In the fast-changing world of biotechnology, engineers need more than technical expertise — they need the ability to collaborate across disciplines, tackle complex problems, and define the challenges of tomorrow. That’s the mission of MIT’s class 20.051 (Introduction to NEET: Living Machines), a course within the New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) program.
The course offers undergraduates a sweeping introduction to the life sciences and biotech industry, equipping them with design, simulation, and experimental methods while fostering the interdisciplinary mindset needed for success. “Probably the most valuable aspect of 20.051,” says chemical-biological engineering major Grace Yang, “was the breadth of topics introduced. The life sciences/biotech industry is incredibly varied, but it’s sometimes hard to learn what the different paths are, especially if you’re just starting out. Being introduced to different fields — synthetic biology, immunology, etc. — definitely helps with exposure to different possibilities.”
Yang adds, “On the more technical side, there are skills like CAD or microfluidics design that I definitely wouldn’t have learned without the class.”
The School of Engineering launched the NEET program in 2017 to prepare undergraduates for the increasingly interdisciplinary environment of real-world work and research. Students start as sophomores in one of four areas of concentration or “threads” — Autonomous Machines, Climate and Sustainability Systems, Digital Cities, and Living Machines — and complete a three-year certificate program emphasizing hands-on learning and collaboration.
In the Living Machines thread, 20.051 stands out for helping students navigate and integrate insights from multiple disciplines. According to Mehdi Salek, a NEET lecturer and the course’s lead instructor, “The main objectives in designing 20.051 was to develop an interdisciplinary mindset and to equip students with essential engineering and communication skills for tackling challenges in biomedical engineering and biotechnology.”
Salek points out that mechanical engineering students, for instance, gain valuable opportunities to learn the language and foundational concepts of biology and chemistry. Meanwhile, students from life sciences disciplines expand their expertise by developing design and technical skills, creating a well-rounded, interdisciplinary learning experience.
The course introduces key topic design and fabrication methods, basic simulation techniques, problem-solving skills, and experimental design, says Salek, “all of which are critical for tackling complex biomedical challenges,” such as developing new treatment strategies to combat human disease.
“A hallmark of 20.051,” says Linda Griffith, the NEET Living Machines founding faculty lead and School of Engineering Professor of Teaching Innovation, is teaching students one of the most challenging skills: “mastering the art of problem definition.” “We guide them to ask critical questions, like: What is the state of the art in the field? What would represent a giant leap forward? Can a single step accelerate progress across the field? Are new engineering approaches the key to transformational change where tools are currently insufficient?”
“We provide students with a graphic apprenticeship in the problem definition process,” Griffith says, “and set them up to solve the problems in their research immersions if they wish.”
Biological engineering major Zixuan Liu says one way in which 20.051 stood out from other classes is in its emphasis on hands-on projects. Working on an interdisciplinary team that included a chemical-biological engineering major and a computer science and molecular biology major, Liu helped design a microfluidics device, or “organ on a chip.” Such devices generally use living cells or tissue that are combined with other living components or chemical agents to replicate and experiment with interactions that can occur in the body. Liu’s team designed a device to model bone marrow. Its intended function was to replicate hematopoiesis — the development and differentiation of blood cells — in a miniature, controlled environment.
Computer science and engineering major Danny Antonelli says that through his 20.051 microfluidics project — which was designed to grow pain neurons in a diabetic medium in order to simulate diabetic neuropathy — “we got experience with simulation software, literature review, design software, 3D printing, and bio lab work, none of which I had done in a class before. And that was just for one of our projects!”
Throughout the class, students have significant opportunities to network, connect with researchers in different disciplines, and become part of a diverse, interdisciplinary community. “The guest lecturers are often PIs [principal investigators] of different labs throughout MIT. It was really helpful to hear their research firsthand, and we had the chance to introduce ourselves after class,” Antonelli says.
This term, 20.051 students are collaborating with Griffith’s lab to investigate the role of Fusobacterium nucleatum in endometriosis, while other students are working with Bryan Bryson, the Phillip and Susan Ragon Career Development Professor in the Department of Biological Engineering, to address limitations in tuberculosis research. Bryson’s students are designing human microphysiological models to explore early infection responses, offering alternatives to traditional mouse models.
“The emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration, and exposure to emerging technologies, push students to develop new skills and expand their perspectives,” Salek says. “This helps them to gain confidence in their ability to navigate complex challenges, communicate effectively across fields and disciplines, and pursue innovative solutions, which has a lasting effect on their academic and professional growth.”
