Engineering, Biology,
and NSF
March 29, 2004
ASEE 2004 Engineering Deans Institute
Bruce Hamilton
Division Director, Bioengineering and Environmental Systems
A quick glance at the past--
At NSF,
Engineering Has Been Involved
with Biology For Decades
Example:
Early 1970s—
NSF’s Enzyme Engineering
Program
A quick glance at the past—
NSF’s Enzyme Engineering Program (1970s)
One Example Project:
MIT Project on
Preparative-Scale Enzymatic
Synthesis of Gramicidin S
and Enzymatic Regeneration of
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
MIT Project on
Preparative-Scale Enzymatic Synthesis of Gramicidin S
and Enzymatic Regeneration of ATP (1970s)
Disciplines on Team
Example Key Faculty
Engineering
Dan Wang
Biology
Arnold Demain
Chemistry
George Whitesides
Weekly group meetings of faculty from all three
disciplines with students from all three disciplines
(undergraduate, graduate, post-doc)
Engineering, Biology, and NSF--
Many Other Examples, From Both Before
and After 1970s; Some Are:
- Tissue Engineering
- Mammalian Cell Engineering
- The Artificial Retina
- Metabolic Engineering
- Gene Therapy Engineering
- Bioproducts from Cellulose
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Phytoremediation
- Therapeutic Protein Engineering
An observation on the past--
At NSF, looking back,
the involvement of Engineering
with Biology has Focused on
Engineering Specialties:
Biochemical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Bioenvironmental Engineering
Currently, Change!
At NSF now,
the involvement of Engineering
with Biology has become much
more pervasive,
going well beyond
“Engineering Specialties”
All 6 NSF ENG Divisions
Support Biology-Oriented Awards
BES: All aspects of biology and engineering
CMS: Biomechanical Eng (e.g., bone biomaterials)
CTS: Biotransport Eng (e.g., blood flow fluid dynamics)
DMII: Engineering Health Care Delivery
ECS: Many aspects of biology and engineering
(e.g., biomedical imaging)
EEC: Centers, Dept. Reform: biology and engineering
NSF CISE Directorate Also
Supports Engineering/Biology-Oriented
Awards
(Computer and Information Science