Designed as a freshmen seminar course, faculty from various School of Engineering departments describe the research and educational opportunities specific to and offered by their departments. Background lectures by the 20.010J staff introduce students to the fundamental scientific basis for bioengineering. Specially produced videos provide additional background information that is supplemented with readings from newspaper and magazine articles. Bioengineering at MIT is represented by the diverse curricula offered by most Departments in the School of Engineering. This course samples the wide variety of bioengineering options for students who plan to major in one of the undergraduate Engineering degree programs. The beginning lectures describe the science basis for bioengineering with particular emphasis on molecular cell biology and systems biology. Bioengineering faculty will then describe the bioengineering options in a particular engineering course as well as the type of research conducted by faculty in the department.

" This class is a project-based introduction to the engineering of synthetic biological systems. Throughout the term, students develop projects that are responsive to real-world problems of their choosing, and whose solutions depend on biological technologies. Lectures, discussions, and studio exercises will introduce (1) components and control of prokaryotic and eukaryotic behavior, (2) DNA synthesis, standards, and abstraction in biological engineering, and (3) issues of human practice, including biological safety; security; ownership, sharing, and innovation; and ethics. Enrollment preference is given to freshmen. This subject was originally developed and first taught in Spring 2008 by Drew Endy and Natalie Kuldell. Many of Drew's materials are used in this Spring 2009 version, and are included with his permission. This OCW Web site is based on the OpenWetWare class Wiki, found at OpenWetWare: 20.020 (S09)"

Explores the application of building technology to architecture through considerations of building construction -- materials and methods -- and systems -- structure, enclosure, climate and utility services, light, acoustics, fire safety, and accessibility. Includes lectures, laboratory exercises, site visits, problem sets, and a semester-long student investigation of a precedent building. Required of Course IV majors.

" Ever hang your head in shame after your Python program wasn't as fast as your friend's C program? Ever wish you could use objects without having to use Java? Join us for this fun introduction to C and C++! We will take you through a tour that will start with writing simple C programs, go deep into the caves of C memory manipulation, resurface with an introduction to using C++ classes, dive deeper into advanced C++ class use and the C++ Standard Template Libraries. We'll wrap up by teaching you some tricks of the trade that you may need for tech interviews. We see this as a "C/C++ empowerment" course: we want you to come away understanding why you would want to use C over another language (control over memory, probably for performance reasons), why you would want to use C++ rather than C (objects), and how to be useful in C and C++. This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month."

Introduces the basic computational methods used to understand the cell on a molecular level. Covers sequence alignment algorithms: dynamic programming, hashing, suffix trees, Gibbs sampling. Focuses on computational approaches to: genetic and physical mapping; genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation; RNA expression and secondary structure; protein structure and folding; and molecular interactions and dynamics.

This course gives a mathematical introduction to neural coding and dynamics. Topics include convolution, correlation, linear systems, game theory, signal detection theory, probability theory, information theory, and reinforcement learning. Applications to neural coding, focusing on the visual system are covered, as well as, Hodgkin-Huxley and other related models of neural excitability, stochastic models of ion channels, cable theory, and models of synaptic transmission. Visit the Seung Lab Web site.

" This course will introduce students to architectural design and computation through the use of computer modeling, rendering and digital fabrication. The course focuses on teaching architectural design with CAD drawing, 3-D modeling, rendering and rapid prototyping. Students will be required to build computer models that will lead to a full package of architectural explorations with computers. Each semester we will explore the design process of a particular building type and building material. The course also investigates a few design processes of selected architects. The course is critical of design principles and building production methods. Student Assignments and Labs are graded based on the quality of design, representation and constructability. Great design input is always encouraged."

Introductory subject suitable for students with little or no previous background in electronics. Elementary network theory with op-amps, transients, second order linear systems and active filters, AM and FM modulation, diode and transistor circuits, design of digital circuits. Examples emphasize practical uses of electronics in experimental science. Alternate week laboratory.

" This is a undergraduate course. It will cover normed spaces, completeness, functionals, Hahn-Banach theorem, duality, operators; Lebesgue measure, measurable functions, integrability, completeness of L-p spaces; Hilbert space; compact, Hilbert-Schmidt and trace class operators; as well as spectral theorem."

