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DBE – Discover Biological Engineering

How can we improve our strategies to treat cancer? How can we manipulate organisms to solve global problems in sustainability? How do we model cellular data to understand disease?

All of these questions can be answered with Biological Engineering. Biological Engineering is an up-and-coming discipline both at MIT and in the world. With the skills learned in this field, you can utilize biology to engineer practically anything. Through the curriculum you can learn how drugs like Tylenol work in your body, use CRISPRi to manipulate e. coli, build microscopes, and work with stem cells!

But now you’re wondering…. how do I get started?!?!

You should consider Discovering Bioengineering (DBE) at MIT!

The Department of Biological Engineering was founded in 1998 with the mission of defining and establishing a new discipline fusing molecular life sciences with engineering. The goal of this biological engineering discipline is to advance fundamental understanding of how biological systems operate and to develop effective biology-based technologies for applications across a wide spectrum of societal needs including breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, in design of novel materials, devices, and processes, and in enhancing environmental health. Our pre-orientation program serves to help YOU explore the field. This unique opportunity will allow you to learn about ground-breaking research, therapies, and industries while also providing you with hands-on experience and an early introduction to MIT and Boston.

What Will We Do?

We will be exploring biological engineering in the classroom, through research, and in the industry. We will participate in some of these exciting events:

  • Perform hands-on experiments in BE labs: such as bacterial transformation/manipulations and building a microscope from scratch!
  • Visit BE labs and learning about new processes: such as the Langer Lab and the Lauffenburger Lab, etc.
  • Discover and tour BE start-up companies, such as Gingo-Bioworks and Lab Central and meeting with their founders
  • Listen to speakers from the BE faculty on current research: tissue engineering, siRNA, and nanotechnology are only a small part of cutting edge research at MIT.
  • Learning about the major and gain advice from current students.
  • Meet with BE faculty and discussing your future goals at MIT.
  • Explore Boston, Cambridge, and the MIT campus with your fantastic counselors: via dinners out, movies, and fun outings like bowling or karaoke!
  • Gaining 23 new first-year friends!

Over the course of four days, you will be touring, exploring, and learning about current and past biological engineering research and developments. You will even be able to participate in labs constructed to introduce you to the field. You will also explore the surrounding area with industry tours, dinners out, and fun activities in Boston!

Be part of something new!

Not only is Biological Engineering a new major at MIT, but this is the 7th year that the Department of Biological Engineering will be offering a pre-orientation program. We strongly welcome and encourage your comments, suggestions, and feedback. If there is a biological engineering question you would like to explore, let us know! Be a part of a new program full of education and FUN experiences!

DBE Specifics

  • Dates: Tuesday, August 22- Sunday, August 27, 2023
  • Available spaces: 24
  • Cost: $50