The Department of Biomedical Engineering & Environmental Sciences (BMES) of Tsing-Hua University is the youngest department in National Tsing-Hua University, and it has also maintained the most traditional features. BMES was formerly known as the Department of Atomic Sciences, which was itself preceded by the Institute of Atomic Sciences, which was the very first department established by Tsing-Hua University after its resumption in Taiwan.
BMES is a well-established institution in Taiwan that focuses on the field of biomedical engineering. BMES strives to maintain the traditional strengths while also pioneering new advancements in leading position to strengthen interdisciplinary characteristics. Since the first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Wilhelm Röntgen for the discovery of X-rays, the field of medical physics, health physics, and nuclear medicine has been developed and has officially opened up the era of biomedical engineering. In the early stages of BMES, basic physics was the cornerstone and was applied to cutting-edge research and clinical applications in the field of atomic science in medical diagnosis and treatment. With the current trend towards intelligent healthcare, precision medicine, and global environmental change, the biomedical engineering and environmental science industries have flourished, BMES highlights the importance of interdisciplinary academic expertise and research and development direction, while also meeting industry demand for talent cultivation.
Therefore, BMES continues the strong foundation of basic science education for the fields "Biomedical Engineering Science" and "Environmental Molecular Science" following from the Department of Atomic Science. As shown in Figure 1, BMES mainly bases on the foundations of physics and chemistry, and applied to interdisciplinary sciences of biology, medicine, and the environment. In addition, BMES incorporates engineering thinking, core technology implementation, and problem-solving skills training to concentrate on investigating significant issues in biomedicine and the environment, while also promoting precision medicine. BMES aims to cultivate future leaders inthebiomedicalengineeringfieldwithinterdisciplinary engineeringtechnologyintegrationabilities,and to promote the upgrading of national biomedical and environmental industries and strengthen research and development capabilities.
"Biomedical Engineering Science" Field
The field of biomedical engineering mainly focuses on two important division: "Molecular Biomedical Engineering and Materials" and "Biomedical Imaging Engineering". BMES has interdisciplinary faculty members who have the capability for interdisciplinary collaboration and integration in teaching and research, aiming to cultivate intelligent biomedical engineering talents. BMES offers basic and applied courses in biomedical engineering to implement interdisciplinary education in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, and medicine, and integrate the relevant courses learned in biomedical engineering for applying these knowledges to important forward- looking issues in clinical medicine.
Division of "Molecular Biomedical Engineering and Materials":
Combined with research in medicinal chemistry, drug targeting and release, immunotherapy, and gene and cellular tissue engineering for tumor treatment, preventive medicine, and regenerative medicine in clinical settings. Additionally, nanobiophotonics and molecular sensing technologies are also developed and integrated with pharmacology, toxicology, and epidemiology to achieve disease detection, treatment tracking, and prevention.
Division of "Biomedical Imaging Engineering":
Develop high-precision medical devices and instruments for sensing, diagnosis, and treatment, using techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, ultrasound,super-resolution microscopy, photoacoustic imaging, artificial intelligence, and electronic circuits. In addition to the design and development of medical devices and instruments, advanced research is also conducted by integrating drug release, animal disease/organ chip models, and pharmacokinetics to develop advanced medical imaging methods and medical sensing technologies.
"Environmental Molecular Science" Field
C. Division of "Environmental Molecular Science":
Focuses primarily on three main themes: "analytical chemistry," "ecology and health," and "green technology," aiming to provide a molecular-level technology that integrates quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches to study the distribution and reaction characteristics of various substances in the environment. Different from traditional environmental engineering that focuses on developing pollution prevention and treatment technologies, and environmental science that studies environmental problems from a macro perspective. This division mainly focuses on studying the microscopic changes and reaction characteristics of various substances between chemical substances and various interfaces. To meet the development and application of micro-reaction exploration technology, the use of nano- and ultra-trace analysis principles are emphasized as the basis, and novel ultra-trace analysis technology is used to study the physical, chemical, and biological reaction changes of various substances in the environment, combined with practical applications of green chemistry and sustainable development, to develop novel technologies and environmental applications for pollution prevention and clean technology.
