BIOENG 11 - Engineering Molecules 1 (3 unit)


Course Overview

Summary

This course focuses on providing students with a foundation in organic chemistry and biochemistry needed to understand contemporary problems in synthetic biology, biomaterials and computational biology.


Offered Time

  • Spring semesters only

    • Prerequisites

  • CHEM 3A

    • What's next?

    Although this course is listed as a prerequisite for most upper-division bioengineering classes, students often take those upper-division classes without having completed it.

  • BIOENG 103


    • Choosing the course

    What concentration is this course relevant to?

  • Biomedical Devices
  • Biomedical Imaging
  • Cell & Tissue Engineering
  • Computational & Synthetic Biology

    • Topics covered

    • Organic Chemistry
      • Introduction to organic reactions
      • Biological applications of hemiacetals and pi conjugated systems.
      • Electron Delocalization and conjugation, applications for fluorescence imaging
      • Acidity, basicity and pKa, applications of pKa in endosomal disruption
      • Nucleophilic substitution at the carbonyl group and biological applications for drug delivery.
    • Biochemistry
      • Life - Applied Chemistry.
      • Chemical Structure through Central Dogma (DNA, RNA, amino acids, and proteins). How the structures of life’s biomolecules enable the properties of their polymers.
      • Glycolysis as an example of various enzymes and their mechanisms. How enzymes work.
      • Protein biosynthesis and regulation.

    When should I take the course?

    Most students take BIOENG 11 during their sophomore year, while a few take it during their freshman or junior years. It is highly recommended that students complete CHEM 3A before enrolling in BIOENG 11.

    Most bioengineering students take CHEM 3A in the spring semester of their freshman year. Some choose to take it during the summer between their first and second years, or in the fall of their sophomore year.

    For students on the pre-med track, it is advisable to take CHEM 3A in the spring of freshman year and CHEM 3B in the fall of sophomore year.

    For those not pursuing pre-med, taking CHEM 3A in the fall of sophomore year is recommended so the material is fresher when needed for BIOENG 11.


    Workload and Tips

    What is the workload and exam diffculty?

    There is no curve in this class; grades are assigned strictly based on fixed grade bins, which do not change throughout the semester. The course does not include labs or projects. Both the midterms and the final exam are fair and drawn directly from the lecture slides (Dueber). The overall time commitment is minimal, but careful review of the slides is essential for exam preparation. Homework is assigned weekly and graded on completion, though the questions are not strongly connected to exam content.

    The course includes two midterms and one cumulative final: the first midterm covers organic chemistry, the second covers biochemistry, and the final exam is comprehensive.


    What practical skills (for research/internship) can you gain from the class?

  • This class provides a solid introduction to both organic chemistry and biochemistry. It also offers useful insight if you are considering the Computational & Synthetic Biology track. As one student put it: “In BIOENG 11, you either review material you’ve already seen (CHEM 3A) or get an early preview of topics you’ll explore in more depth later (MCB 100A/102).”

    • Tips from students who have taken the class

  • Taking CHEM 3B before BIOENG 11 is considered especially helpful. For exam preparation, treat Professor Dueber’s lecture slides as your primary resource—the “bible” for the course.