Cellular and molecular engineering curriculum at Rice University

The tremendous advances in cellular and molecular biology over the last 25 years have fundamentally changed our understanding of living organisms. This new understanding at the level of cells and their array of associated molecules is having a tremendous impact on both medicine and technology. Appreciating the complexities of the cell and its inner workings will be crucial to turning our knowledge into effective treatment strategies at the tissue, organ and whole individual levels. With this in mind, the Bioengineering Department at Rice University is developing a curriculum that educates students in cellular and molecular processes and their control. In this talk, we will describe the structure of the Bioengineering undergraduate program at Rice University and the development of a series of new courses for the cellular and molecular engineering track. This series of courses starts with the basic concepts of engineering fundamentals at the sophomore level. This introductory course provides the foundation for the more advanced quantitative treatment of cell structure and function at the cellular and tissue levels taught in the junior and senior levels. We will discuss the development of three specific courses that cover topics ranging from molecular to tissue level. This sequence of courses exposes students to the cutting-edge synthesis of molecular and cellular information into design of tissue systems.