ASABE Technical Library - Abstract
Member and Access Notice
Biological Engineering Education and the Biology Knowledge Explosion: Lessons from Biology Educators
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: Paper number 027030, 2002 ASAE Annual Meeting . (doi: 10.13031/2013.9234) @2002Authors: Kerry L. Hughes, Ann D. Christy
Keywords: biological engineering, education, biology, core curriculum, skills acquisition
Biological engineering is an emerging discipline that integrates biological and
engineering principles. Biological engineering education requires that students are equipped
with the skills and knowledge of both biology and engineering. The breadth and depth of
modern biology makes it impossible to convey the entire knowledge base to undergraduate
students. It is, therefore, essential that core biological concepts and skills be identified.
Biologists have faced this challenge for the last thirty years, as the knowledge base of biology
has exploded, and have designed undergraduate teaching programs that address this issue.
Some of the skills emphasized in the biological sciences that are invaluable to biological
engineers include analogic thinking and the ability to understand non-linear systems. The
acquisition of these skills complements the skills of deductive and analytical thinking, design,
and problem-solving skills traditionally associated with engineering.
The objective of this study was to identify fundamental concepts and appropriate teaching
methods for biology instruction in a biological curriculum and examines the applicability of these to biological engineering. Different concepts may apply to programs with different biological
engineering specializations. Options for the integration and teaching of biological skills to
engineering students in both introductory biology classes and upper-level engineering classes
are examined. One approach used by biology educators is to identify and teach the skills
emphasized in biology with examples from biology fundamentals. Another approach in
undergraduate biology is the use of one or two core concepts as frameworks for teaching
biological skills. The combination of familiarity with biological fundamentals (taught in biology
classes and revised, as necessary, in upper-level engineering classes) and the acquisition of
skills traditionally associated with biology, throughout the curriculum, should prepare
engineering students for careers in biological engineering.