BMET3961: Biomaterials (2021 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | BMET3961: Biomaterials (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Senior |
| Faculty/School: | School of Biomedical Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Dr No, Young
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| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | (ENGG1960 OR AMME1802 OR ENGG1802 OR PHYS1001) AND (AMME2302 OR AMME1362) AND (MECH2901 OR BMET2901 OR (MEDS2005 AND (MEDS2001 OR PHSI2007))). |
| Prohibitions: | MECH4961 OR BMET4961 OR AMME9961 OR BMET9961. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | This course will build on knowledge in materials science and merge knowledge in the biomedical sciences, in particular with the aspects of the human anatomy and physiology. The students will appreciate that developing engineering solutions to solve problems associated with the human body will bring forward a unique set of constraints and conditions not found in alternate contexts. For example, the human body is composed of living constituents called ‘cells’ that produce matter called ‘tissues’ in a structured manner to form functioning systems called ‘organs’. The function(s) of these cells is heavily dependent on the surrounding physical and chemical cues – the parameters (for which there are multiple) of these cues have to be ‘right’ or ‘optimal’ for the cells to function well to produce the correct type of tissue for the correct functioning of the organ. A biomedical engineering solution (e.g. an implantable or wearable device) to treat, monitor or diagnose a disease or medical condition must take these parameters into serious consideration. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Timetable: | BMET3961 Timetable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| The students will be given lectures and resources to develop their understanding and knowledge in biomaterials and biomechanics. For the biomaterials aspects, the students will be able to describe and discuss the biological, physical, and chemical properties of these materials and how/why they are suitable/unsuitable in certain contexts. For the biomechanics, the students will be exploring mechanics of structures in biological tissues, and will be able to perform calculations to solve problems related to biomechanics | (2) Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 3) |
| The students will be required to submit an assignment whereby they will present a pitch on suggested improvements in biomaterials and biomechanics for currently available medical devices. The content will be inspired by the lectures and individual reading. The students will be expected to identify shortcomings in current biomedical devices and discuss innovative and inventive ways of providing solutions. The biomechanics lab assessment will also assess their ability to pose problems and analyse data. |
(3) Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 3) |
| The students will be required to submit an assignment whereby they will present a pitch on suggested improvements in biomaterials and biomechanics for currently available medical devices. The content will be inspired by the lectures and individual reading. The solution should take into account important practical considerations such as technical feasibility, surgical considerations, regulation and ethics. | (4) Design (Level 3) |
| The nature of the content in this course draws from multiple fields of science and engineering - materials science, tissue mechanics, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, regulatory affairs and ethics, physics, medical sciences, and medical devices. Students will need to bring all these concepts together in both their group assessment, and in their individual assessments which test their understanding across these concepts. | (5) Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 3) |
| Inquiry/research will be developed through the group project activities. Both these assessments require students to access and analyze recent developments published in the academic and commercial domain. The biomechanics lab assessment will develop the students` ability to evaluate and interpret data. Both oral, written, and inter-member communication skills through group assessment will be developed. |
(6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 3) |
| Students will be divided into small groups and will be tasked to develop novel modifications to existing medical devices. This will require teamwork, time management skills, and task delegation skills. Students will also employ ethical conduct during their research and information gathering process. The students will be tasked to formalise their meetings through minutes, draw up Gantt charts, and provide risk analysis documents. |
(7) Project and Team Skills (Level 3) |
| Students will be divided into small groups and will be tasked to develop novel modifications to existing medical devices. This will require teamwork, time management skills, and task delegation skills. Students will also employ ethical conduct during their research and information gathering process. |
(8) Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 3) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
(7) Project and Team Skills (Level 3)
1. Employ project techniques and activities such as assigning tasks, managing time, and scheduling taksks.
(8) Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 3)
2. Employ techniques in communicating with colleagues in a professional manner in a group technical assessment setting.
(6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 3)
3. Employ techniques for effective oral and written communication of the concepts and knowledge underlining the background science and engineering applications of biomedical devices
4. Identify, obtain, and analyze information using appropriate search strategies to gain in-depth knowledge and current advances in biomaterials and biomechanics
(5) Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 3)
5. Appreciate and recognize the interdisciplinary nature of the field of biomedical engineering, whereby concepts from a wide range of areas including materials science, human biology, mechanics, chemistry and physics are brought together
(3) Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 3)
6. Evaluate and assess the current challenges in biomedical systems
7. Propose novel changes/solutions related to both biomaterials and biomechanics to address current unmet clinical needs or to address limitations of current solutions
(4) Design (Level 3)
8. Formulate new designs for devices to address unmet needs in the biomedical sector
9. Devise solutions taking mechanical, biological, chemical and physical properties fo the materials into account, as well as the financial and technical feasibility, and surgical considerations into account when designing solutions
(2) Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 3)
10. Discuss the current state and recent developments in the field of biomaterials.
11. Understand the mechanical behaviour of biological tissues and the types of models used to describe this behaviour.
12. Understand all the factors involved in the selection of a biomaterial for tissue replacement, including mechanical, biocompatibility, material property and fixation factors.
13. Perform basic calculations and apply static and dynamic mechanical analyses, to the human body to describe motion.
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Weekly quizzes (10%): The first 20 minutes of each tutorial will be a weekly quiz on the lecture content the week prior. The questions will be a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions. These quizzes and associated solutions will form the basis for your study notes for the final examination. Final examination (50%): Closed-book examination covering all the content addressed in both lectures and tutorials. The examination will be a mix of multiple choice, short answer questions, and one long answer question. The following group assessments are to be done with the same group members (six students per group) Group research report (20%): You write a maximum 12-page report (including references) about a medical device or implant that is in current clinical circulation in any of the major clinical federally regulated markets Group design project (20%): In extension from your group research report, your group will now form a hypothetical company to make your own version of the medical device where you modify the biomaterial and biomechanics of the said device based on your findings. Your assessment will be a 10 minute presentation pitch justifying your device design. |
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| Grading: |
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| Policies & Procedures: | See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. |
| Recommended Reference/s: |
Note: References are provided for guidance purposes only. Students are advised to consult these books in the university library. Purchase is not required.
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| Note on Resources: | There is no set textbook. Many general books on biomechanics, biomaterials, anatomy and physiology are in the Scitech, Badham, Medical, or Dental libraries. |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Lecture: Introduction to Biomaterials |
| Week 2 | Lecture: Foreign materials in tissues and the body's response |
| Week 3 | Lecture: Metals and metal alloys in biomedical engineering |
| Week 4 | Lecture: Polymers and hydrogels |
| Week 5 | Lecture: Ceramics and glasses |
| Week 6 | Lecture: Composites in biomaterials |
| Assessment Due: Group research report | |
| Week 7 | Lecture: Degradation of biomaterials |
| Week 8 | Lecture: Fatigue and stress shielding in biomaterials |
| Week 9 | Lecture: Surface considerations in biomaterials |
| Week 10 | Lecture: Conductive biomaterials |
| Week 11 | Lecture: Thesis seminar presentations (no lecture for this week) |
| Week 12 | Lecture: Biomaterials, industry, and regulation |
| Assessment Due: Group design project | |
| Week 13 | Revision |
| Exam Period | Assessment Due: Final Exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| (7) Project and Team Skills (Level 3) | Yes | 4% |
| (8) Professional Effectiveness and Ethical Conduct (Level 3) | Yes | 4% |
| (6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 3) | Yes | 8% |
| (5) Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 3) | Yes | 14% |
| (3) Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 3) | Yes | 8% |
| (4) Design (Level 3) | Yes | 8% |
| (2) Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 3) | Yes | 54% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
