Outline

Overview

This unit offers essential knowledge in the cutting edge of subcellular to molecular level biomechanics, bioengineering and applications in biomedical engineering, biotechnology industry and the recently emerging concept of 'Mechanomedicine'. Students will delve deeper into the concepts of 'The cell as an engineering system' (Introduce the molecular biomechanics concept in the context of cellular structures and organisations, membrane, the nucleus, organelles, cytoskeleton, and ECM), Cellular functions and their control (Proteins and enzymes DNA, RNA, and recombinant DNA Technology). It also includes mathematical modelling of calcium transient, intercellular and interfacial forces, mechanical properties of cells, Kinetic and transport models, single-Cell biomechanics and related experimental approaches, dynamic force spectroscopies, single-molecule imaging and super-resolution microscopies Students will also be able to understand pivotal molecular biomechanics technologies used in biotechnology industry and the medical clinic with the new concept of 'Mechanomedicine' or 'Mechanobiology Inspired Therapeutics', such as molecular constructs of cell mechanics measurement, molecular biosensors to visualise mechanotransduction, genetic engineered cell therapy, new therapeutics targeting receptor mediated mechanosensing pathway and biomechanical nanomedicine etc.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Biomedical Engineering
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	BMET3962 or BMET9962. Students need to have assumed knowledge in calculus, molecular biology, biochemistry, basic mechanics and some understanding in biophysics
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Arnold Lining Ju, arnold.ju@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Arnold Lining Ju, arnold.ju@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Jim Huang, zhaojing.huang@sydney.edu.au
	Jerry Wang, haoqing.wang@sydney.edu.au
	Catherine Chen, yiyao.chen@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Weekly lecture questions Weekly quiz covering lecture content	10%	Multiple weeks	20 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Research proposal presentation Group presentation on their proposal of the given topics	10%	Week 05 Due date: 01 Sep 2024 at 23:59	30 minutes each group
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Mid-term quiz Mid-term quiz covering lecture and tutorial content	30%	Week 08 Due date: 16 Sep 2024 at 15:00	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group project seminar Group presentation on their project to report their methods and results	15%	Week 11 Due date: 14 Oct 2024 at 15:00	30 minutes each group
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final report Group final report in a scientific terms to summarise their work	35%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2024 at 23:59	variable length
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Weekly lecture and tutorial questions are to be submitted after 1 week of each tutorial by the students individually. There will be 10 activities that form a total score of 10%. Each quiz will be 1%.

Research proposal presentation is an assessment where students form a group with a maximum of 3 people to present their research proposal. The presentation will be delivered during the lecture in week 5. Each student of the group needs to present and will be marked individually.

Mid-term quiz: There will be a two-hour quiz in Week 8 of the semester. 30% of the quiz will be calculation-based and the other 70% will be based on lecture content taught in Week 1-7.

Group project seminar is an assessment where students present their group project work. The presentation will be delivered during the lecture in week 11. Each student in the group needs to present and will be marked individually.

Final report is a group task due in Week 13. Students are expected to submit a scientific report which summaries their results and finding from the group project.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	When you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	When you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	When you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	When you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to cellular and molecular biomechanics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Intracellular structures and mechanics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Cell adhesion mechanics and kinetics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Cell adhesion dynamics and cell traction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Laboratory activity	Practical (3 hr)
Week 05	Research proposal presentation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Guest lecture on mechanosensitive ion channels	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Single-molecular biophysics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Mid-term quiz and Cell mechanotransduction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Laboratory activity	Practical (3 hr)
Week 09	Lab-on-chip and mechanomedicine	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Guest lecture on organoid technique for 3D cell culturing	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Group project seminar	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Guest lecture on cytoskeleton and mechanotransduction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Guest lecture on super resolution microscopy for cell functionality analysis	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend and actively engage in all timetabled activities of a unit of study. Students are required to be in attendance at the correct time and place of any formal or informal examinations and scheduled assessments. Non-attendance on any grounds insufficient to claim special consideration will result in the forfeiture of marks associated with the assessment.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand cellular mechanobiology, including the interactions between mechanical and biological performance in cells and tissues; and how external mechanical cues mediates their physiological function.
LO2. Understand the concepts of mechanomedicine and its significant applications such as molecular constructs of cell mechanics measurement, molecular biosensors, new therapeutics targeting receptor mediated mechanosensing pathway etc.
LO3. Obtain hands-on experimental skills by conducting simple experiments that investigate cellular biomechanics.
LO4. Group presentation will enable the students to appreciate teamwork and to achieve effective oral communication skills, understand and critically analyse the emerging biomechanics research.
LO5. Write scientific reports to convey complex and technical data in clear and concise terms; and argue persuasively the approach and results obtained in light of the problem or task assigned and the adopted methodology.
LO6. Develop innovative ideas and critical thinking to conduct independent research on the field(s) of cellular biomechanics.
LO7. Apply engineering principles to answer questions relating to cellular biomechanics in a quiz format.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BMET5964: Advanced Cellular Biomechanics

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect