Pharmaceutical Research Design Problem
Laboratory research is critical in the field of biomedical engineering.Copyright National Institutes of Health http://www.media.nih.gov/imagebank/display_search.aspx?id=14
Through this lesson and its associated activity, students explore the role of biomedical engineers working for pharmaceutical companies. First, students gain background knowledge about what biomedical engineers do, how to become a biomedical engineer, and the steps of the engineering design process. The goal is to introduce biomedical engineering as medical problem solving as well as highlight the importance of maintaining normal body chemistry. Students participate in the research phase of the design process as it relates to improving the design of a new prescription medication. During the research phase, engineers learn about topics by reading scholarly articles written by others, and students experience this process. Students draw on their research findings to participate in discussion and draw conclusions about the impact of medications on the human body.
Biomedical engineers follow the steps of the design process to solve medical problems such as designing new medications, implants and prosthetics. One phase of the design is the research step during which scholarly articles are reviewed to learn what information has already been researched and developed on a particular topic. Research is a very important stage as it helps engineers learn what knowledge already exists so they do not waste time and expense duplicating research.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- List job prospects for the biomedical engineering field.
- Describe the importance of research in technological advancements.
- Explain the importance of maintaining body chemistry homeostasis.