2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In this work-in-progress (WIP), we describe the implementation and evaluation of a new junior-level design course in bioengineering that focuses on the manufacturing of electrospun nanofibers at a public, R1 institution. Electrospinning is a fiber production method that uses high voltages to draw polymer solutions into thin threads at the nanometer scale. This ability to easily produce materials at a biological size has led electrospinning to find applications in various biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery [1, 2]. However, several parameters can greatly affect the production quality of fibers, such as concentration of the polymer solution, voltage, feed rate, and ambient conditions [3]. Controlling the manufacturing of electrospun fibers presented a unique engineering problem that could integrate concepts from multiple bioengineering courses including biomechanics, circuits, computer aided design (CAD), thermodynamics, and biomaterials into a single engineering design project with real-world applications. This project served as the basis for a new junior-level design course that will better prepare students for their senior capstone experience. In the future we plan to evaluate assignments and course evaluations to assess learning outcomes and student satisfaction.