Parallel Curriculum between Application and Fundamental
Subjects with Rotational Experimental Project forMultidisciplinary Study Field of Biomedical Engineering
Shigehiro HASHIMOTO, Mieko OHSUGA, Masahiko YOSHIURA, Hiroshi TSUTSUI, Kenzo AKAZAWA
Toshia FUJISATO, Shuichi MOCHIZUKI, Hiroyuki KOBAYASHI, Fumitaka NAKAIZUMI
Toshikazu KAWAI, Sadahito UTO, Katsuyoshi TSUJITA
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology
Osaka, 535-8585, Japanhashimoto@bme.oit.ac.jp http://www.oit.ac.jp/bme/
Instrumentation” [1].
ABSTRACT
Biomedical Engineering is a multidisciplinary study field
spreading over between engineering and medicine. Special
fields of biomedical engineering should be developed on thewide fundamental engineering base, which require a long
distance of study. A parallel curriculum between applicationand fundamental subjects with rotational experimental projects
has been designed for undergraduate courses to cover the wide
basic field of “biomedical engineering” and to stimulate
motivation of study, simultaneously.
High-schools andindustries are expecting the educational system to develop
multidisciplinary human resources. The interim report isevaluated with questionnaire to students.
Keywords: Multidisciplinary Study Field, Biomedical
Engineering, Rotational Experimental Project and Parallel
Curriculum

1. INTRODUCTION
The biomedical engineering field consists of both bio-mimetic
technology and application of engineering to medicine.
Biomedical engineering is not an interface between engineeringand medicine, but an independent fundamental field tocontribute to a variety of applications.
The origin of
biomedical engineering is technology on human and manyengineering concepts have been progressed from the field.
A research field of “Biomedical Engineering” has a long history
in Japan, and has been developed in laboratories in many
universities. An educational field of “Biomedical Engineering”,
on the other hand, has not been developed in undergraduatelevel in Japan. Because Japanese has variations in making new
words for the similar meaning, more than ten names are used forthe name of the departments related to Biomedical Engineering:
including Clinical Engineering, Medical Technology,
Bio-cybernetics, Bio-robotics.
Osaka Institute of Technology has established a department of“Biomedical Engineering” for undergraduate courses at 2006,
and for master and doctor courses at 2007. The department
includes two groups of courses: “Robotics” and “Medical

This report describes about preparation for establishingdepartment, design of curriculum and facilities, and interim
appraisal.

2. COLLABORATIONBETWEEN ENGINEEIRNG AND MEDICINE
Osaka Institute of Technology has kept collaboration on researchworks with Kansai Medical University, which is located withinwalking distance. Two universities signed an agreement forcollaboration each other on July 15th 2004: on exchange of
information about science and technology, on joint research, on
exchange of student, on mutual exchange of faculties.
“Biomedical Engineering” is a multidisciplinary study field
spreading over mechanical engineering, electrical engineering,and material engineering, which are bound with medicine. To
make collaboration network between research institutes,“Medical Engineering Research Center” was established in
March 2005. To promote collaboration between these fields, a
research project has been started on “Application of Cultured
Muscle Cells on Medical Engineering”, which has been
supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Academic Frontier from theJapanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Technology[2]. The collaboration network consists of following institutes:a) Osaka Institute of Technology, b) Department of Thoracic andCardiovascular Surgery & Cardiovascular Center, Kansai
Medical School, c) Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate
School of Information Science and Technology in Osaka
University, d) Department of Regenerative Medicine and Tissue
Engineering, Advanced Medical Engineering Center, ResearchInstitute of National Cardiovascular Center, e) Surgical Assist
Technology Group, Institute for Human Science and Biomedical
Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Scienceand Technology, f) Major in Radiology and Biomedical
Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, The University ofTokyo. The collaboration forms not only the research center
for medical engineering, but also the base for education facultiesof the department of biomedical engineering. To advanceresearch in multidisciplinary field, researchers themselves
should experience the multidisciplinary field for promoting
communication between different disciplines.

difficult to make common sense among students.
Large amount of monotonous basic study makes it difficult
to keep motivations to study the challenging new field ofengineering.

