Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering Carleton University
Rm. 3090 Minto Centre
613-520-5659
http://ocibme.ca
- M.A.Sc. Biomedical Engineering
M.A.Sc. Biomedical Engineering
About the Program
The Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering (OCIBME) offers a multi-disciplinary Masters of Applied Science degree (M.A.Sc.) in biomedical engineering. The main objective is to enhance students' abilities to solve biological and medical problems through the application of engineering principles. This objective is achieved through a combination of graduate course work, directed and individual study, research thesis work, and various forms of oral and written presentations. OCIBME welcomes applicants from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, including: engineering, science, computer science, biomedical sciences, health sciences, or a related discipline. Within biomedical engineering, the program has four main research areas: Medical Instrumentation, Biomedical Image Processing, Biomechanics and Biomaterials, and Medical Informatics and Telemedicine.
Academic Regulations
See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission is a four-year bachelor's degree in engineering, science, computer science, or a related discipline, with an average of at least B+.
Program Requirements
All master's students must successfully complete a total of 5.0 credits, which includes a 2.5 credit master's thesis. Courses must be selected with the approval of the student's supervisor. The specific requirements are:
| M.A.Sc. Biomedical Engineering (5.0 credits) | ||
| 1. 0.5 credit in compulsory: | 0.5 | |
BIOM 5010 [0.5] | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | |
| 2. 1.0 credit in two graduate level BIOM (BMG) courses (or equivalent) | 1.0 | |
| 3. 1.0 credit (or the equivalent) from graduate level courses offered at either Carleton University or University of Ottawa | 1.0 | |
| 4. 2.5 credits in: | 2.5 | |
BIOM 5909 [2.5] | M.A.Sc. Thesis | |
| 4. 0.0 credit in: | 0.0 | |
BIOM 5800 [0.0] | Biomedical Engineering Seminar | |
| Total Credits | 5.0 | |
Course Selection
Students in this program may choose elective graduate courses from either university, with the approval of their program advisor. All courses are 0.5 credit (one term's duration) with the exception of BIOM 5800 [0.0] Biomedical Engineering Seminar (and BIOM 5909 [2.5] M.A.Sc. Thesis (BMG 5909). Only a selection of courses listed is given in a particular academic year. For information on courses offered in a given year please consult the Institute's web site (www.ocibme.ca ).
Notes:
University of Ottawa course numbers are in parentheses.
Consult the Biomedical Engineering (BIOM) courses page for full course descriptions. The course descriptions for other courses are listed in the calendar under the department offering the course.
Given that the students admitted to this program are from different academic backgrounds, any elective course listed in this program can only be taken by qualified students who satisfy the prerequisites.
Biomed (BIOM) Courses
Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
Research ethics and methods. Engineering systems approach to analysis and modelling of human anatomy and physiology. Introduction to topics including biomechanics, electrophysiology, and computational biology. Biomedical technologies. Impact of technology on society.
Biomedical Instrumentation
Instrumentation designed to measure physiological variables related to the function of the heart,lungs, kidney, nervous and musculo-skeletal system; emergency, critical care, surgery and anaesthesia equipment.
Biological Signals
Modeling of neuromuscular biological signals, including subthreshold phenomena, active behaviour of cell membranes, and innervation processes. Measurement of biological signals, including electrode effects. Time domain, frequency domain, and adaptive filtering techniques for noise reduction.
Advanced Topics in Medical Instrumentation
Recent and advanced topics in the field of medical instrumentation and its related areas.
Medical Image Processing
Mathematical models of image formation based on the image modality and tissue properties. Linear models of image degradation and reconstruction. Inverse problems, regularization for image reconstruction. Image formation in radiology, computed tomography, MRI, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, positron emission tomography, electrical impedance tomography.
Introduction to Medical Imaging Principles and Technology
Basic principles and technological implementation of x-ray, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other imaging modalities used in medicine. Contrast, resolution, storage requirements for digital images. Applications outside medicine, future trends.
Wavelet Applications in Biomedical Image Processing
Introduction to wavelet analysis and processing techniques for the quantification of biomedical images and signals. Topics include: multiresolution algorithms for denoising and image restoration, multiscale segmentation and classification for computer aided diagnosis and compression.
Advanced Topics in Biomedical Image Processing
Recent and advanced topics in the field of biomedical image processing and its related areas.
Biological and Engineering Materials
Properties of structural biological materials (bone, tendon, ligament, skin, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels) from an engineering materials viewpoint. Selection of engineering materials as biomaterials. Introduction to biocompatibility. Histology of soft tissues. Viscoelasticity, mechanical properties and models of muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Biomechanics of Skeletal System, Motion and Tissue
Analysis of human motion. Kinematics and kinetics of various activities. Engineering analysis and modeling techniques applied to human motion. Injury mechanics, treatment, prosthetic replacements. Fracture behaviour and healing processes.
