Course Title: MicroNanoFluidics

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: MicroNanoFluidics

Credit Points: 12.00

Course Coordinator: Professor Leslie Yeo

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2596

Course Coordinator Email: leslie.yeo@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 12.07.16C

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

To be enrolled in the course, it is assumed that you have completed a course in in Introductory Fluid Mechanics (MIET2095, MIET2422, PROC2097 or equivalent) and Advanced Mathematics, including Vector Calculus and Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (MATH2117 or equivalent). These are not enforced pre-requisites.

Course Description

Microfluidics and nanofluidics entails the science of manipulating and controlling fluids and particles at micron and submicron dimensions and the technology associated with the development of methods and devices to exploit this for a wide range of applications from point-of-care diagnostics to high throughput drug screening and gene sequencing, amongst others. In this course, you will explore the fundamental theories underpinning the physics of liquid and particle transport at these scales, and their applications to various biotechnological applications such as those indicated above. In particular, the course will focus on several enabling microfluidic and nanofluidics technologies such as electrokinetics, optofluidics and acoustics.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for MC206 Master of Engineering (Micro-Nano Engineering):
1. High levels of technical competence in the field, and
2. Be able to apply a systematic design approach to engineering projects and have strong design skills in the chosen discipline specialisation.

The objective of this course is to provide you with the skills to develop models for analysing biological and physiological transport processes. On completion of this course, you should be able to
1. Appreciate the use of microfluidic and nanofluidic devices for a range of applications across medicine, pharmaceutics, defence and energy,
2. Describe/model the physical behaviour of fluids and particle at the micron and nanometer length scales through continuum and molecular theories,
3. Describe various fluid and particle transport mechanisms in micro/nano channels or devices, and,
4. Design practical microfluidic and nanofluidic devices for various biotechnological applications.

Overview of Learning Activities

You will undertake the following learning activities:
• Formal lectures and large group tutorials
• Discussions guided by audio-visual material via Blackboard
• Self-directed learning material via Blackboard

Overview of Learning Resources

Learning resources in this course include lecture notes, handouts, problem sheets, references on selected topics and web based learning materials. All resources are made available through myRMIT.
Textbooks and other readings for the course are available in the library.

Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

Assessment tasks

Assessment Task 1: Assignment
Weighting 30%
This assessment task supports CLO 1

Assessment Task 2: Tutorial worksheets
Weighting 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 2, 3 & 4
 

Assessment Task 3: Examination
Weighting 50%
This assessment supports CLOs 2, 3 & 4