3. COLLABORATION WITH HIGH SCHOOL
3)
Recently, most of subjects in science have become notcompulsory but optional to high school students in Japan, whichcauses wide variation on academic background of students in thedepartment. Additionally, many students tend to abandonbuildup approach subjects, which decreases the number ofstudents who choose the scientific field. Career guidance inthe high school sometimes introduces students indiscreetly tocourses only for technical certification. High school teachers
welcome “Biomedical Engineering” as a university program,which encourages students to study a variety of basic scientificsubjects. To motivate continuously students to study basic
subjects, faculties in the department of biomedical engineeringshow laboratories on the preparatory schooling, give open
lectures even in high schools. Collaborating with the highschool teacher, each faculty follows achievement of every
student.

4. COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY
Faculties have collected comments to the curriculum withinterview to industry. Manufacturers, especially on parts,
printing, hybrid product, security system, food, pharmacy,
medical device and healthcare, welcome broad ability aboutbasic engineering. They thought that a mechanical engineer
should understand basic electronics, for example.
The
motivation for studying “Biomedical Engineering” gets attentionof industry, because most of companies are preparing for new
projects relating to healthcare for aging society in Japan. Many
manufacturers request more mechanics and electronics thanmaterials to maintain production lines. Industry evaluates onthe-job training in laboratory experimental projects in theuniversity in Japan. Some industries propose such type of
leaning for freshman to improve design and communication
abilities.

5. PARALLEL CURRICULUM
In USA, many universities have held biomedical engineeringcourses. They educate many students with the ingenious
curriculum to contribute modern society [3]. In Japan, it is noteasy to make biomedical engineering curriculum forundergraduate courses, because of the difference of academic
background of medical school system, which admits students
directly from high schools.

To overcome these problems, “Parallel Curriculum of
Biomedical Engineering Subjects with Rotational Experimental
Project” has been designed in the department instead of thebuildup approach (Fig. 1).
The mission of biomedical engineering project is to educate anengineer, who understand human with a background of
fundamental engineering and has an ability to create things
adaptive to human and environment. The project contributes
engineers, who develop technology for diagnostics treatment in
the healthcare field and design a nursing-care robot in thewelfare field, to aging society with a falling birthrate.
Through the biomedical engineering program, students should
attain:(a) The broad education necessary to understand the impact ofengineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental,
and societal context, with the background of study on DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid) about origin of life, evolution andadaptation, and on technological history about evolution ofhuman,(b) An understanding of professional and ethical responsibilityof engineer on life and health for society and environment,(c) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, physics,
chemistry, and biology and informatics to biomedical
engineering,(d) An understanding of theoretical background on mechanics,
electronics, and physiology,(e) To design and conduct experiments on electronics,
mechanics, materials and systemics, as well as to analyze,
make measurements and interpret data from living systems,(f) An ability to use the techniques, skills and modern
engineering tools necessary for engineering practice,(g) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve problems at theinterface of engineering and biology, associated with theinteraction between living and non-living materials andsystems,(h) To design system, component, or process to meet desiredneeds on problem of healthcare, welfare and nursing carewithin realistic constraints such as economic,
environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety,
manufacturability, and sustainability,

Application subjects

Special fields of biomedical engineering should be developed on
the wide fundamental engineering base. To master the base, along distance of study is required. To keep motivation forstudying the challenging field during the monotonous basic
study period, stimulation is necessary for students fromapplication subjects. The biomedical engineering field is easy
to understand contribution to the society, because many of its
outcomes are applied to human through healthcare technology.

Biomechanics, Bioelectronics,
Biomaterials, Robotics
Mathematics, Physics,
Chemistry, Biology, Physiology

Fundamental subjects

The curriculum for biomedical engineering has several problems
as follows:

1
1)
2)

Multi-disciplinary field demands broad fundamental
knowledge.
Variation of preparative educational background makes it

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

SemesterFig. 1: Parallel Curriculum between Application andFundamental Subjects.

