Importance of Biology for Engineers:

A Case Study

Chinmaya Panda , R. Shreya, and Lalit M. Pandey

Abstract The field of biological sciences has grown multitude in the past decade
to address real-life challenges and industrial innovations to cater to the needs of
society. Different biological phenomena can be approximated in terms of physical
processes of mechanical work, electrical signals, and chemical energy. Considering
the immense importance that biology and life-sciences hold for humankind, simpli-
fication of complex biological phenomena is a must for imparting greater under-
standing to multidisciplinary researchers. Therefore, many Universities have diver-
sified their undergraduate bioscience program to include interdisciplinary courses
focusing on biomechanics, bioinformatics, nanobiotechnology, and many more.
Together with the study aspect, research is also being conducted in the diverse
research areas of biotechnology. Keeping sustainability and co-existence in mind,
students and engineers should be trained to initiate better innovations and contribute
their ideas for protecting the ecosystem around them.

Keywords Biological sciences · Bioengineering · Biotechnology · Case study

1 Introduction

Biological sciences is the umbrella term encompassing a wide array of interrelated

fields, including anatomy, botany, zoology, microbiology, ecology, epidemiology,
agronomy, and others. The field has grown multitude in the past decade to address
the real-life challenges and industrial innovations, including bio-inspired design

C. Panda · R. Shreya · L. M. Pandey (B)

Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam,
India
e-mail: lalitpandey@iitg.ac.in
C. Panda
e-mail: c.panda@iitg.ac.in
R. Shreya
e-mail: shreya.r@iitg.ac.in

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 97
H. B. Kaushik et al. (eds.), Trends in Teaching-Learning Technologies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4874-1_8
98 C. Panda et al.

strategies for the overall well-being of the society, such as bio-inspired-prosthetics,

biomaterials, biocomputing, bio-robotics, to name a few [1]. The intricate way of
synchrony of billions of cells of complex organisms in a time-dependent manner
with the interwoven nature of the metabolic processes and the complex interaction
among organs and tissues have intrigued researchers across diverse disciplines
[2]. Considering the immense importance that biology and life-sciences hold for
humankind, simplification of complex biological phenomena is a must for imparting
greater understanding to multidisciplinary researchers from the varied fields of
science and engineering. Keeping in mind the impending biological revolution that is
expected to be led by interdisciplinary researchers, the engineering undergraduates
need to be exposed to the basics of biology to make them realize the engineering
aspect of biological processes. This would enable them to implement their ideas for
solving various problems in biology.
Different biological phenomena can be approximated in terms of simple physical
processes. The filament formation process of the muscle system and the expansion of
the building blocks of 3D biopolymers can be considered equivalent to the mechan-
ical work done. Similarly, the neurotransmission across a synapse is a simple example
of electrical work, as it involves the polarization of neurons. Furthermore, enzyme-
catalyzed reactions and anabolic/catabolic processes could be considered biochem-
ical work. Taking inspiration from the biological processes, several biomimetic
devices have been developed for self-healing, drug delivery, bio-sensing, super-
hydrophobic surface fabrication, neural computers, and organ-on-chips, as briefly
depicted in Fig. 1. For accelerating the lifesaving drug discovery process, novel
microfluidics chamber-based nano-devices have been employed in parallel to the
rigorous animal testing procedure [3]. Nanotechnology has been described to imple-
ment many point-of-care devices and in-vitro diagnostics for immunoassays, anthrax
toxin detection, blood sugar detection, and in recent the SARS-COV-2 virus detection
[4]. Biomimetic devices have been employed in the fields of trace metal-induced toxi-
city detection in food items, blood glucose level detection, soil contamination, biore-
mediation, agricultural biopesticides, forensics, energy production, pharmaceuticals,
gene editing, pest control, pollution control, and many more [5].

2 Bio-inspired Design Strategies

2.1 Biomimetic Devices

Inspired by nature, many new devices have been modeled to quench human needs
at the nano and macro scale. Mimicking the beauty of nature, many innovative
inventions have been developed, which continues to be a booming area in biology.
Many such models include the development of super-hydrophobic surface cleaners
inspired by lotus leaves, and swimming dresses [6]. Many models implement
strategies inspired by sharkskin, neural computers, adherent suits by lizards feet
structure, self-healing materials, etc. It is, however, complicated to put these ideas to
Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 99

Implementation
Engineering Ideas Biological Process (a). Drug delivery
1. Mechanical Work (i). Muscle Assembly (b). Bioprosthetics
2. Electronic system (ii). Signal Transduction (c). Biosensors
3. Electrical Signal (iii). Neurotransmission (d). Biopesticides
4. Chemical Energy (iv). Enzyme catalysis (e). Organ-on-Chip
(f). Universal Health
Record

Fig. 1 Engineering ideas being approximated in relation to biological processes and their
implementation for the society

use unless thorough knowledge of biology exists. Electrical engineers have played
a significant role in circuit design that produce current pulses to depolarize and
activate neurons in the retinal network to trigger neural activity in a blind person.

