2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Bioengineering undergraduate programs feature one or more courses that stress core concepts in Mechanics of Solids (MOS) and Materials Science in order for students to have a foundation to understand and characterize the behavior of engineered and biological materials. Ideally, these core concepts are reinforced through hands-on laboratory exercises that investigate the mechanical properties of materials and simultaneously reinforce skills in experimental design, data analysis, and technical communication. Ideally, these laboratory experiences would involve real-world applications relevant to bioengineering practice, which could be accomplished by integrating biomaterials into lab exercises or highlighting some of the unique aspects of biological materials, including nonlinearity, time-dependency, and changes in material behavior with injury or disease. There are excellent textbooks that provide a theoretical foundation for understanding biomaterials as well as instructor guides and technical standards for experimental protocols; however, there are few resources for instructors who wish to implement hands-on biomaterial laboratory exercises. While some institutions develop their own biomaterials labs, they often face challenges around high setup and maintenance costs, as well as biosafety concerns if using actual biological tissue samples. There is a growing need for a biomaterials laboratory curriculum that integrates core concepts from MOS and Materials Science, highlights the distinctive properties of biomaterials, and addresses the common barriers to real-world lab implementation.

In this paper, we present the development and implementation of a unique set of laboratory exercises, collectively entitled Musculoskeletal Tissue Characterization (MTC), that reinforce mechanics of solids and biomaterials concepts through the lens of musculoskeletal tissue mechanics. MTC can serve as the core of a stand-alone laboratory course, or it can be used to complement theory-based coursework in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or materials science. At present, there are three MTC exercises, namely: (1) compression testing of trabecular bone cores of varying densities to characterize the strength-density relationship; (2) tensile testing of tendon to compare the nonlinear response of healthy versus degenerative states; and (3) confined compression testing of meniscus to characterize the viscoelastic response in healthy versus degenerative states. These exercises may be offered in any order or combination within a course; and the conceptual framework, data analysis, and technical communications elements of MTC can be scaled to both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Equally as important as the curricular elements of these unique labs, MTC labs utilize equipment and consumables that have been thoughtfully designed to address common “pain points” associated with hands-on biomaterials exercises. Specifically, all lab exercises utilize an economical, table-top mechanical test frame (Model TSAH, Mark-10), instead of full-scale testing systems (e.g., MTS or Instron) that are orders of magnitude more expensive. The price point of these table-top test frames makes it possible to purchase multiple units for a single course, thereby allowing students to work more independently in smaller groups. All MTS labs use surrogate tissue samples made by a leading anatomical modeling manufacturer (Sawbones®, Pacific Research Labs), rather than biological samples. In doing so, MTS labs are not constrained to use biosafety laboratories, protocols, and supplies; and the surrogate tissue samples yield more consistent experimental results than biological samples. All equipment and supplies are easily sourced from commercial vendors (Mark-10 and Sawbones®); and the curriculum will soon be available free and open-source.

In this paper, we will highlight key curricular and logistical elements of the MTS laboratory exercises; and we will also present the results from field testing of these labs in undergraduate and graduate-level bioengineering and mechanical engineering courses at partner institutions as well as our own. Field testing will include both instructor and student interviews, as well as examination of student lab reports and data sets. Interview data will be subjected to thematic analysis, and student work will be evaluated by multiple instructors using common rubrics. The results of this study will be used to further refine the MTS curriculum and, more broadly, to advocate for the development and implementation of hands-on biomaterials laboratory exercises in engineering programs nationwide.