Bioengineering is a discipline built upon mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. The projection of many seers indicate that both the bioprocess and the biomedical engineering industries, subsets of bioengineering, will grow rapidly during the decade and that the next 100 years will be the century of biology. Clearly, the bioengineering industries will require the talent of highly trained bioengineers (both bioprocess and biomedical) cross linked with the many disciplines on engineering, management and science. This involvement will require traditional engineering curricula to be modified to provide a background for all engineers in biological systems; hence the fifth major engineering discipline-bioengineering-will assert itself next to the civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering disciplines in engineering schools nationwide.

INTRODUCTION

A general definition of BIOENGINEERING; "The Application of Engineering Principles and Fundamentals to Engineering Problems that Require A Basic Understanding of Biology and/or Living Systems", is suggested and will be the basis for the analysis in the remainder of this paper (1,2). After all, if engineering problem formulation or solution does not require a knowledge of biology or living systems then the existing traditional disciplines that deal specifically with non-living systems would be appropriate.

Figure 1 illustrates the engineering discipline progression. Civil Engineering evolved from Military Engineering and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering followed as recognized "traditional" disciplines in engineering. All three are based primarily on mathematics and physics. As the need for chemical processing became important Chemical Engineering became recognized as the fourth traditional discipline in engineering. This result was heavily influenced by the need for mathematics, physics and a second basic science, chemistry for the development of the Chemical Process Industries. It seems obvious that of all the remaining engineering subdisciplines that Bioengineering would be the most appropriate choice as the fifth traditional discipline of engineering. This conclusion is supported by the fact that bioengineering is dependent upon mathematics, physics, chemistry and the third and last basic science, "biology".

CIVIL ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING      MATHEMATICS/PHYSICS
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Figure 1 - The Engineering Discipline Progression up

Bioengineering, or the engineering of living systems, can be broken into two subsets (3). Figure 2 illustrates some topical areas in Bioprocess Engineering (primarily dealing with cells and cell cultures) and in Biomedical Engineering (primarily addressing the health related needs of human beings). Dotted lines have been included in the figure to show that there are overlaps between the two subdivisions. For instance, it would be difficult to categorize the growth of transplantable tissue in a bioreactor as specifically bioprocess engineering or biomedical engineering. An example is NASA's achievement of growing small intestine tissue in vitro at zero gravity. From this effort it is clear that recent advances in recombinant DNA Technology have been a major driving force for the coupling of biomedical and bioprocess engineering.

Figure 2 - Some Topical Areas in Bioprocess Engineering and in Biomedical Engineering up

Figure 3 more vividly depicts the interfaces and overlaps of biomedical and bioprocess engineering in the context of the total field for engineering. The illustration shows the cross disciplinary nature of bioengineering where traditionally biomedical engineering relies more upon formal education in physiology and anatomy while bioprocess engineering relies primarily upon formal education in biochemistry, industrial microbiology, and molecular and cellular biology.

Figure 3 - The Interfaces of Biomedical and Bioprocess Engineering up

A basic appreciation for molecular and cellular biology has become necessary for all Bioengineers, since all problems with living systems eventually get back to a need for understanding at that level. For example, even in the case of prosthesis design, the major consideration is the interface between the prosthesis and the living tissue, and its cellular response to the device. Also, the control of a bioreactor is ultimately determined by the metabolic processes of single cells.

The comparison of bioreactor design and oxygen transport to tissue in the human microcirculation again illustrates the overlap between biomedical engineering and bioprocess engineering. Both cases are concerned about the environment of single cells and the transport processes carrying nutrients to the cells and those removing waste products from the system. Bioengineers can quantify these processes via mathematics and experimental data to gain a better understanding of the rate limiting processes in the various systems. Quantification of the microcirculation has been an important area of study over the last forty years and could be touted as one of the first efforts in what is today defined to be "Tissue Engineering". The ultimate objective is to study system disturbances and the impact on cell functioning, which then translates directly into human health considerations.

The bioprocess engineering and biomedical engineering industries have grown rapidly during the 1990's and will continue to expand after year 2000. This development is so significant that many knowledgeable engineers and scientists are predicting that the twenty-first century will be the century of biology. The bioengineering industries will require the talents of highly educated bioengineers (both bioprocess and biomedical) cross linked with many disciplines in engineering, the sciences, business, law and clinical applications

As evidence of the emergence of Bioengineering as a discipline, there are many Departments of Bioengineering being established at the graduate and undergraduate level across the United States and throughout the World (4). Presently the demand for bioengineers is mainly at the M.S. and Ph.D. level however as both the biomedical and bioprocess industries mature the demand for B.S. Level bioengineers will increase dramatically.

REFERENCES

(1) Bruley, Duane F., Kang, Kyung A., Moussy, Francis and Theodore Wiesner, "Symbiosis of Biomedical and Bioprocess Engineering Utilizing TQM for Bioengineering Education and Research", ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, 1995.

(2) Bruley, Duane F., Keynote Lecture, Thirteenth Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference, "Bioengineering In The Future", Washington, D.C., April 16, 1994.

(3) Bruley, Duane F., IEEE lecture in Orlando, FL., 1990 and publication in IEEE Engineering In Medicine and Biology, "An Emerging Discipline", March/April 1995.

(4) Panitz, Beth, "A Growing New Discipline", ASEE PRISM, page 22-28, November, 1996.

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