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- Undergraduate Course List
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions
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- Undergraduate Course Offerings Table
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Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Distributive Codes
INT: International or Comparative Study
SLA: Natural and Physical Science with Lab
TAS: Technology or Applied Science (without laboratory component)
TLA: Technology or Applied Science (with laboratory component)
TMV: Systems and Traditions of Thought, Meaning and Value
QDS: Quantitative or Deductive Science
Term Abbreviations
F: Fall
W: Winter
S: Spring
X: Summer
Class Times Abbreviations
The number or number-letter combination which follows the course term abbreviation is explained at Dartmouth College Weekly Schedule Diagram. The x-period is time set aside for instructors to use as needed. For some courses, the x-period is an additional class session. Laboratory periods typically begin at 1:30 PM, although morning and evening sessions may also be held.
Course Times
Course times are indicated for 2 years. Not all courses listed are offered each year.
Cancellation Policy
Any listed course may be cancelled if the enrollment is fewer than five students.
ENGS 1 Everyday Technology
Offered: 08W, 09W: 12, laboratory
This course is intended to take the mystery out of the technology that we have grown to depend on in our everyday lives. Both the principles behind and examples of devices utilizing electricity, solid and fluid properties, chemical effects, mechanical attributes, and other topics will be discussed. In the associated lab project, students will dissect and analyze (and possibly revive!) a broken gadget or appliance of their choosing. Enrollment is limited to 30 students.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Gibson
ENGS 2 Technology of Sailing
Not offered 2007-2008
While the art of building sailing vessels has been developed over thousands of years, only since the turn of the century has the design of sailboats undergone a major revolution, because of a better knowledge of fluid mechanics and the development of such new strong lightweight materials as fiberglass and Kevlar.
The fundamentals of fluid mechanics will be studied in order to understand why and how a sailboat moves. Design criteria will be developed, and modern designs, materials, and sails used for today's sailboats will be discussed. A design project will be assigned to each student. There will be a laboratory and the students will have the opportunity to practice a few times with the College sailing team on Lake Mascoma. Enrollment is limited to 40 students.
Prerequisite: MATH 3 or permission
Dist: TLA
ENGS 3 Materials: The Substance of Civilization
Offered: 08X: 2A
With the exception of ideas and emotions, materials are the substance of civilization. From the "Iceman's" copper ax to indium phosphide gallium arsenide semiconductor lasers, materials have always defined our world. We even name our epochs of time based on the dominant material of the age: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and now Silicon Age. In addition to discussing the nature and processing of metals, polymers, ceramics, glass and electronic materials, this course will analyze the dramatic developments in civilization directly resulting from advances in such materials. The text Stephen Sass's The Substance of Civilization will be used in the course.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Lasky
ENGS 4 Technology of Cyberspace
Not offered 2007-2008
This course will cover some basic concepts underlying the "information superhighway." The technologies of high speed networking have stimulated much activity within the federal government, the telecommunications and computer industries, and even social science and popular fiction writing. The technical focus will be on communications technologies, information theory, and the communications requirements of video (standard and ATV), speech (and other audio), and text data. Social, economic, and policy issues will be an integral part of the course.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
ENGS 5 Healthcare and Biotechnology in the 21st Century
Offered: 08S, 09S: 2A
The course will explore technologies that will impact healthcare in the 21st century, including biology, robotics, and information. Included will be biotechnologies to be used for the treatment of diseases and the regeneration of missing organs and limbs. The course will also cover robotics that will replace human parts.
Included will be artificial organs and joints, robots as replacement for human parts, the human genome project, gene therapy, biomaterials, genetic engineering, cloning, transplantation (auto, allo, and xeno), limb regeneration, man-machine interfaces, and prosthetic limbs. This section will also cover ethical issues related to the above topics and issues regarding the FDA and the approval of new medical treatments. We will discuss going beyond normal with respect to the senses, muscles, and creating wings.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
Instructors: Rosen, Robbie
ENGS 6 Technology and Biosecurity
Offered: 08S, 09S: 2A
This course will introduce students to the technologies used to combat biological threats to security ranging from pandemic influenza to bioterrorism. In particular, this course will explore the dual-role that technology plays in both enhancing and destabilizing security. Specific technologies covered include the use of nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and mass spectrometry. The course considers questions such as: Where can technological solutions have the greatest impact? When can defensive technologies have offensive applications? And, how can we balance the need to regulate potentially dangerous technologies against the need for academic freedom and high tech innovation?
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
Instructors: Hoyt
ENGS 7: First-Year Seminars in Engineering
The following three courses are available only as part of the First-Year Seminar Program.
