The graduate programs of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering at Rice directly and effectively address this need for a more comprehensive curriculum incorporating both biology and engineering.
Graduate study leading to the Ph.D. in biology, biochemistry and cell biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, and electrical and computer engineering is offered. Students are formally affiliated with a department and carry out research in one of the three major laboratories of the Institute. The Institute has also developed a formal curriculum in bioengineering/biotechnology. It will be based on newly discovered fundamental knowledge that will enhance the effectiveness of educating future generations of scientists and engineers. A graduate curriculum has been proposed with a core of required courses to give the basic science and engineering background we believe is required for the 21st-century bioengineer. The new program is highlighted in more detail below.
Having highly trained, creative bioengineers will contribute to U.S. industrial competitiveness and will be crucial for translating our world leadership in the scientific aspects of biotechnology into cost-effective industrial and product applications. We strongly believe that the new bioengineering curriculum will have a major national impact on the evolving paradigms of bioengineering and will prepare our students to be leaders in translating science to biotechnology applications for the year 2000 and beyond.
Bioengineers will need interdisciplinary skills in the biological sciences, modern materials science, computer science, and systems modeling. We have proposed a unified graduate training program in bioengineering that will prepare our students to interact directly with cell and molecular biologists, but still retain the quantitative modeling capability so important for real engineering applications.
The graduate curriculum allows for three specific areas of focus within bioengineering: cellular and molecular engineering, biomechanics and biomaterials, and systems engineering and instrumentation. To implement the new curriculum, six new and two completely modified bioengineering courses are being developed, targeted at first-year graduate students. Elective courses in each of the three areas of focus complement the core requirements and allow concentration in a specific aspect of the broad field of bioengineering.
Biotechnology Training Program
Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the program provides stipends and research support in a variety of disciplines for graduate students interested in a research career in biotechnology. The program allows students access to the tools of biotechnology while specializing in a particular research area. Students receive training in broad areas of biotechnology that relate to commercial application of these techniques.
A core of interdisciplinary courses is offered and includes a three- to six-month internship in an industrial setting. Students from the departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Statistics, and others participate in the program.
Other Training Programs
Support for graduate training is also provided by two other National Institutes of Health grants, one in Molecular and Cell Biochemistry and Biology and one in Molecular Biophysics.
Opportunities for studies in computational aspects of modern biology and biochemistry are available through the Keck Center for Computational Biology, a joint effort of Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Houston. Fellowship support is available for students willing to take courses in both computational science and the biosciences.
Joint M.D./Ph.D. Programs are available in various laboratories of the Institute in conjunction with Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.