(i)An ability to communicate effectively and internationallyin multi-disciplinary teams,(j) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage inlife-long learning,(k) An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
To achieve above education objectives, core courses of“Fundamental Seminar for Biomedical Engineering including
freshman’s camp (Fig. 2)”, “Rotational Experimental Project”,“Biomedical Engineering Seminar” and “Bachelor Thesis” areprepared in parallel with “Fundamental”, “Common”,“Mathematics and Information”, “Measurement and Systems”,“Electronics and Mechanics”, and “Materials and Medicine”
courses in the curriculum. Each course includes basic andapplied contents simultaneously, which enables to attainfundamental engineering sense, and ability for communication,
presentation and designing through understanding human fromthe multi-disciplinary viewpoints of engineering and medicine.
“History of Technology” and “Ethics in Engineering” offer
opportunity to learn responsibility as a global engineer;“Exercises on Mathematics”, “Exercises on Physics”, “Exercises
on Chemistry”, “Introduction to Biology” and “Information
Processing” educate ability to apply basic knowledge of science;“Introduction to Medical Engineering”, “Electronics”,“Introduction to Mechanics”, etc. educate theoreticalbackgroundofbiomedical
engineering;“Rotational
Experimental Project”, “Fundamental Seminar for Biomedical
Engineering”, “Biomedical Engineering Seminar”, and“Bachelor Thesis” offer opportunity to learn ability for
identification, designing, communication, and life-long learning.

6. ROTATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT
Twelve core faculties were collected to cover variety ofbiomedical engineering field through collaboration among
institutes for research project in medical engineering research
center. Each faculty is in charge of an independent theme forthe rotational experimental project, as well as in charge of eachlaboratory (Table 1).
Table 1: Laboratories
Biophysical Engineering Laboratory
Bio-mechanical Robotics Laboratory
Bioelectronics Laboratory
Medical Welfare Systems Laboratory
Bioinformatics Laboratory
Medical Micro-device Laboratory
Biomaterials Laboratory
Biosystems Laboratory
Medical Engineering Laboratory
Bio-control Laboratory
Robotics Laboratory
Welness Laboratory

Fig. 2: Fundamental Seminar for Biomedical Engineering.

Fig. 3: Rotational Experimental Projects.
“Rotational Experimental Project (Fig. 3)” consists of fourcourses: “Experiments on Electronics”, “Experiments on
Systems Engineering”, “Experiments on Medical Engineering”,“Experiments on Bio-measurement Engineering”. The themesof the projects are “Manufacture a solar battery and aphoto-sensor”, “Motion control for robotics”, “Design of anelectric circuit for measurement of an electrocardiogram”,“Manufacture of a robot finger”, “Control of a robot
finger”,”Micromachiningwithphotolithography”,“Measurement of interaction between biological cells andsynthetic materials”, “Measurement of viscosity of fluid”,“Manufacture of a electro stethoscope”, “Design of an electric
circuit for an intelligent sensor”, “Manufacture of a position
sensor for robotics”, “Measurement and analysis of bio-signals”.
In each project, students design and conduct experiment in asmall group activity for four weeks. Each student experiences
every theme one by one.
Faculties, who have various
biomedical engineering research backgrounds, inspire
motivation of students through “Rotational Laboratory
Experiments”, which start in the second semester.

7. ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Each laboratory room for the experiment is located in the nextdoor to corresponding faculty’s office, which is convenient for
students to get advice from the faculty about the project at any
time.
The laboratory room is also equipped for the
postgraduate students’ research work, which motivates
undergraduate students to advanced study about the experiments.
The examples of equipments are a three-dimensional position
tracer, an eye tracking system, a bio-signals monitor system, athermography, a large spherical concave display, a computer
server, a robot arm for surgery, clean benches, incubators, anscanning electron microscope, a confocal microscope, amicro-machining system of stereo-lithography, and an universal
testing machine. Some of them are equipped in a speciallydesigned room such as a robotics studio, a biotechnology studio,
a soundproof room, a clean room, and a magnetic shieldingroom.
In the department house, each floor is divided into twelve
laboratory divisions. Each space of the laboratory divisionconsists of a faculty’s office, a laboratory for research staffs, andlaboratory for undergraduate students (Fig. 4). The arrangementof rooms enables for young students to learn many things fromFaculty’s
OfficeLaboratory for
Postgraduate

Laboratory for
Undergraduate

Fig. 4: Laboratory design.
seniors and to extend their interest to research works in theirgroup activities.