2.2 Biosensors

Detection of a particular molecule in a mixture has become more precise and accu-
rate with the help of biosensors. In the era of quick and precise detection systems,
bionanotechnolgy has become a boon to point-of-care system development. Biosen-
sors have been extensively used in the quality control boards in measuring the purity
of the sample, ensuring that only chemical safe and feasible products are available
to the customers. The principle of biosensors works on the interaction between the
analyte molecule and the enzyme that helps in accurate quantification [7]. With a
combined knowledge of biology and electronics, it could be an added advantage in
the production of an effective biosensor.
DNA detection from the crime site has been used extensively for paternity testing.
DNA chips or microarrays have been used for identifying DNA specific to a particular
probe. This technology has developed further only during the last 40 years after the
production and involvement of fluorescent-based detection for the quantitation of
DNA. Genomics and bioinformatics techniques have enabled easier development of
personalized precision medicine, lead selection, and computer-aided drug discovery.

2.3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and DNA Fingerprinting

The use of AI, together with mathematical modeling, molecular dynamics simula-
tions, and new scientific breakthroughs has provided a cross-cutting technology to
take biology to the next dimension of understanding. It has been made easy for data
100 C. Panda et al.

collection, analysis, and further study through predictive modeling by mimicking

natural environments through computer simulations. We can now analyze how
proteins fold or unfold according to their native phases in real time with the use of AI
[8]. Similarly, DNA fingerprinting has propelled the forensic science to detect a crime
suspect based on the isolated DNA from the crime site. It is also possible to identify
the compatibility between recipient and donor during organ transplants. Through this,
we are able to prove the validity of a fact that could otherwise not have any proof.
Biorobotics integrates biology with mechanical-biomedical engineering, robotics,
and cybernetics to provide biomimetic devices. In addition to the aforementioned
inventions, the field of bio-robotics, biopolymers, scaffold design, biochips, biopes-
ticides, retinal prosthetics, and nanoparticles have also received major breakthroughs
through the use of biology-integrated strategies.
The extensive research carried out in these disciplines has ultimately led to the
betterment of healthcare and well-being of humans. Thus the use of engineering to
model biological systems has made our lives easier and understandable. It is correct
to say that integrating biology and engineering has come to the rescue of our biolog-
ical fallibilities and is a boon to the ever going problems associated with humans and
the environment. The unavailability of technical skills hampers the understanding
interface between biology and engineering. Even with this understanding, tweaking
engineering principles to mimic the biological ideas sometimes seem arduous to
implement. Another reason could also be the lack of interest among engineers to
devote time to understand biological concepts as a part of their curriculum. Acknowl-
edging the concepts of biology will provoke a holistic development of more useful
bio-inspired engineering solutions for the benefit of humankind.

3 Biological Education and Research Systems

in North-East India

Universities across the globe have diversified their undergraduate programs in biolog-
ical engineering to include interdisciplinary courses such as biomedical studies,
bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, DNA fingerprinting, neural networking,
nanobiotechnology, nanofluidics, and many more as shown in Fig. 2. With an overall
goal of attracting like-minded enthusiast students, such real-world application-
oriented programs could be a boon to society [9]. Compared to the rest of the country,
North-East India has limited yet prominent institutes focused on research in the inter-
disciplinary aspects of biology. Northeastern Regional institutes offer masters and
doctorate programs in bioinformatics, and pharmacology along with allied research
on chemoinformatics. In addition, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwa-
hati, Assam, houses the biosciences and bioengineering department, providing UG/
PG education programs focusing on the multidisciplinary angle of biotechnology.
Together with the study aspect, research is also being conducted in diverse research
areas of nanobiotechnology, environmental sciences, healthcare sciences, system
biology, nanomaterials, and biochemistry. Further, as an initiative to cater to the
Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 101

