Main navigation | Main content
Emphasis Area Advisor: Patrick Alford
The area of Biomechanics is extremely broad, and before planning your electives, you should decide which of the two basic sub-disciplines is of greater interest to you:
Mechanics of Tissues and Biomaterials – This area emphasizes understanding how biological and biomedical materials deform under load. You will be preparing yourself to work on tissue mechanics problems (e.g., how much does a vessel expand in response to a change in pressure, how much does a heart valve leaflet deflect under a given load, or how much does a tendon stretch given a certain amount of tension) as well as on mechanical aspects of biomaterials selection (e.g., what vascular graft or stent materials would provide a good match to the native tissue?).
Kinematics and Biomechanical Design – This area emphasizes the design of biomechanical devices and how linkage systems behave. You will be preparing yourself to work on the design of mechanical systems for biomedical use (e.g., how one should design a knee brace to be as light as possible but still provide the necessary support) and to understand the dynamics of large-scale motions (e.g., what causes the characteristic features of the various gait irregularities and how can they be corrected?).
In either case, it is highly recommended that you take Deformable Body Mechanics (AEM 3031) in the spring of your junior year. AEM 3031 is a gateway course for virtually the entire slate of upper-level AEM and ME courses, and it will be tough to take very many interesting courses your senior year if you have not already completed it.
Please remember that all courses listed are merely suggestions. Note that some courses are listed under both sub-disciplines. You may take any cohesive set of classes that meet the Engineering and Science Elective requirements and are approved by the Emphasis Area Advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. You are free to mix and match classes from both areas if you wish.