8. QUESTIONNAIRE TO CURRICULUM
Applicants for admission to the biomedical engineering
department included radiological technologist, clinical engineer,and clinical laboratory technologist, who want to get ability formore creative works than daily regular works in the healthcare
field.
Students, who have such kind of professional
backgrounds, applied not only for postgraduate courses, but also
for undergraduate courses of newly established biomedical
engineering department. Students with a variety of academic
background about mathematics and science were admitted to thedepartment.
The result of a questionnaire to students in the first month showsmost of students feels difficulties about the large number ofsubjects prepared in the first semester. “Fundamental Seminarfor Biomedical Engineering” with a spontaneous research
project in a small group activity about biomedical engineering
field helps them to keep motivation to study. Especially“Physics” is the most difficult subject under wide variation ofacademic backgrounds.
The most popular subject was“Introduction to Biology”, which includes anatomy andPhysiology. The reason why “Introduction to Biology” ispopular to the student is that the subject does not seem like one
with a buildup approach, and includes many contents, which is
new to students.
The effect of curriculum has been evaluated with a questionnaire(Table 2) to first class students at the end of the second, the third
and the fourth semesters; and to second class students at the firstand second semesters. The results of the questionnaire to
students (Figs. 5-11) show that:
1) More than sixty percent of students understand the mission
profoundly except first class student in one year.
2) More than seventy percent of students feel the mission
appropriate.
3) Eighty percent of students feel that the relation between
courses is appropriate.
4) “Introduction to Biology”, “Exercises on Physics”,“Introduction to Mechanics”, “Exercises on Applied
Mathematics”, and “Information Processing” need more
school hours,5) More than half of students think that they have studied forenough hours.
6) The average self-schooling period among students is aquarter of school hours and is not enough in most of
students,
7) “Introduction to Biology”, “Biomaterials”, “Introduction to

Mechanics” and “Rotational Experimental Project” give
students motivation for advance study,8) The contents of “Introduction to Biology”, “Exercises on
Physics”,“Sensory
Organ
Engineering”,
and“Psychophysiological Engineering” are ingenious,
9) More than 75 percent of students feel that equipments aregood enough for leaning,10) The grade is consistent with self-evaluation in“Introduction to Biology”, “Bio-rheology”, “Electronics”,“Exercises on Physics”, and “Exercises on Mathematics”
11) The position of “Liberal Arts” in the curriculum is notunderstandable for several students.
The present curriculum is challenging one, so that less than halfof students understood the mission profoundly during the firstyear of study. Buildup approach in basic learnings may beboring to most of students, but the rotational experimental
project has been effective to motivate advance study and to findbasic idea through applications in the multi-disciplinary study
field of biomedical engineering. The study field of biomedical
engineering should be easy for self-learning, because humanitself is subject to be studied.
Table 2: Questionnaire for curriculum
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)

Do you understand the mission of curriculum?
Do you think the mission is appropriate?
Is the relation between courses appropriate?
Is the learning period of each subject long enough toachieve the corresponding objective?
How many hours do you study in total?
Which subject advances your motivation?
Which subject is ingenious?
Is equipment good enough for leaning?
Can you understand criteria for evaluation?
Is the grade consistent with your self-evaluation?

9. PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIESThe department house of biomedical engineering accepts morethan one hundred visitors of high school students, their parents,and high school teachers a year (Fig. 12). Faculties lecture five
hundred students a year, visiting high schools in various suburbs.
The open laboratory schools not only for students but alsoteachers. Exhibitions are displayed in every occasion: campus
festival, etc. The results of the challenging curriculum werereported at the final symposium of Tohoku University
Biomedical Engineering Research Organization (21st Century
Center of Excellence Program in Japan), and at the 47th Annual
Conference of Japanese Society for Medical and BiologicalEngineering in 2008.
Opinions of parents collected at the lab-tour and at the interview
show worry about the future career and qualification after
graduation. “ME (Medical Engineering)”, “Bioinformatics
Engineer”, and “Fundamental Engineer” are related qualificationof the course.
Most of parents evaluate “Rotational
Experimental Project” successful.

