No comments about Biofuels: Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Sustainable Development.

2 comments about Medicine by Design: The Practice and Promise of Biomedical Engineering.

1. This is a great non-technical introduction to those who are curious about the industry or who want to know more about Biomedical Engineering in general. The book is well-rounded, up-to-date as of 2006, and one of the only narrative books out there concerning BME. Its non-technical nature means it's accessible to everyone, engineering savvy or not.
   
   The author writes about BME as a series of vignettes, each revolving around a researcher in a particular field, a patient with a condition that was alleviated by biomedical engineering, a major player in the industry, or a developing technology. For those unware, the unique characteristic of Biomedical Engineering is that it spans all engineering and science disciplines. You can have an electrical engineer working on an MRI machine, a materials engineer working on artifical joints, a programmer creating bioinformatics algorithms to decipher genetic code, a biologist trying to grow tissues to remedy organ donor shortages, etc. And you can't forget the doctors out there who straddle the line between patient care and engineering new technologies to supplement patient care.
   
   Each chapter focuses on one of the BME sub-disciplines, such as tissue engineering, medical imaging, bioinformatics, implants, etc. Players in industry and academia are highlighted in narrative form as the author details the work of everyone from undergraduate students at Boston University using photonics to find tumors, to graduate students at UC San Diego using nanotechnology to research synthetic livers, to industry legends such as Earl Bakken, the founder of Medtronic. A few products are specifically highlighted such as Medtronic pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, Minimed insulin pumps, Neurotech's encapsulated cell technology, and Intuitive's Da Vinci machine. Patients who have reaped the benefits of Biomedical Engineering advances are also interviewed and have their stories told.
   
   I recommend this book highly to engineering students who are unsure what industry they want to enter, high school seniors who are searching for a college major (if I knew about BME in college, I would have definately pursued it, too bad for me), future doctors who have an affinity for engineering and problem solving, and those who are curious about the field in general. It's an enjoyable read and afterwards those who are engineering savvy but seek the altruism typically associated with medicine might feel a spark to become involved in this field.



2. It is an excellent book: engaging, informative, and it covers quite a bit of material.
   
   However, the second paragraph on page 7 starts:
   "The seniors were a diverse group---including students from China, India, Palestine, and Russia..."
   I got stumbled on the word Palestine. I can understand that Fen Montaigne, the award-winning writer, may be unaware of the fact that there is no country with such name, but wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that the editors at the Johns Hopkins University Press are less ignorant?
   Of course, the young student at Boston U. Inas Khayal couldn't have been born in Palestine (page 21) unless she is at least fifty-nine years old...And so the "young student at Boston U. Inas Khayal" has turned the award-winning writer Fen Montaigne into a useful idiot... (I am referring to the utterly descriptive term "useful idiot" which was coined by Vladimir Lenin some 85 years ago)
   
   Allowing to push political agendas onto pages of books designed to popularize science and technology is disheartening, to say the least.

No comments about Biomedical Transducers and Instruments.

1 comments about The Challenge of CMC Regulatory Compliance for Biopharmaceuticals.

1. A good overview of points to consider for drafting CMC sections. I found the level detail adequate to provide the necessary background, without being so granular that it put me to sleep. The section on CMO's is particularly good for those who have little or no experience with Contract Manufacturing.

2 comments about The Machinery of Life.

1. Goodsell has written a deceptively simple book. The illustrations should be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate level cell biology and biochemistry classes. Goodsell's point is that the environment of the cell is not that of a test tube. The environment is densely packed with proteins and organelles that will concentrate effective concentrations of reaction constituents and potentially restrict the mobility of larger proteins and organelles. Goodsell illustrates the point that size does matter.



2. A beautiful introduction to the cell. Couldn't put it down. Goodsell has a rare combination of beautiful illustrations and lucid, and concise text. Only complaint is that I wish that the publisher had spent the money to put all of the images in color. Goodsell's watercolors are even better and would have been worth the printing price.

No comments about Handbook of Detergents: Formulation (Surfactant Science).

3 comments about Babies by Design: The Ethics of Genetic Choice.

1. Babies By Design is one of the few books I've encountered that's not overtly biased either in favor of, or against, human genetic enhancement. Professor Green offers a nuanced analysis of these pressing ethical issues, written in a conversational style that draws upon real-world and fictional material and doesn't require a PhD in biochemistry to decipher. If human genetic enhancement is a subject of interest to you, this one is well worth your time.



2. This is a very enjoyable book about the ethics of genetic engineering, a topic that may ensure that the dinner conversation go right past midnight. Ronald Green raises more questions than answers, but he makes it clear where he stands. He is all for the advancement of genetic research that may potentially be used to correct genetic defects and shortcomings. In most of the subjects discussed, he presents all the major views - whether for or against. In the chapter 'Will we create "Genobility"' he discussed John Rawls' 'Theory of Justice' with some absorbing views about it's outdatedness. Lawyers and philosophers will certainly find this chapter fascinating. 'Playing God' draws upon the questions of the religious aversion of man playing the role of his maker. Is the human eye proof of an intelligent or unintelligent design? That is one of the questions discussed here. What fascinated me most about this book is its references to famous books and films of fiction that has genetic manipulation as a central theme - 'Never Let Me Go', Ishiguro; Beggars in Spain', Leisha Camden; 'Dawn', Olivia Butler; 'Gattaca'; 'Island' (latter two are films). The reader must not expect discussions of deep and dense theories of ethics here. That did not seem to be the purpose of the book. It is a book that is wide-ranging in its coverage of genetic activities in the presentday, and by means of examples, indicate the advantages of going with scientific progress. How far should one go, is the ultimate question the reader has to decide for himself. This book will help.



3. Less detailed then i thought it would be. This book is okay for general information on the subject.

1 comments about Nature's Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies (The Bioneers Series).

1. This was one of two books suggested as texts for a Permaculture Design Course I am taking.
   The essays are inspiring and educational.
   I have loved reading this little big book, and will probably read many parts of it again.

No comments about Research Methods in Biomechanics.

No comments about Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants.