Spring Introduction to Engineering
EK 130/131/132/133 - Spring 2012
All College of Engineering students must earn 4.0 credits of Introduction to Engineering. The Introduction to Engineering course is scheduled for completion in the freshman year and is intended to provide an introduction to engineering analysis and/or design. The requirement may be fulfilled through two paths:
I. One full semester course
ENG EK 130 is a full-semester course (4.0 credits). Completing this course fulfills the Introduction to Engineering requirement. There are no EK 130 sections offered for Spring 2011.
ENG EK 133 is a full-semester course (4.0 credits) taught through the Honors College program. Completing this course fulfills the Introduction to Engineering requirement.
II. Two half semester courses
ENG EK 131 and ENG EK 132 are 2.0 credit half-semester courses. ENG EK 131 meets during the first seven weeks of the semester. ENG EK 132 meets during the second seven weeks of the semester. Together, ENG EK 131 and ENG EK 132 fulfill the Introduction to Engineering requirement.
Important dates:
EK 131 begins on January 17 and ends on March 1.
The last day to add an EK 131 module is January 25.
The last day to drop EK 131, without a W is Tuesday, January 31, 2012.
The last day to drop EK 131, with a W is Wednesday, February 15, 2012.
EK 132 begins on March 19 and ends on May 2.
The last day to add an EK 132 module is March 27.
The last day to drop EK 132, without a W is Monday, April 2, 2012.
The last day to drop EK 132, with a W is Tuesday, April 17, 2012.
ENG EK 131/132 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS and SCHEDULE
ENG EK 131/132 A4: Introduction to Acoustics
| Professor Glynn Holt | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 15 | Location: PSY B36 |
Acoustics is the science of sound. What we’ve learned about sound and its interaction with matter has led to many research programs and useful applications. For example, the scattering of sound waves is one of our most useful clinical tools for imaging tissue structure. This module offers an introduction to the physical principles and applications of sound waves in a unique format. Each class session will consist of a first half, in which certain basic principles will be presented, followed by a second half, in which a research application (often presented by a guest lecturer from academia or industry) employing the principles will be presented, where possible with a demonstration. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 B2: Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery
| Professor Joyce Wong | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: ERA 209 |
What will drug delivery devices in the 21st century look like? How close are we to off-the-shelf organ replacement? Biomaterials have and will continue to revolutionize the face of medicine, and this module will cover current topics and issues in the design, manufacture, and testing of biomaterials in devices for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery applications. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 B4: Human Brain Mapping
| Professor Lucia Vaina | MW | 10-12 pm | Enroll Limit:20 | Location: SOC B63 |
The focus of this course is on the localization in the human brain of visual, motor and language functions and of their deficits resulting from stroke, schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. This will be accomplished by using theories and examples from human neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurology cases and behavioral studies.
The major emphasis of the class will be on structural and functional magnetic imaging as it applies to contemporary studies of human neuroanatomy, neurology, psychiatry and of normal behavior. We will briefly discuss the principles of MRI/fMRI, structural brain imaging in health and disease, bold physiology and haemodynamics, fMRi experiments and spatio-temporal characteristics. We will emphasize the ethical aspects of the research and clinical applications of functional neuroimaging and of other modern methods of functional brain mapping (MEG, presurgical planning), the difference between these methods and their specific advantages for various aspects of clinical practice.
