Biotechnology Process Engineering Center

MIT's First New Field of Study in 29 Years

MIT, the institution that helped establish the academic fields of chemical engineering and electrical engineering, has created an entirely new course of study with their revolutionary Biological Engineering (BE) undergraduate degree program. The program had its origins at least a decade ago when the faculty at the Biotechnology Process Engineering Center (BPEC) realized that there is a lot of fascinating—and necessary—research to do in the interface between biology and engineering. Their advocacy helped drive the establishment in 1998 of a new Biological Engineering Division at MIT, from which the new degree program is a natural outgrowth. BPEC's Director, Linda Griffith, and former Director, Douglas Lauffenburger, were instrumental in shaping institutional consensus for the creation of the new degree program.

Consider the endless future possibilities of this exciting, emerging academic field: One MIT researcher is studying how animals make their shells, and is using what she learns to develop advanced materials. Another investigator is building tiny chips with living liver cells to employ in drug testing. Still another uses DNA sequencing machines to create models of vast, shifting ocean microbe populations that play a crucial role in the life of the planet. The BE major is starting with just 20 undergrads and will grow in size over time as industry's demand for BE graduates expands.

To learn more about this topic:
See the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Web site at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/major.html

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André Green is a sophomore in the first
class of Biological Engineering majors.
He will graduate in 2008.

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Last modified: April 2, 2006