10. CONCLUSION
Interim appraisal is as follows:

1)
2)

3)

4)

5)

The new department supplies a field for young comrades to
get together, stimulate, and collaborate each other.
The new department encourages young students toparticipate academic conference on medical engineering, of
which participants are decreasing in Japan.
The new department advances young students motivation
not only to gain a clinical qualification but also to continue
academic research.
Early exposure to familiar case studies opens young
students eyes to need for learning various fundamental
basic subjects.
The new department enlightens people on Biomedical
engineering field, which is not only for research but also
for education.

Interim appraisal shows that a newly designed parallel
curriculum between application and fundamental subjects with arotational experimental project is effective to cover
multidisciplinary study field of “biomedical engineering” and to
stimulate motivation of study, simultaneously.
The new
department shows availability of “Biomedical Engineering” foreducation.

5
4strongly yes

3

yes

2

no
strongly no

1
0%

50%

100%

Fig. 5: Do you understand the mission of curriculum? First
class: 1, second; 2, third; 3, fourth semester. Second class: 4,
first; 5, second semester.

5
4strongly yes

3

yes
2

no

11. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
1
Authors are thankful to Prof. Robert A. Linsenmaier ofNorthwestern University, to Prof. Richard L. Magin of
University of Illinois at Chicago, Prof. Gerald Saidel of Case
Western Reserve University, Prof. Bruce Milthorpe of
University of New South Wales, Prof. Hans Weber of Aachen
University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Kou Imachi of Tohoku
University, Prof. Mitsuo Umezu of Waseda University, and Prof.
Koji Ikuta of Nagoya University for discussion to our project.

strongly no
0%

50%

100%

Fig. 6: Do you think the mission is appropriate?

5
4

REFERENCES[1] S. Hashimoto, M. Ohsuga, M. Yoshiura, H. Tsutsui, K.
Akazawa, S. Mochizuki, H. Kobayashi, F. Nakaizumi, T.
Fujisato, T. Kawai, S. Uto, K. Tsujita, “Parallel Curriculumof Biomedical Engineering Subjects with Rotational
Experimental Project for Interdisciplinary Study Field”, Proc.
11th World Multiconference on Systemics Cybernetics andInformatics, Vol.4, 2007, pp. 39-44.
[2] S. Hashimoto, T. Fujisato, H. Tsutsui, M. Yoshiura, S. Uto, S.
Mochizuki, M. Ohsuga, K. Akazawa, H. Kobayashi, M.
Okada, H. Otani and K. Yoshinaka, “Development of Micro
Actuator with Cultured Muscle Cell”, Proc. Of the 6th
IASTED International Conference on Biomedical
Engineering, 2008, pp. 93-96.
[3] R.A. Linsenmeier, “What Makes a Biomedical Engineer:
Defining the Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering
Curriculum”, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology
Magazine, Vol.23(4), 2003, pp. 32-38.

strongly yes

3

yes

2

no
strongly no

1
0%

50%

100%

Fig. 7: Is the relation between courses appropriate?

54strongly yes

3

yes
no

2

strongly no
1
0%

50%

100%

Fig. 8: Do you study for enough hours?

2006-1.0

5

2006-1.5

2006-2.0

2007-0.5

2007-1.0

15

20Time, x100 hours

4

22strongly yes

3

yes

21

2

no

20

1

strongly no

19
18

0%

50%

100%
17

Fig. 9: Is equipment good enough for leaning?

16
15

2006-1.0

2006-1.5

2006-2.0

2007-0.5

2007-1.0

Time, x100 hours

14
13

17

12

16

11

15

10

14

9

13

8

12

7

11

6

10

5

9

4

8

3

7

2

6

1

5

0

4

5

10

Numbers of student

3

Fig. 11: How many hours do you study for yourself in total?

2
1
0

10

20

30

40

50

Numbers of student
Fig. 10: How many hours do you study in school in total?

Fig. 12: Department house accepts visitors (robot arm forsurgery).