Provides acoustical background necessary to understand the role of sound in speech communication. Analyzes constraints imposed by the properties of sound and human anatomy on speech production (sound production from airflow and filtering by the vocal tract); auditory physiology (transformation of acoustical waves in the air to mechanical vibrations of cochlear structures); and sound perception (spatial hearing, masking, and auditory frequency selectivity). The Acoustics of Speech and Hearing is an H-Level graduate course that reviews the physical processes involved in the production, propagation and reception of human speech. Particular attention is paid to how the acoustics and mechanics of the speech and auditory system define what sounds we are capable of producing and what sounds we can sense. Areas of discussion include: 1. the acoustic cues used in determining the direction of a sound source, 2. the acoustic and mechanical mechanisms involved in speech production and 3. the acoustic and mechanical mechanism used to transduce and analyze sounds in the ear

" This is a graduate course on the design and analysis of algorithms, covering several advanced topics not studied in typical introductory courses on algorithms. It is especially designed for doctoral students interested in theoretical computer science."

A comprehensive treatment of the advanced methods of applied mathematics. Designed to strengthen the mathematical abilities of graduate students and train them to think on their own. Review of elementary methods in complex analysis, ordinary differential equations, and partial differential equations. Expansions around regular and irregular singular points; asymptotic evaluation of integrals, regular perturbations; WKB method; multiple scale method; boundary-layer techniques.

Reviews selected issues including learning, cognition, perception, foraging and feeding, migration and navigation, defense, and social activities including conflict, collaboration, courtship and reproduction, and communication. The interacting contributions of environment and heredity are examined and the approaches of psychology, ethology, and ecology to this area of study are treated. The relation of human behavior patterns to those of nonhuman animals is explored. Additional readings and a paper are required for graduate credit.

Advanced experimentation, with particular emphasis on chemical synthesis and the fundamentals of quantum chemistry illustrated through molecular spectroscopy. Instruction and practice in the written and oral presentation of experimental results.

Following a brief classroom discussion of relevant principles, each student completes the paper design of several advanced circuits such as multiplexers, sample-and-holds, gain-controlled amplifiers, analog multipliers, digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters, and power amplifiers. One of each student's designs is presented to the class, and one may be built and evaluated. Associated laboratory emphasizing the use of modern analog building blocks. Alternate years.

Materials covered include: special relativity, electrodynamics of moving media, waves in dispersive media, microstrip integrated circuits, quantum optics, remote sensing, radiative transfer theory, scattering by rough surfaces, effective permittivities, and random media.

Theoretical topics of fluid dynamics relevant to natural phenomena or man-made hazards in water and atmosphere. Basic law of fluid motion. Scaling and approximations. Slow flows, with applications to drag on a particle and mud flow on a slope. Boundary layers: jets and plumes in pure fluids or in porous media. Thermal and buoyancy effects, selective withdrawal and internal waves. Transient boundary layers in impulsive flows or waves. Induced streaming and mass transport. Dispersion in steady flows or in waves. Effects of earth rotation on coastal flows. Wind induced flow in shallow seas. Stratified seas and coastal upwelling.

This course is a survey of principal concepts and methods of fluid dynamics. Topics include mass conservation, momentum, and energy equations for continua; Navier-Stokes equation for viscous flows; similarity and dimensional analysis; lubrication theory; boundary layers and separation; circulation and vorticity theorems; potential flow; introduction to turbulence; lift and drag; surface tension and surface tension driven flows.

Advanced Igneous Petrology covers the history of and recent developments in the study of igneous rocks. Students review the chemistry and structure of igneous rock-forming minerals and proceed to study how these minerals occur and interact in igneous rocks. The course focuses on igneous processes and how we have learned about them through studying a number of significant sites worldwide.

This seminar will be a scientific exploration of the food we eat and enjoy. Each week we shall have a scientific edible experiment that will explore a specific food topic. Topics include, but are not limited to, what makes a good experiment, cheese making, joys of tofu, food biochemistry, the science of spice, what is taste?

This course is a graduate introduction to natural language processing - the study of human language from a computational perspective. It covers syntactic, semantic and discourse processing models, emphasizing machine learning or corpus-based methods and algorithms. It also covers applications of these methods and models in syntactic parsing, information extraction, statistical machine translation, dialogue systems, and summarization. The subject qualifies as an Artificial Intelligence and Applications concentration subject.

Application of structure and theory to the study of organic reaction mechanisms: stereochemical features including conformation and stereoelectronic effects; reaction dynamics, isotope effects and molecular orbital theory applied to pericyclic and photochemical reactions; and special reactive intermediates including carbenes, carbanions, and free radicals.

" The focus of the course is the concepts and techniques for solving the partial differential equations (PDE) that permeate various scientific disciplines. The emphasis is on nonlinear PDE. Applications include problems from fluid dynamics, electrical and mechanical engineering, materials science, quantum mechanics, etc."

12.491 is a seminar focusing on problems of current interest in geology and geochemistry. For Fall 2005, the topic is organic geochemistry. Lectures and readings cover recent research in the development and properties of organic matter.

This class presents the application of principles of soil mechanics. It considers the following topics: the origin and nature of soils; soil classification; the effective stress principle; hydraulic conductivity and seepage; stress-strain-strength behavior of cohesionless and cohesive soils and application to lateral earth stresses; bearing capacity and slope stability; consolidation theory and settlement analyses; and laboratory and field methods for evaluation of soil properties in design practice.

Foundations of 3D elasticity. Fluid and elastic wave equations. Elastic and plastic waves in rods and beams. Waves in plates. Interaction with an acoustic fluid. Dynamics and acoustics of cylindrical shells. Radiation and scattering by submerged plates and shells. Interaction between structural elements. Response of plates and shells to high-intensity loads. Dynamic plasticity and fracture. Damage of structure subjected to implosive and impact loads.

This course is a continuation of 24.951. This semester the course topics of interest include movement, phrase structure, and the architecture of the grammar.

This course provides a deep understanding of engineering systems at a level intended for research on complex engineering systems. It provides a review and extension of what is known about system architecture and complexity from a theoretical point of view while examining the origins of and recent developments in the field. The class considers how and where the theory has been applied, and uses key analytical methods proposed. Students examine the level of observational (qualitative and quantitative) understanding necessary for successful use of the theoretical framework for a specific engineering system. Case studies apply the theory and principles to engineering systems.

Recent results in cryptography and interactive proofs. Lectures by instructor, invited speakers, and students. Alternate years. The topics covered in this course include interactive proofs, zero-knowledge proofs, zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge, non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs, secure protocols, two-party secure computation, multiparty secure computation, and chosen-ciphertext security.