ENGS 7 Technology, Society, and Security in the Current Era
Not offered 2007-2008
Throughout history, societies have wrestled with the double-edged nature of technological advances. New technologies created to make life easier or more comfortable often have undesired or unintended adverse effects. This seminar will explore this "good and evil" duality of technological advancement within the context of security and the rise of global terrorism. Developments in biological, chemical, cyber and other technologies will be used to investigate the complex feedback between the advances they offer to society, how they may make society more vulnerable, and additional technologies that can be developed and deployed to reduce this new threat. Examination of these feedback cycles leads us to several provocative and difficult questions, such as: How much privacy are we willing to yield in order to live in a safe environment? Has our technologically based society locked us into an endless cycle of new technologies that expose us to new dangers which then require yet another set of new technologies to ensure our security? Should ethical constraints be used to limit the pursuit of new technologies?
Dist: TAS
ENGS 7 The Materials Revolution
Not offered 2007-2008
Materials are the stuff from which things are made. In marking the ages of human experience—the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and even the Ice Age—they are recognized as playing a major role in our technical/economic/social evolution. Future historians may well refer to our age as the Silicon Age, in view of the pervasive role of digital electronics in modern life and the importance of silicon to that technology.
This seminar will consider materials within the context of medicine, transportation, communications, and energy conversion. Readings will be assigned from the current literature, from daily newspapers, and from Gordon's The New Science of Strong Materials and other books.
Dist: TAS
ENGS 7 Technology: Boon or Bane?
Offered: 08F: 11
What is the role of technology in people's lives? Does it make living easier or harder? Has technology reduced or increased the socio-economic divide? Does it impact men and women differently? Does technology help or ruin our environment? What kind of world will technology give us in the twenty-first century? Will it be a nightmare or utopia?
This seminar will investigate the relationship between technology and society. Besides considering the above questions, students will learn how scientific developments become engineering applications. The engineering process and its problem-solving approach will be demonstrated. Discussion will take place on how society influences the engineering process, as well as the positive and negative impacts of technology. This seminar is for both those who love and those who fear technology.
The reading list will include: parts of The Laser in America, Joan Bromberg (MIT Press); readings from Smithsonian, Technology Review, the New York Times, and chapters from various books, including: Lifting the Veil, Linda Jean Shepherd (1993); Women Changing Science, Mary Morse (1995); Simian, Cyborgs, and Women, Donna J. Haraway; and The Machinery of Dominance, Cynthia Cockburn (1985).
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Garmire
ENGS 7 Energy Technology and Public Policy
Offered: 08S: 12
Energy technology is in an important transition, propelled by increased global demand, resource limitations, the accumulation of green-house gases in the atmosphere, environmental protection, and exciting technical opportunities. The main objective of the course is to develop a scientific understanding of these factors, but it is not the only objective. The energy transition is being managed by governmental policy as well as economic market forces. Resource issues are a potential source of war; hence their resolution or avoidance is a potential cause of peace. A lot depends on the technical options and choices that we will be studying and discussing, and about which you will be writing.
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Converse
ENGS 8 Introduction to Technology
Not offered 2007-2008
This course is designed to enable non-majors to gain some familiarity with our increasingly technological world. The nature and evolution of technology will be described, as will its impact and consequences, along with some applications that have been enabled. Students will gain first-hand experience with the principles of engineering design and development, as well as with assessing the impact and consequences of technology and its interdependence with other academic fields. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
ENGS 9 Nanotechnology
Not offered 2007-2008
This course will explore the basic tenets as well as the emerging applications of nanoscience. We will introduce the visionaries of the nanotechnological revolution, including Feynman, Drexler, and Smalley, as well as the controversies surrounding some of these individuals. Science fiction and science fact blend as never before when nanotechnology is explored in literature. The class will read Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, a novel in which nanotechnology is used to control human activity, and examine its implications on the moral duties of those involved in the discovery and application of natural phenomena.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
ENGS 10 Biomedical Informatics
Offered: 08W, 09W: 10A
Biomedical informatics is an emerging discipline that coalesces the health sciences, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, radiology, and biological sciences with computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, information technologies, and management. The objective of this course is to provide the theoretical foundations and the current applications of biomedical informatics in health sciences, and in health care delivery systems. The course content includes structures, algorithms, and design of algorithms necessary to organize, store, retrieve, and analyze data; the development of computational solutions to produce new knowledge, understanding, and representation of biomedical knowledge; management of health care/hospital systems; clinical decision making, research in biomedical and pharmaceutical systems; and design and development of interactive and distributive multimedia systems for education.
Prerequisites: MATH 3 and permission of instructor
Dist: TAS or INT
Instructor: McGrath
ENGS 11 Technologies in Homeland Security
Offered: 07F, 08F: 10A
This course will provide students with an introduction to the current and emerging technologies used in homeland security and the practitioners who use them. Topics covered in class include personal protective equipment, physical and cyber security systems, communications and information technologies, information assurance, WMD detection, robotics, simulation, exercise and training technologies. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the role technology plays in protecting the homeland.