The course consists of lectures, class discussions, writing a scientific essay on applications of functional neuroimaging, and presentations of scientific articles on the use of fMRI for clinical applications. There will be a take home ethics exam. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 B8: Auditory System/ Hearing Prosthetics
| Professor Herb Voigt | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 25 | Location: PSY B39 |
In this module we will explore the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system and discuss the design and success of auditory prostheses such as the hearing aid, the cochlear implant, and the cochlear nucleus implant. We will also discuss the deaf community's response to engineering's proposed solution to their "problem." 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 BA: Intro to Protein Engineering and Drug Design
| Professor Sandor Vajda | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: ERA 209 |
Proteins are the molecular machines that perform some of the most important functions of the cell such as metabolism, signal transduction, gene regulation, cell-cell adhesion, and muscle contraction. Proteins are also the targets of almost all drugs. At present biotechnology is capable of expressing virtually any protein, but the design principles are only partially understood. Similarly, computational methods of drug design are important but far from perfect, and hence are intensively studied. In this course we introduce some tools of protein engineering and drug design. These will include searches in sequence databases, protein sequence alignment, the analysis and modification of protein structures to alter function, and studying molecular interactions. The molecular origin of a few diseases and their potential drugs will also be discussed. Classes will be held in a computer lab setting, mostly using on-line tutorials and programs. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 BX: Putting Technology to Work
| Professor Jonathan Rosen | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: GCB 206 |
Engineering is about solving problems. But how do engineers decide on which problems to solve? And using your newly minted technical, analytical, and quantitative skills to arrive at a ‘solution’ is only the beginning of a much longer, challenging, and exciting journey that will turn your ideas into new products, tools, and processes that will ultimately improve our lives. "Solving the problem" includes understanding the full impact of the new technology we have created. Making ethanol fuel out of soybeans was certainly an 'innovative' technical, engineering solution to our dependence on oil, but it nearly caused a world-wide famine in the process! This module will give you an introduction to how engineers choose which problems to solve, how we work in teams to bring those ideas to fruition, and how we measure, monitor, and modify the impact of those solutions on our families, our communities and our planet. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 E8: High Performance Computing: Bringing Ideas to Life
| Professor Roscoe Giles | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 30 | Location: GCB 204 |
Powerful computers allow engineers and scientists to try out ideas and understand their implications in a virtual laboratory. In this module we will introduce some simple and powerful modelling techniques for a range of dynamical systems. Student teams will design and implement models of interest to them and share them with the group. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 EA: Photonics - Engineering With Light
| Professor Swan | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: PSY B40 |
Curious about photonics? This module offers a brief introduction to the physical principles of light and how light is used in many different engineering applications- from familiar consumer products, optical communication to novel bio-sensing methods. Lectures will be supplemented with visits to Photonics Center facilities and laboratories, and by hands-on projects where you will design and build a photonics device. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 EH: Life Bits: Turning Human Biosignals into Computer Bits
| Prof Hamid Nawab | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: PHO 404 |
This module is devoted to giving students practical experience in converting human biosignals such as speech, body movements, and muscle contractions, into digital representations (“bits”). The ultimate goal is for such digital representations to be compact and yet versatile enough to enable a variety of machine tasks such as speech recognition, gesture identification, and prosthetic control. The highlight of the course is a student project in which you will invent your own “life bits” machine. No previous experience with electronics, computer hardware, computer software, or the life sciences is assumed. Just bring your ingenuity, curiosity, and common sense.
ENG EK 131/132 M1: Mechanical Design for Manufacture
| Professor Ted de Winter | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 30 | Location: GCB 208 |
Engineering design requires that thorough analysis precede detailed drawings and the manufacture of prototypes and products. This module serves as an introduction to stress analysis, micro and macro behavior of engineering materials and basic mechanics. Topics covered include analyses of stress and strain, transmission of power, torque, friction, and efficiency. An introduction to Computer Aided Design will include an assignment on SolidWorks, which is state-of-the-art software used in industry. A simple design project is included in the module. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 131/132 M8: Clean Energy
| Prof Srikanth Gopalan | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | EK 131 Location: PSY B39 EK 132 Location: PSY 212 |
Energy is an essential part of modern society. The world depends on a constant and reliable supply of energy – for homes, businesses and transport, and the consequences of our energy use have measurable global effects. There are many ways we can produce energy, and many factors determine which methods and sources are appropriate for different applications. In this course we will discover how different clean energy technologies work, learn the physical principles and engineering challenges involved, explore the pros and cons of those different technologies, and design solutions to real world problems. Topics will include batteries, biofuels, biomass, combined heat and power, fuel cells, geothermal, landfill gas, photovoltaics, small hydroelectric, solar cooking, solar thermal, waste-to-energy, wave and tidal, wind and more. A hands-on laboratory project will include design, manufacture, and use of simple clean energy systems to power small loads. 2.0 credits
ENG EK 132 MA: Materials Processing and Product Development
| Prof Vinod Sarin | MW | 10-12pm | Enroll Limit: 20 | Location: TBA |
Note: This is only an EK 132 module, meeting from March 19-May 2
Materials processing used to manufacture products is a very broad activity, encompassing everything from control theory to accountancy.The word manufacture is several centuries old, and was derived from two Latin words manus (hand) and factus (make); the combination implying made by hand.Although it accurately described manual methods used when the word was coined, today manufacturing is accomplished by automated and computer-controlled machinery.The course will concentrate on basic material processing techniques (i.e. casting, machining, and joining) that have been used throughout the centuries to convert materials into products.The scientific base and fundamental nature of these processes will be developed in lectures and their pragmatic application will be demonstrated and taught in the laboratory. Based on this knowledge and experience each student will fabricate a prototype of a specific product and try and market it (to the class) to appraise its commercialization potential. 2.0 credits