The OSU Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) – Based in the OSU Department of Mathematics, and in collaboration with the Department of Statistics, the MBI is the first center of its kind created by the National Science Foundation (NSF). A $10 million grant from the NSF initiated the Institute. The mission of the MBI, led by Avner Friedman, PhD, is to: develop mathematical theories, statistical methods and computational algorithms for solving fundamental problems in the biosciences; to involve mathematical scientists and bioscientists in the solutions of these problems; and to nurture a community of scholars through the education and support of students and researchers in mathematical biosciences. Institute partners include the following universities: Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, COSNet, Drexel, Florida State, Howard, Indiana-Purdue, Iowa State, Michigan State, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ohio, California at Irvine, Cincinnati, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland Baltimore County, Michigan, Minnesota and Vanderbilt.
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
“The discipline of biomedical engineering lies at the forefront of the medical revolution. Advances in biomedical engineering are accomplished through interdisciplinary activities that integrate the physical, chemical, mathematical and computational sciences with engineering principles to study biology, medicine and behavior.” (National Institutes of Health working definition of Biomedical Engineering, July 1997).
Directed by Richard Hart, PhD, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ohio State was established in 2005 following more than 30 years of biomedical engineering research housed in a multidisciplinary Center. Current studies include biomicroelectromechanical systems (bioMEMS), imaging, biomechanics, biomaterials and tissue engineering research directed primarily toward cardiovascular, orthopedic and vision applications. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology for cell transplants, microfabrication of biodegradable polymers for drug delivery, design of virtual bone dissection simulations, biomechanics of bone adaptation, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, corneal topography, and biocompatibility of novel implant materials are all studied in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Fifteen departmental faculty members in biomedical engineering, plus more than 60 participating faculty researchers, collaborate through the Department, providing extensive resources for research. Among these are researchers in Ohio State’s Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and the Ohio Nanotech West Laboratory, with multiple resources dedicated to bioMEMS. In addition to the technical and clinical research facilities across campus and at the Medical Center, research is also conducted at Columbus Children’s Hospital.
OSU Bionutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (BFSRI) – A one-of-a-kind research institute, the BFSRI integrates traditional nutrition study with contemporary biology. Linking agriculture, food systems and public health research programs, BFSRI encourages the study of dietary nutrition and genetic interactions to define risks for disease and to develop strategies for disease prevention.