Center for Bioengineering & Computational Biology

Undergraduate Education Resources:

• Computational Biology
  • A two-dimensional visual motion detector based on biological principles.  A motion detector.
  • Computer Simulation Modeling Using STELLA to Enhance Investigative Learning in a Biology Curriculum.
    An NSF CCLI project with computational exercises for Plant Biology, Ecology and Conservation Biology
     
• Bioengineering Undergraduate Laboratory Modules
  • Bioinformatics I: Introduction to Bioinformatics
    A computer-based lab exercise that uses database-search programs to search large databases containing nucleotide sequences
  • Bioinformatics II: Introduction to Molecular Phylogenies
    A computer-based lab exercise that introduces students to the basics of constructing phylogenetic trees based on a data set composed of DNA sequences
  • Bioinformatics III: Analysis of Human Neurological Diseases at the Genetic Level
    A computer-based lab exercise in which students are introduced to some fundamental concepts of bioinformatics, genetic databases, and the tools that are essential to gather information from these databases
  • Island Biogeography and Geographic Information Systems
    A four- or five-week-long lab module that introduces students to the basic concepts behind Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mathematical modeling, and landscape ecology
  • Computer Simulation of a Three-level (Tritrophic) Food Chain
    An in-class exercise and homework assignment to demostrate the use of computers to model complex systems
  • Derivation and Analysis of the Michaelis-Menten Theory
    A laboratory exercise in enzyme kinetics integrating the derivation of simple and more complex kinetic equations with experimental work
  • Effects of Flow on Endothelial Cells
    Laboratory experiments using flow chambers and fluorescence microscopy to visualize morphological changes in endothelial cells subjected to flow, correlated with engineering analysis of the flow conditions
  • Biomechanics of Stems and Vines.
    A laboratory exercise in plant form and function
     
• Bioengineering Design Studio
  • The Bioengineering Center's design and workshop facility is now fully functional and staffed by Mark Hooker.  Faculty at Union or at other institutions may request assistance with the design or production of laboratory equipment for undergraduate teaching and research purposes.  Funds are available for equipment and supplies.  Please contact Mark directly (hookerm@union.edu) or Steve Rice (rices@union.edu) about this opportunity.