Simon Fraser University – Bioelectronics course: Week 1*

Last night (Sept. 8, 2014) I started teaching a course called, Bioelectronics, Medical Imaging and Our Bodies for Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Continuing Studies programme and found that students wanted a copy of the slides from the first night. Unfortunately, SFU does not have a system in place for continuing studies instructors to make their course materials available online to students, so, at the end of this post you will find a link to my Week One PowerPoint slides.

For those who may be mildly curious, here’s a description of the course and of what I was covering on the first night (from SFU’s course description webpage),

Advances in understanding cells, enzymes and proteins will soon allow remaking “life”—and spare body parts—on our terms. How do we extract the best of technology and human intelligence to make breakthroughs in understanding the human body? How will “next generation” medical technologies alter organizational and societal landscapes? Should we halt advances to digest the consequences of technological developments? Or, hoping everything will work out, pursue new frontiers?

We will attempt to answer such questions in discussing the biotechnology used today. And we will look into the future to see how our bodies will be imaged, diagnosed, and fixed. This course requires no technical or scientific background, but an open mind and curiosity will prove helpful.

Week 1: Can the Blind Really See? The Future of Prosthetics

More and more, bioelectronics and/or other emerging technologies are being integrated into materials meant to repair or replace body parts. One example of this is the artificial retina. Others include synthetic tracheas, prosthetic hands and prosthetic legs.

Week 1_Artificial eye

Assuming that students may want slides from subsequent classes, I will be posting more materials over the next five weeks (the length of the course).

ETA Sept. 16, 2014: My ‘notes’ for this week consisting largely of brief heads designed to remind me of the content to be found by clicking the link directly after the head:

Week 1

*’Week 1 added to head on Sept. 16, 2014.

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