needs of scientists and engineers, centers have been set up at IIT Guwahati with
a vision to enhance research and innovation in the field of biological sciences and
healthcare engineering in the northeast region.
In addition to the above initiatives at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, many
online courses are also being made available. NPTEL and Swayam courses as funded
by MHRD, Govt. of India, offer diverse courses in the fields of science and engi-
neering. These courses are open to all groups of individuals from students, faculty
to industry experts across different disciplines. Many basic-level courses are offered
in biology that the engineering students could enroll in order to get a better insight
into the fundamentals of biology. IIT Guwahati also offers courses like the basics of
biology covering the origin of life, ecology, physiology, cell biology, and biological
systems. Any engineer, irrespective of the parent discipline might consider using
multidisciplinary skills in biology toward designing/improving biological systems
in the future. Such courses convey the essentials of cell and molecular biology to
provide a framework for more specific understanding, and contribution to the biolog-
ical revolution. Diverse concepts of gene cloning, genetics, developmental biology,
evolution, and proteomics have also been discussed in other relevant courses. These
courses explain how engineers and clinicians could collaborate effectively to solve
a range of societal problems.

Sustainable
Agriculture
Application- Alternate
oriented Renewable
Education Energy

Forensics & Bioengineering

Pharmaceuticals & Climate

Biomedical
Bioremediation
Engineering

Prosthetics &
Nano Drug Biosensors
Delivery
Bioinformatics
& AI

Fig. 2 Focus areas of bioengineering for the cause of well-being and sustainability
102 C. Panda et al.

4 Case Study and Analysis

4.1 Study Design

A data survey analysis was conducted across a varied group of individuals (n =

126) having obtained graduate, postgraduate, doctorate and post-doctorate degree,
and working professionals from disciplines across biosciences and bioengineering
(life-sciences), to mechanical, civil, chemical, electrical, environmental engineering,
nanotechnology, and social sciences. The participants included were from different
parts of the country. The survey was meant for engineers regarding their interest and
history of studying biology conducted on the Google Forms platform. The questions
included the participant’s history of having biology or allied life-science subjects
during their secondary or senior secondary level. Other questions also focused on
their general idea about life-sciences and their overall interest in the subject. Though
the sample size is small, yet it includes participants from diverse disciplines, profes-
sions, locations, and the highest degree obtained. Therefore, it might not affect the
conclusion drawn. However, more data points would have provided better results.

4.2 Observations

Out of the total population surveyed, 66.7% of individuals were students, with more
than 65% from non-life-sciences (biotechnology) backgrounds, as indicated in Fig. 3.
Around 95.2% of the participants have studied basic biology during their class X
(10th) in their secondary school. However, the number dropped only to 43.7% in the
higher secondary school, as shown in Fig. 4a. Around 21.4% of the participants have
not opted for mathematics in their class XII (12th). An equal percentage of partici-
pants had studied both mathematics and biology during their XII. This data indicates
that students have majorly diverted toward studying mathematics over biology, which
accounts for up to 57.1% (Fig. 4d). The main reason for this diversion could be the
limited number of seats, high competition, and the craze for engineering among
peers. It could also be associated with difficulty in understanding the concepts in-
depth. Based on the data obtained, 27% of the participants felt that they were more
interested in learning mathematics than biology. However, around 38% of individuals
felt the subjects were lengthy, or the curriculum not to be appropriately designed.
Despite this drastic difference in priority, more than 88.1% of the participants still
find biology to be interesting.
Excluding those participants who have chosen biology or biotechnology for their
graduate studies, a vast majority of the others have not studied any subject related
to biology in their undergraduate level. Such a statistical data indicates that Univer-
sities across India have not considered including subjects related to biology in their
curriculum for the undergraduates. There might be certain exceptions, but still, it
shows a lack of interdisciplinary education for engineers. A significant number of
Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 103

A. Profession of the participants surveyed

33%

67%

B. Discipline of the participants surveyed

34%

66%

C. Highest degree of the participants

surveyed

2%
29% 33%

36%

Fig. 3 Profession, discipline, and academic degree of the participants surveyed

104 C. Panda et al.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Participant's interest towards learning biology

39%
33%

22%

2% 4%

(d)
Participant's history of exposure to biology during higher
secondary level education

