(287f) Simulation-Based Projects In Biotransport - An Elective Course In The Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Biotransport (ChE427/BME427) is a course offered at the New Jersey Institute of Technology to undergraduate chemical and biomedical engineering students. Specific areas covered include transport within cells, basics of vector and tensors, conservation relations and momentum balance. Two weeks of the semester are dedicated to introducing concepts out of which simulation-based projects are developed. These topics involve pharmacokinetic analysis, oxygen delivery to tissues and hemodialysis. Because most of the students participating in the class are new to modeling and simulation of biological systems, nearly a month is devoted to teaching analytical methods and to help with the transition from modeling to simulation, data interpretation and presentation. The students write and present a final report to the rest of the class at the end of the semester. This contribution focuses on student performance and feedback, strategies developed to improve the computing component of the course and challenges, such as, the choice of simulation platforms.