also need to occur in order to ensure that the engineered tissues faithfully recapitulate the in vivo tissue microenvironment and exhibit appropriate mechanical properties. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] The community also needs to minimize the gap between current understanding of tissue remodeling and cellular behavior in vivo [24][25][26][27][28] and how this knowledge is applied to improve the performance and reliability of TE products. Technologies also need to be developed to effectively preserve manufactured tissues and achieve consistent manufacturing outcomes. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] Moreover, the inherent complexity of TE products has significantly muddied the regulatory process for these products, and companies and regulators often do not know which regulatory pathways would be applicable. For Tissue Engineering

Laboratory instruction is a core component of the training of chemical engineers. The hands-on experiences in the laboratory are designed to facilitate the development of critical analytical skills, establish links between theory and reality, and develop transferrable skills. In the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the senior laboratory course was designed using a Problem-Based Laboratory (PBL) approach to shift part of the responsibility for the learning experience from the instructor to the students, with the aim to improve learning outcomes. In this course, student teams perform 10-week open-ended labs in which they design and execute unique experimental plans to address industrially relevant problem statements. This course leverages student autonomy and ownership of their work, the flexibility of deliverables, and low-stakes opportunities to make and fix mistakes to increase student engagement, which in turn facilitates the development of critical thinking and decision-making skills and increases student confidence in their engineering abilities. This paper synthesizes student feedback, performance data, instructor observations, and logistical experiences over several iterations of this course to identify the key elements required for the successful implementation of PBL instruction. The rationale for this shift in pedagogical approaches, the pedagogical grounding underpinning this design, the basic course structure and its reception by students, and the main challenges of this type of course implementation in chemical engineering are also presented.

Although effects of biochemical modulation of stem cells have been widely investigated, only recent advances have been made in the identification of mechanical conditioning on cell signaling pathways. Experimental investigations quantifying the micromechanical environment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are challenging while computational approaches can predict their behavior due to in vitro stimulations. This study introduces a 3D cell-specific finite element model simulating large deformations of MSCs. Here emphasizing cell mechanical modulation which represents the most challenging multiphysics phenomena in sub-cellular level, we focused on an approach attempting to elicit unique responses of a cell under fluid flow. Fluorescent staining of MSCs was performed in order to visualize the MSC morphology and develop a geometrically accurate model of it based on a confocal 3D image. We developed a 3D model of a cell fixed in a microchannel under fluid flow and then solved the numerical model by fluid-structure interactions method. By imposing flow characteristics representative of vigorous in vitro conditions, the model predicts that the employed external flow induces significant localized effective stress in the nucleo-cytoplasmic interface and average cell deformation of about 40%. Moreover, it can be concluded that a lower strain level is made in the cell by the oscillatory flow as compared with steady flow, while same ranges of effective stress are recorded inside the cell in both conditions. The deeper understanding provided by this study is beneficial for better design of single cell in vitro studies.

Students in the 4th year laboratory course in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE) at UBC perform multi-week problem-based laboratories (PBL). Open-ended industrially-relevant problem statements are provided as context, but teams are not bound by them and can choose alternative problems according to their interests. Operating instructions for equipment are provided, but students must develop their own experimental designs and data collection and analysis protocols. TA involvement is greatly reduced compared to previous courses to promote independence and self-reliance. In previous work, students indicated that this approach helped them develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and increased their confidence in their engineering abilities. Anecdotal evidence and an analysis of the survey data in that study suggest that one possible reason for the benefits outlined above stem from students’ imposed self-reliance and ownership of their work, coupled with a freedom to experiment with no consequences for failure.       To explore this question, a questionnaire was sent to the current cohort of students, asking them to qualify their enjoyment of the course (level of enjoyment, workload, perceived relevance), the effectiveness of the course (perceived knowledge and skill development), as well as their perceived level of agency in the course (perceived freedom and autonomy regarding content and research direction). Students were then invited to a focus group to further elaborate on the course and reflect on their overall experience during the undergraduate studies, whether they felt they had agency or ownership during their studies, and whether they believe problem-based learning should be implemented in other courses earlier on in the program. Responses were thematically analyzed, and are presented in this paper.