Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Bernard Van Wie
Biosensors, Tissue Bioprocessing, and Novel Teaching Methods
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Dr. Bernard Van Wie is known for developing significant collaborations with other universities, national laboratories, and industry. His multi-disciplinary team involves members from the biological and physical sciences, mechanical and electrical engineering, the medical community, and individuals interested in integrating research and educational learning pedagogies.
Biosensing and bioprocessing
A primary focus of Dr. Van Wie and his group is the study of new and better biosensors and bioanalytical platforms. Since completing a sabbatical at the Naval Research Laboratory in 2000-01, he has begun a collaboration to create hand-held and rapid-sensing devices for identifying and quantifying minute concentrations of persistent toxins in lakes and streams, of metabolites in the human body for disease diagnosis, and of antibodies, other products, and metabolites in cell culture processes for understanding the immune response and cell differentiation.
In the cell culture arena, Dr. Van Wie is a co-inventor of a novel centrifugal bioreactor process which he describes as an extreme reactor. It operates at extreme cell densities up to 108 cells/mL for mammalian cells, extreme pressures up to 7 atm, and higher shears up to 0.5 dyne/cm2. The high cell density will allow researchers to make 100 times the amount of monoclonal antibody as created in the same footprint for a conventional bioreactor and also will allow the study of multiple reactors at different conditions in the same small space. This will be helpful in studies on growth and productivity, while the high densities will also provide close contact of cells, allowing study of immune response and other cell interaction-dependent events.
Novel teaching pedagogies
WSU is taking a new approach to addressing two fundamental problems—the wrong learning modality and lack of team-oriented learning—with traditional teaching methods. Dr. Van Wie has transformed the University’s course in chemical engineering, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, traditionally taught as a lecture class, into vibrant, cooperative, hands-on, active, problem-based learning (CHAPL) experiences. Among the results: with the former approach students would be least attentive by the end of a class; with the new approach they are performing at their peak, with appetites whetted for further and better understanding. Student grades are a full half-point scale higher and students report that what they are learning about learning is being applied to all of their other classes. Dr. Van Wie is seeking to implement the team learning strategy into a graduate research format and beginning to disseminate the process to other institutions.
Contact
Information
Bernard J. Van Wie, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Washington State University
PO Box 642710
Pullman, WA 99164-2710
Telephone: 509-335-4103
Fax: 509-335-4806
E-mail: bvanwie@che.wsu.edu
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