH 211, BCH 212, BIOL/CMDB 200, BIOL/CMDB 201,BIOL 203, BIOL 221/ MCBL 221/PLPA 226, or, with consent of instructor, BMSC 229, BMSC 230, BMSC 231, BMSC 232, BMSC 234, and BMSC 235.

• 2. Other courses may be substituted but must

be approved by the Bioengineering Graduate Advisor.

• 3. BIEN 286 - Colloquium in Bioengineering

This course is required every quarter in which it is offered.

Additional courses may be required by the Advisory Committee depending on the student’s background and fields of interest.

M.S. and Ph.D. students are expected to complete the course requirements for the programs within their first year of residence.

Course Descriptions All Bioengineering courses are listed and described under Bioengineering.