21%

57%
22%
 Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 105

◄Fig. 4 a Exposure to biology during secondary education level. b The major output of the survey
indicating the interest in interdisciplinary research, feasibility of a short-term non-degree course, and
the applicability of life-sciences in future. c The overall interest of the participant toward learning
biology. d Participant’s history of learning biology and mathematics during higher secondary (class
12th) education level

participants (over 82.5%) are interested in pursuing research activities in interdisci-

plinary areas of biology, if given a chance (Fig. 4b). It should be noted here that the
lack of opportunity to take courses related to biology narrows down their scope of
research activities.
Around 60.3% of the participants have agreed that biology-related subjects
must be included in the regular curriculum for engineers, with another 34% of
the participants answering maybe to this question (Fig. 5b). This data is indica-
tive of the general interests of the vast majority of the students to take up and
study biology. Considering the overall interest in biology-related subjects, a lack
of proper curriculum in engineering would deprive the students of their oppor-
tunity to explore biology and understand the nuances of the interdisciplinary
research. Participants have provided their interest in varied fields of biology like
computational biology (comparative genomics, bioinformatics, computer-aided drug
design), molecular biology (cell biology, nucleotide biology, neuroscience), physical
biology (biophysics, protein folding, energy dynamics), chemical biology (biochem-
istry, synthetic biology, pharmaco-modeling), bioengineering (nanobiotechnology,
drug delivery, carrier-drug loading, immune rejection of biomaterials), genetics,
astrophysics, environmental biology, to name a few.
An initiative to make biology and allied courses attractive to engineers, short-
term diploma/non-degree courses in biology-related subjects could be offered by
esteemed institutions. A massive open online course (MOOC) in this topic could
also be a viable alternative to reach higher number of students. From our survey, it is
indicative that 64.3% of the participants support the feasibility of such a short-term
course, with 27% being unsure about it. However, totaling the interest of all, over
90% of the participants are captivated by the idea of introducing a short-term course
(Fig. 4b). Such a program can be an incubation program that would bridge up the
basics of biology and the ongoing research. It would be motivating for many students
to decide on taking up biology as a career field and pursue interdisciplinary research
and development. A dominant percent of over 98.4% of the population feels biology
would be useful for their future in all walks of life. Citing the example of the current
covid-19 pandemic, drastic changes in healthcare and understanding of the biology
of the disease have arisen. Only under such difficult circumstances the importance
of understanding biology has been felt. Around 90% of the people surveyed feel a
prior knowledge of biology and diseases would have helped them overcome the fear
of the pandemic and would have given them an insight into how to tackle the tough
times by maintaining hygiene (Fig. 4b).
106 C. Panda et al.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)
 Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 107

◄Fig. 5 a Answer to the question about the helpfulness of biology in the future to all the participants,
when compared to their biology-focused educational background, and their interest in interdisci-
plinary approach. b Answer to the question about the inclusion of life-science-related subjects in
the engineering curriculum. c Answer to the question for the feasibility of a short-term professional-
non-degree course on life-science-related topic(s) for engineers. d About 76% of bachelor’s and
master’s, along with 83% of the doctorate students favor the inclusion of a short-term professional
course covering the life-science-related topic(s). In all the images, the first groups are considered
as groups for comparison. Here all the responses are considered as the sample space. * p < 0.05, **
p < 0.01, ns: non-significant

4.3 Statistical Analysis

Further analysis was performed from the data input by all the participants using
the GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA), and values were
represented as the arithmetic means ± SEM. Assuming the residual distribution to be
Gaussian, one-way ANOVA was performed. For this analysis, Brown-Forsythe and
Welch ANOVA test was performed followed by Dunnett’s T3 multiple comparison
for inter-group differences. Statistical significance was set at 95% confidence interval
with p values set as */# ≤ 0.05, **/## ≤ 0.01.
Considering the answers to the questions of “inclusion of life-science-related
subjects in engineering curriculum,” and “feasibility of a short-term professional-
non-degree course on life-science-related topic(s)” as the major outcomes of the
study, a correlation between the educational background, discipline, and partici-
pant’s opinion about life-sciences and interdisciplinary approach can be approxi-
mated. Moreover, on basis of profession (as working professionals) or education level
(masters, bachelor, or doctorate), separate group-wise analysis can also be performed.
Around 76% of bachelors, and masters students were in favor of including a short-
term professional course covering the life-science-related topic(s). The number
stands at 83% for doctoral students (Fig. 5d). There could be a strong correlation
between the interdisciplinary approach and participants’ opinions favoring the inclu-
sion of diverse short-term courses. This trend is observed in the case of masters and
doctoral students, whereas out of the 17% of participants who favored traditional
domain-focused research belonged mostly to the bachelor’s student group. Prob-
ably working professionals favored the inclusion of short courses (online or offline),
which were deemed essential for their skill development (Fig. 6d). Even with the
group having no life-sciences background, a strong interest in biological science-
related research was observed with over 60% of the participants from this group
supporting such a bridging course for engineers (Fig. 6b). Furthermore, Pearson’s
correlation coefficient for all observation groups was calculated with a two-tailed p-
value approach by keeping the confidence interval at 99%. The values in the form of
a matrix are provided in Table 1. There exists a negative observable pattern (negative
correlation) of −0.03 between the feasibility of a short-term course and the partici-
pants having biology in their class X. It should be kept in mind that with a negative
108 C. Panda et al.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)
 Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 109