Biofluid Mechanics
Properties of blood. Blood flow models for vessels, circulation systems and the heart. Artificial blood vessels. Kidney flow and exchange. Modeling of perfused tissues and cells. Transport phenomena across membranes. Molecular and ionic transport. Other body fluids.
Ergonomics and Design
Review of ergonomic issues encountered in engineering design, including biomechanical, physical and physiological issues. Strategies for human interaction with complex systems, such as aircraft cockpits, equipment control consoles, human-robotic interactions, and tele-operated equipment.
Advanced Topics in Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Recent and advanced topics in the field of biomechanics and biomaterials and its related areas.
Special Topics in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Biomechanics
Overview of human anatomy and physiology with emphasis on artificial organ and prosthetic device design requirement. Application of engineering principles to cells and tissues, biofluid mechanics, human body energetics, measurement techniques, mechanics of human body systems, with emphasis on the artificial heart.
Precludes additional credit for MCG 5489/MECH 5801.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as MAAE 4906, for which additional credit is precluded.
Design of Medical Devices and Implants
Solutions to clinical problems through the use of implants and medical devices. Pathology of organ failure and bioengineering and clinical aspects of artificial organs. Examples: blood substitutes, oxygenators, cardiac support, vascular substitutes, pacemakers, ventricular assist devices, artificial hearts and heart valves.
Design of Orthopaedic Implants and Prostheses
Anatomy of the musculo-skeletal system. Electromyography. Static and dynamic analysis of the human skeleton. Materials and manufacturing considerations for orthopaedic devices. Strength and failure theories. Implant fatigue, fracture and corrosion.
Biocontrols
Application of traditional control system principles to the human body. Functionality of sample actuators and sensors. Characterization of human body control loops with emphasis on system stability, robustness, and effect of adverse external disturbance.
Biorobotics
Interpretation of physical laws as applied to human motion, kinematics and dynamics of humanoid robots, modeling of biological sensors and actuators, artificial muscles, tele-manipulation, robot assisted surgery, and multi-fingered end-effectors. Design of mechatronic devices including rehabilitators, extenders, haptic devices, and minimally invasive surgery systems.
Biotransport Processes
Application of chemical engineering principles to medicine and biology. Principles of mass transfer and fluid dynamics in topics such as hemodialysis, artificial kidney, diffusion in blood, mass transfer in the eye, drug distribution in the body, and advanced life support systems.
Rehabilitation Engineering
Multidisciplinary approach to assistive-device design. Biomechanics applied to rehabilitation. Gait, neurological disorders, pathological gait, prosthetics, orthotics, seating, and mobility. Transducers, bio-instrumentation, EMG, FES. Augmentive communication and sensory aids. Human-assistive device interfaces, human-robot interfaces, computer-vision-guided rehabilitation aids, telerehabilitation.
Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Systems
Review of electromagnetic waves at radio and microwave frequencies. Electrical and magnetic properties of tissue. Impact of electromagnetic waves on tissue. Cellular effects.
Medical Computing
Introduction to information technology research used in the medically related fields such as biotechnology, cancer treatment, and biometric. Topics may include: medical imaging, telemedicine, telesurgery, DNA analysis, and medical information systems.
Advanced Health Care Engineering
Healthcare and technology; overview of medical devices and sensors; safe and effective use and management of technology; telemedicine; medical databases, data collection, storage, retrieval and computers in medicine; electronic patient records, PACS; clinical decision-support systems.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the instructor.
Interactive Networked Systems and Telemedicine
Telemanipulator; human motoring and sensory capabilities; typical interface devices; mathematical model of haptic interfaces; haptic rendering; stability and transparency; remote control schemes; time delay compensation; networking and real-time protocols, history and challenges of telemedicine; telemedicine applications: telesurgery, tele-monitoring, tele-diagnosis and tele-homecare.
Advanced Topics in Medical Informatics and Telemedicine
Recent and advanced topics in the field of medical informatics and telemedicine and its related areas.
Pattern Classification and Experiment Design
Introduction to a variety of supervised and unsupervised pattern classification techniques with emphasis on correct application. Statistically rigorous experimental design and reporting of performance results. Case studies will be drawn from various fields including biomedical informatics.
Prerequisite(s): undergraduate introductory probability and statistics.
Biomedical Engineering Seminar
This course is in the form of seminars presented by graduate students and other researchers in the area of Biomedical Engineering. To complete this course, a student must attend at least ten seminars and make one presentation in the context of this seminar series.
Directed Studies in Biomedical Engineering
Various possibilities exist for pursuing directed studies on topics approved by a course supervisor, including the above-listed course topics where they are not offered on a formal basis.
M.A.Sc. Thesis
Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca
Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca