THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYLLABUS is to make it clear what I expect from my students, and what they can expect from me. If anything is not clear, feel free to ask.
Class Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12-1
Class Location: Klaus 2456
Contact Information: rbutera AT gatech.edu or call 404-894-2935. I will reply to any phone message or email request within 24 hours. Appointments will be made as needed, as past experience has shown that office hours for graduate courses are generally underutilized by students. PLEASE CONSIDER THE 24 HOUR PERIOD WHEN EMAILING. I do not read my email continually 24 hours/day. Do not expect an email sent at 3am the morning before an exam to be answered at 8am.
Course Prerequisite: Graduate standing. This course draws on a lot of discplines. I assume undergraduate familiarity with freshmen chemistry, differential equations, physics as taught to anyone with an engineering degree, knowledge of basic circuits/ideal op amps, and static electromagnetics. Any relevant biology will taught as needed. A general understanding of state space and stability as taught in a controls course is helpful but not required. Finally, I presume you have access to a computer or computer lab and are fluent in basic programming and data analysis skills (e.g., MATLAB). I am used to teaching a mixed group of students with ECE and BME backgrounds, so if you have a degree in either, you are likely prepared. I assume most students are first year graduate students in ECE, Bioengineering, BME, or Physics.
Course Objective: This course discusses the electrical and chemical basis of electrically excitable cells, such as neurons, muscle, and cardiac myocytes. The first half of the course is basic theory, while the remainder of the course discussed specific physiological systems and biological and engineering applications. While cardiac and muscle systems will be covered, there is a definite neuroscience bias to this course. Particular emphasis will be on using the scientific knowledge of how things work to consider real applications mostly involving stimulating or recording from excitable tissue. Simultaneous with the course material, I also use this course to teach first-year engineering graduate students about "doing science" and reading the scientific literature, a necessary skill for multidiscplinary research, especially in bioengineering. We will also spend some time covering the field of bioimpedance - the passive (but nonlinear) impedance properties of biological tissue in general.
Email Policy: Updates on important class-related information will often be sent via email. You are expected to check your email at least once per day. I typically will send followup email about class material in the late afternoon on the same day after a class lecture.
Attendance: You are responsible for all material covered in class. Part of your grade is based on class participation. A missed assignment may not be made up except under extenuating circumstances - I may refer you to the Dean of Students office (404-894-6367) for verification before a makeup assignment will be given. The makeup test may be oral and will be given outside of class time.
Academic Honesty: Play fair, don't throw sand, don't dump out someone else's sand bucket, and don't steal anybody elses sand. Studying together in groups is strongly encouraged, but actual work on class assignments must be the result of your individual effort. "Studying together" means learning the course material. "Studying together" does not mean working together on class assignments that are to be turned in for a grade. Unless specifically identified as group work; quizzes, tests, take–home-tests, homework, projects, etc. are to be completed alone. All work must be done in accordance with the instructions on the assignment. No calculators, computers, PDAs, or any other electronic or computational device are allowed on any exam in this course, unless otherwise noted. Typically, quizzes and exams are open books/notes. All course conduct is governed by the Georgia Tech Honor Code. Any suspected case of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Office of Student Integrity for further investigation.
Grades: There will also be in class 30 minute quizzes, typically every other week. I will give you notice of a quiz in the previous class. There will sometimes be homework, which is nothing more than a take-home quiz. I will give you notice in the previous class, and usually more. There will be at least two modeling/simulation projects. More details as necessary. You will have at least two weeks to complete these projects. The couse outline page has tentative dates for these assignments. My philosophy on quizzes is to assess your understanding of core class concepts, and not simple recite formulas or concepts from memory.
There is no exam, but there is a final project paper. Depending on class size and work load during the semester, there may be in-class presentations. You will have 2 weeks notice of any such assignment.
Grade Calculation: Homework and quizzes are graded on a scale of 0-4. Projects are graded on a similar scale and count 2x or 3x as much as quizzes (you will be told the factor when it is assigned). Classroom participation is also graded on a 0-4 scale and counts as much as two quizzes. These numbers map proportionately to an ABC system. So a 4 is a solid A, a 3 is a solid B, etc. In the past, the cutoff for a course grade of an A has been approximately a 3.4.
Disclaimer: The number and types of assignments listed here are anticipated, and reality may differ as we proceed during the semester.
Web Resources: You are expected to be familar with and know how to access and or log into the web resources listed below.