◄Fig. 6 a Answer to the question about the helpfulness of biology in the future to the participants
of non-life-sciences (biotechnology) discipline, when compared to their individual biology-related
previous educational background, and their interest in interdisciplinary research. b Answer to the
question of the feasibility of a short-term professional-non-degree course on life-science-related
topic(s) by participants of non-life-sciences discipline. c Answer to the question of the helpfulness
of biology in the future to the working professional group. d Answer to the question about the
feasibility of a short-term professional-non-degree course on life-science-related topic(s) by the
working professional group. In all the images, the first groups are considered as groups for compar-
ison. Here, the responses from the non-life-sciences background were considered for parts a & b,
whereas only participants from the working profession were considered as sample space for c & d.
* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, ns: non-significant

Table 1 Pearson’s correlation matrix for major parameters used in this study
Biology Biology Biology in Interdisciplinary Feasibility Helpfulness
in Class in Class Graduation Interest of of biology
X XII level short-term in life
life-sciences
course(s)
Biology in Class 1 0.19 0.12 0.09 −0.03 0.21
X
Biology in Class 0.19 1 0.59 0.19 0.23 0.26
XII
Biology in 0.12 0.59 1 0.28 0.14 0.18
graduation level
Interdisciplinary 0.09 0.19 0.28 1 0.26 0.43
interest
Feasibility of −0.03 0.23 0.14 0.26 1 0.29
short-term
life-sciences
course(s)
Helpfulness of 0.21 0.26 0.18 0.43 0.29 1
biology in life

correlation constant, if one value increases, then the other value will decrease, and
vice versa. In other words, a positive value represents a direct relation, while a 0
indicates no correlation at all.

5 Conclusion

The study of biology has helped in shaping the quality of life by providing solutions
to large-scale problems of the world. It paves the way for new scientific inventions
and discoveries that could make life easier and contribute to a very healthy biosphere.
An understanding of biology could address concerns of the modern world regarding
110 C. Panda et al.

pollution reduction, procuring greener energy sources, managing food shortages, and
finding treatment for deadly diseases. Ensuring that biology is included in secondary
school education is important so that children are aware of their surroundings and
understand the process that drives life on Earth. It is necessary to inculcate this
knowledge into children, so that they can use it in the future to bring better innovations
and contribute to protecting the ecosystem around them.
Biology has a broader scope of having importance in numerous disciplines like
bioremediation, food processing, agriculture, forensics, energy production, phar-
maceuticals, bio-sensing, gene editing, pest control, pollution control, and many
more. Recent advances in this field have focused on protein analysis and charac-
terization from novel sources, biodegradation, antibiotic production, metagenomics,
nanoparticles in drug delivery, neural imaging, bioceramics, and tissue culture along
with 3D printing. Further, the covid-19 pandemic that shook the whole world and
brought all works to stand still is the best case study to analyze how biology has
played a significant role in transitioning through this phase. Virologists from various
research institutes started with the genome sequencing of the SARS-COV2 virus
strain that kept mutating repeatedly. With the help of advanced computational tech-
niques and metagenomic studies, several vaccine candidates against the virus were
developed. Biomedical systems and point-of-care devices have helped immensely in
satisfactorily diagnosing the disease.
From the survey conducted across a diverse population of students and working
professionals, it was figured out that though about 96% of participants had basic
biology during their secondary school, the number decreased to about 44% during
higher secondary education. The lack of an appropriate curriculum during graduate
studies regarding interdisciplinary biology might be linked to low research output in
such multidisciplinary areas. With observations from the survey, it was concluded that
the possibility of short-term non-degree courses or MOOCs can cater to the needs
of the students and working professionals from diverse backgrounds interested in
pursuing interdisciplinary research.
Further, from an educational point of view, it is necessary to inculcate the
interdisciplinary way of research and innovation into engineers through non-
degree short courses to address the challenges of the near future such as climate
change, sustainability, disease spreading pattern, genetic editing, species extinction,
multidrug-resistant pathogenic strain development, resource depletion, etc. Keeping
sustainability and co-existence in mind, students and engineers should be trained
to initiate better innovations and contribute their ideas for protecting the ecosystem
around them [10].
Importance of Biology for Engineers: A Case Study 111

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