CBE 182

Course Number: CBE182

Course Name: Nanoscience and Engineering Biotechnology

Units: 3

When is it offered? Variable

Requirement Satisfied: Upper Division CBE Elective

Concentration(s): None yet (might be updated soon)

Summary: Introductory course to biotechnology nanoscale engineering, covering emerging topics in applied bionanotechnology

Official Prerequisites: Bio1A/BioE11, Physics 7A

LEGIT Prerequisites: None really (an interest in the topic is enough, the course is not highly technical by any means and is more of an overview course)

Topics Covered: The first half of the course introduces the fundamentals of DNA, RNA, and protein nanobiotechnology (mechanisms for protein folding, central dogma of biology, time-scales of molecular processes). The second half of the course expands on various facets of the field of nanotechnology. Topics covered include the design of nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery, biological sensors, and agricultural and energy applications. A good amount of time is devoted to the fundamentals and applications of various optical analysis techniques (light microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electron microscopy). The course concludes with a final project where students present on a variety of nanotechnology applications (examples include CRISPR, photovoltaics, nanosensors, and neuroscience).

Workload: Weekly problem sets graded, but optional (worth 0% but helpful for studying); Midterm 1 is in class (20%); midterm 2 is take home (20%), final project/presentation is the bulk of the grade (60%) but isn't that much work. A lot of time is spent on literature review, etc. but since it's not a highly technical presentation it's not too challenging

When to take? Probably won't have time until junior year, but as early as possible! It's not a challenging course and is a good introduction into the biotech and nanotech fields.

"Whats next" Courses? Classes in biotech concentration (170AB, BioE111)

Usefulness for research / internships: Not in depth or specific enough to be that useful, but can provide a good starting point for further exploration into biotech (if you enjoy it you could pursue higher-level classes or a research opportunity in the field.

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