Bioengineering

Bioengineering Summer Institute

Opening doors for students interested in biology to enter UCalgary engineering

Pursue your interest in understanding the human body, the biological world, and developing biomedical devices as a launching pad to understanding physics and beginning your career in engineering! 

Our four-week Bioengineering Summer Institute is designed specifically for students with a background in biology who are passionate about engineering. It also offers a way for students with high school biology to enter first-year engineering by connecting and examining physics concepts through a biological lens.

FAQs

This course takes place over four weeks from July 29 to August 23, 2024, and features: 

•    Small class sizes
•    Hands-on experiments
•    Field trips
•    Mentoring from biomedical engineers
•    A foundation in physics
•    No final exam 
•    Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT

Throughout this course, students will explore how biology relates to physics, bioengineering and biomedical devices. During interactive experiments and labs, students will actively explore and solve problems by creating models using knowledge of cardiovascular, neural, and musculoskeletal systems. The complexity of these models will increase with more advanced problem-solving opportunities.

By completion of this course, successful students will be able to:

  • Analyze sport performance using the principles of kinematics and dynamics 
  • Design simplified models of the systemic circulatory system using the principles of fluid mechanics and electric circuits 
  • Discuss the application and implications of using electromagnetism in the biomedical field 
  • Conduct inquiry-style laboratory experiments

This course will use a variety of approaches, including: experiments, class discussions, demonstrations, videos, guest lectures, peer feedback, learning activities, design activities, readings, field trips, lab visits and self-reflection exercises. Students will be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate competencies and understanding of theories. 

Students who do well in high school biology and mathematics tend to do well in engineering. This summer institute introduces you to bioengineering and provides the physics foundation you need to enter your first-year engineering courses.

All students who apply for UCalgary engineering with high school biology will automatically be considered for the Bioengineering Summer Institute. If you are admitted to Engineering through the Bioengineering route, completion of the Summer Institute is mandatory. 

This is a subsidized program. Students are asked to pay a $50 fee, while we cover the remainder of the $1,000 cost to offer the program. This is a full-time, four-week course and attendance is mandatory to successfully meet the conditions of your offer of admission.  

This will be a full-time course from July 28 – August 23, 2024. The course will include a mixture of lectures, labs and field trips. Complete in-person attendance is mandatory to successfully complete this course and meet the conditions of your offer of admission.

If you would like to find out more about this new opportunity, please contact engginfo@ucalgary.ca to find out more.

Is engineering for me? Check out our info sessions for high school students. Register now!