The MIT course 2.797/2.798 (Molecular Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics) educates students on the significance of mechanics in biological contexts, specifically emphasizing biomechanics and mechanobiology: “Two terms that may sound similar, yet are fundamentally different,” states Ritu Raman, the Eugene Bell Career Development Professor of Tissue Engineering in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Biomechanics, Raman elaborates, describes the mechanical characteristics of biological substances, while mechanobiology instructs students on how cells perceive and react to forces in their surroundings. “When students enroll in this course, they experience a rare blend of not only the essentials of mechanics but also pioneering research in biomechanics and mechanobiology,” Raman remarks.
Alongside Peter So, a professor of mechanical engineering, Raman co-instructs the course, which So emphasizes provides a practical application of foundational theories. “We discuss various applications and the significance of the core concepts,” he explains.
The duo recently updated the syllabus to include hands-on lab experiences through the campus BioMakers space and the Safety, Health, Environmental Discovery Lab (SHED) bioprinting facility. This revised strategy encourages students to “construct with biology” and observe how cells react to environmental forces in real-time, a change that seemed to be well-received from the outset, as the first offering achieved the course’s largest enrollment to date.
“Many principles in biomechanics and mechanobiology can be challenging to grasp because they occur at scales that are often beyond our visualization capabilities,” Raman points out. “Previously, we strived to communicate these concepts through images, videos, and formulas. The lab aspect introduces another level to our teaching techniques. We hope that students witnessing how living cells sense and respond to their environment enhances the retention and depth of their understanding.”
Makerspaces, distributed across the campus, provide tools and environments for MIT community members to innovate, prototype, and realize their ideas. The Institute houses over 40 design/build/project spaces featuring facilities for 3D printing, glassblowing, metal and wood crafting, and more. The BioMakers space invites students involved in practical bioengineering initiatives. SHED similarly utilizes cutting-edge technologies across various fields, including a new area dedicated to 3D bio-printing.
Kamakshi Subramanian, a Wellesley College student cross-registered at MIT, shares that she previously encountered a polymer model in a thermodynamics course but was unsure of its applications. Attending this class provided her with a renewed perspective. “I thought, ‘Why are we doing this?’ … but then I came here and realized, ‘Okay, thinking about entropy this way is truly beneficial.’”
Raman observes a unique energy and enthusiasm associated with lab experiences compared to traditional classroom settings. “It reminds me of going on field trips during elementary school,” she remarks, noting that the visible excitement in students during the initial offering motivated the instructors to further enhance lab opportunities in the subsequent edition.
Raman and So, joined this semester by Mark Bathe, a professor of biological engineering, express their intention to continue increasing the hands-on engagement within the course in the years to come.
Ayi Agboglo, a graduate student in Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology researching the physical traits of red blood cells relevant to sickle cell disease (SCD), mentions that his participation in the course exposed him to studies utilizing mathematical models to derive mechanical attributes of red blood cell (RBC) membranes in relation to SCD.
Agboglo, who works in Professor Cullen Buie’s lab at MIT and John Higgins’ lab at MGH, states, “I left [the class] not just with a deeper understanding of molecular mechanics but also with fundamental insights about thermodynamics and energy—knowledge I believe will be advantageous as a scientist overall.”
Aside from lab and lecture hours, students of 2.797/2.798 had the chance to collaborate with the Museum of Science, Boston, generating open-source educational materials about the relationship between mechanics and biology. These resources can now be found on the museum’s website.