Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged

Does the future of bioengineering lie in models or experiments? The long-standing debate on how and how much experimental and theoretical research in our field should cooperate can shape the future. This debate means often a choice, early in the bioengineer’s career. A bioengineer may prefer to addr...

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Main Author: Malandrino, Andrea
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Frontiers Research Foundation 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101718
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-0951
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author Malandrino, Andrea
author2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
author_facet Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Malandrino, Andrea
author_sort Malandrino, Andrea
collection MIT
description Does the future of bioengineering lie in models or experiments? The long-standing debate on how and how much experimental and theoretical research in our field should cooperate can shape the future. This debate means often a choice, early in the bioengineer’s career. A bioengineer may prefer to address scientific questions based on experimental tests, or on computational and theoretical analyses. This fundamental choice can drive the future bioengineer’s mindset. Unsurprisingly, laboratories and researchers often assemble in separate, competitive teams. Indeed, the way bioengineers tackle a question is shaped by the characteristic techniques – experimental, theoretical, and computational – they are trained for. Here, without neglecting the obvious advantages of specializing exclusively in experimental, or theoretical and computational studies, I advocate a way of doing synergistic research that combine different approaches. Moreover, I believe that bioengineering desperately needs synergy and cooperation to pave the way for significant discoveries. We need efforts to train a new generation of biomedical engineers: individuals who take advantage of these synergies, who design projects accordingly, and who make these approaches work cooperatively.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1017182022-10-01T09:39:36Z Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged Malandrino, Andrea Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Malandrino, Andrea Does the future of bioengineering lie in models or experiments? The long-standing debate on how and how much experimental and theoretical research in our field should cooperate can shape the future. This debate means often a choice, early in the bioengineer’s career. A bioengineer may prefer to address scientific questions based on experimental tests, or on computational and theoretical analyses. This fundamental choice can drive the future bioengineer’s mindset. Unsurprisingly, laboratories and researchers often assemble in separate, competitive teams. Indeed, the way bioengineers tackle a question is shaped by the characteristic techniques – experimental, theoretical, and computational – they are trained for. Here, without neglecting the obvious advantages of specializing exclusively in experimental, or theoretical and computational studies, I advocate a way of doing synergistic research that combine different approaches. Moreover, I believe that bioengineering desperately needs synergy and cooperation to pave the way for significant discoveries. We need efforts to train a new generation of biomedical engineers: individuals who take advantage of these synergies, who design projects accordingly, and who make these approaches work cooperatively. Seventh Framework Programme (European Commission) (Marie Sklodowska-Curie International Outgoing Fellowship Grant PIOF-GA-2013-625500) 2016-03-16T16:32:27Z 2016-03-16T16:32:27Z 2016-01 2015-10 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2296-4185 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101718 Malandrino, Andrea. “Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged.” Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 3 (January 11, 2016). https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-0951 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2015.00207 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology Creative Commons Attribution http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ application/pdf Frontiers Research Foundation Frontiers Research Foundation
spellingShingle Malandrino, Andrea
Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title_full Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title_fullStr Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title_full_unstemmed Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title_short Models and Experiments in Bioengineering: Why Synergies Are Encouraged
title_sort models and experiments in bioengineering why synergies are encouraged
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101718
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-0951
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