Introduces the material covered in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Focuses on four substantive areas that form the analytic basis for many of the issues in Health Policy and Management. The areas are: (1) economics and financing, (2) need and demand, (3) politics/ethics/law, and (4) quality/effectiveness. Illustrates these issues using three specific policy issues: (1) injury, (2) medical care, and (3) public health preparedness.

During this course, we will be exploring basic questions of architecture through several short design exercises. Working with many different media, students will discover the interrelationship of architecture and its related disciplines, such as structures, sustainability, architectural history and the visual arts. Each problem will focus on one of these disciplines and one exploration and presentation technique.

A general introduction to manifolds and Lie groups. The role of Lie groups in mathematics and physics. The exponential mapping. Correspondence with Lie algebras. Homogeneous spaces and transformation groups. Adjoint representation. Covering groups. Automorphism groups. Invariant differential forms and cohomology of Lie groups and homogeneous spaces. 18.101 recommended but not required. DThis course is devoted to the theory of Lie Groups with emphasis on its connections with Differential Geometry. The text for this class is Differential Geometry, Lie Groups and Symmetric Spaces by Sigurdur Helgason (American Mathematical Society, 2001). Much of the course material is based on Chapter I (first half) and Chapter II of the text. The text however develops basic Riemannian Geometry, Complex Manifolds, as well as a detailed theory of Semisimple Lie Groups and Symmetric Spaces.

Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation provides an introduction to basic methods for undertaking research and program evaluation within health services organizations and systems. In addition to basic methods, the course also provides "the state of the art" in research and evaluation through the review of major completed studies. This course is recommended for students who will be carrying out policy research, social science research, or program impact evaluation within health delivery systems. It is also relevant to those who will apply the results of Health Services Research (HSR) done by others.

Organization of synaptic connectivity as the basis of neural computation and learning. Single and multilayer perceptrons. Dynamical theories of recurrent networks: amplifiers, attractors, and hybrid computation. Backpropagation and Hebbian learning. Models of perception, motor control, memory, and neural development. Alternate years.

This course is offered to undergraduates and introduces students to the formulation, methodology, and techniques for numerical solution of engineering problems. Topics covered include: fundamental principles of digital computing and the implications for algorithm accuracy and stability, error propagation and stability, the solution of systems of linear equations, including direct and iterative techniques, roots of equations and systems of equations, numerical interpolation, differentiation and integration, fundamentals of finite-difference solutions to ordinary differential equations, and error and convergence analysis. The subject is taught the first half of the term. This class was originally listed in Course 13 (Ocean Engineering) as 13.002J.

An introduction to the results and techniques of observations of the ocean in the context of its physical properties and dynamical constraints. Emphasis on large-scale steady circulation and the time-dependent processes that contribute to it. Includes the physical setting of the ocean, atmospheric forcing, application of conservation laws, description of wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, eddy processes, and interpretive techniques.

This course is an introduction to the fundamental aspects of science and engineering necessary for exploring, observing, and utilizing the oceans. Hands-on projects focus on instrumentation in the marine environment and the design of ocean observatories for ocean monitoring and exploration. Topics include acoustics, sound speed and refraction, sounds generated by ships and marine animals, sonar systems and their principles of operation, hydrostatic behavior of floating and submerged bodies geared towards ocean vehicle design, stability of ocean vessels, and the application of instrumentation and electronics in the marine environment. Students work with sensor systems and deploy them in the field to gather and analyze real world data.

" This course, which spans a third of a semester, provides students with experienceĺĘusing techniques employed in synthetic organic chemistry. It alsoĺĘintroduces them to the exciting research area of catalytic chiral catalysis. This class is part of the new laboratory curriculum in the MIT Department of Chemistry. Undergraduate Research-Inspired Experimental Chemistry Alternatives (URIECA) introduces students to cutting edge research topics in a modular format."

This course introduces three main types of partial differential equations: diffusion, elliptic, and hyperbolic. It includes mathematical tools, real-world examples and applications.

The plasma state dominates the visible universe, and is important in fields as diverse as Astrophysics and Controlled Fusion. Plasma is often referred to as "the fourth state of matter." This course introduces the study of the nature and behavior of plasma. A variety of models to describe plasma behavior are presented.