Prerequisites: None
Dist: TAS
Instructor: McGrath
ENGS 12 Design Thinking
Offered: 07F, 08F: 10A
A foundation course on the cognitive strategies and methodologies that form the basis of creative design practice. Design thinking applies to innovation across the built-environment, including the design of products, services, interactive technology, environments, and experiences. Topics include design principles, human need-finding, formal methodologies, brainstorming, heuristics, thinking by analogy, scenario building, visual thinking, and study of experienced thinkers. Weekly projects and exercises in a variety of media provide practice and development of students' personal creative abilities. Enrollment limited to 25 students.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Robbie
ENGS 13 Virtual Medicine and Cybercare
Offered: 07F, 08F: 3A
There is a revolution in technology that is occurring in health care. This new technology will dramatically change how health care is delivered in the future.
This course will cover topics related to the virtual human, created from bits. This will include virtual reality, augmented reality and datafusion, computer simulation, advanced 3D and 4D imaging techniques, the operating room of the future, minimally invasive surgery, space medicine, tele-operations, tele-medicine and tele-surgery, Internet 2 and cyberspace, artificial intelligence and intelligent agents applied to medicine, and the National Library of Medicine virtual human project.
We will also discuss the FDA approval of computer simulators, robotic surgeons, and the ethics of robots doing surgery. In addition, we will discuss the medical library of the future, teleconferencing, and the use of interactive media in healthcare education. We will also discuss computerized patient records (CPR) and clinical information systems. Enrollment is limited to 48 students.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TAS
Instructors: Rosen, Robbie
ENGS 15 Undergraduate Investigations in Engineering
Offered: All terms: arrange
An original investigation in a phase of science or engineering under the supervision of a member of the staff. Students electing the course will be expected to have a proposal approved by the Department Chair and to meet weekly with the staff member supervising the investigation. The course is open to undergraduates who are not majoring in engineering. It may be elected only once, or taken as one-third course credit for each of three consecutive terms. A report describing the details of the investigation must be filed with the Department Chair at the completion of the course.
Prerequisite: Permission of the chair of Engineering Sciences Department (one-page proposal submission required)
Dist: TAS
ENGS 20 Introduction to Scientific Computing
Offered 07F: 9S 08S: 12 08F: arrange 09S: 12
This course introduces concepts and techniques for creating computational solutions to problems in engineering and science. The essentials of computer programming are developed using the C and Matlab languages, with the goal of enabling the student to use the computer effectively in subsequent courses. Programming topics include problem decomposition, control structures, recursion, arrays and other data structures, file I/O, graphics, and code libraries. Applications will be drawn from numerical solution of ordinary differential equations, root finding, matrix operations, searching and sorting, simulation, and data analysis. Good programming style and computational efficiency are emphasized. Although no previous programming experience is assumed, a significant time commitment is required.
Students planning to pursue the engineering sciences major are advised to take ENGS 20. Students considering the computer science major or majors modified with computer science should take COSC 5.
Prerequisites: MATH 3 and prior or concurrent enrollment in MATH 8
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Shepherd
ENGS 21 Introduction to Engineering
Offered: 07F, 08F: 10, laboratory 08S, 09S: 11, laboratory
The student is introduced to engineering through participation, as a member of a team, in a complete design project. The synthesis of many fields involving the laws of nature, mathematics, economics, management, and communication is required in the project. Engineering principles of analysis, experimentation, and design are applied to a real problem, from initial concept to final recommendations. The project results are evaluated in terms of technical and economic feasibility and social significance. Lectures are directed toward the problem, and experiments are designed by students as the need develops. Enrollment is limited to 64 students.
Prerequisite: MATH 3 or permission of the instructor
Dist: TAS
Instructor: J. Collier (fall), Lotko (spring)
ENGS 21 home page (J. Collier, fall)
ENGS 21 home page (Lotko, spring)
ENGS 22 Systems
Offered: 08W, 09W: 9L, laboratory Tu, Th 08X, 09X: 10, laboratory
The student is introduced to the techniques of modeling and analyzing lumped, linear systems. The course will be concerned primarily with an elementary treatment of electrical, mechanical, fluid and thermal systems. System input will be related to output through ordinary differential equations which will be solved by analytical and numerical techniques. System concepts such as time constant, natural frequency, and damping factor are introduced. The course includes computer and laboratory exercises to enhance the students' understanding of the principles of lumped systems.
Prerequisites: MATH 13, PHYS 14, and ENGS 20
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Lynd (winter), Trembly (summer)
ENGS 23 Distributed Systems and Fields
Offered: 07F, 08F: 2 08S, 09S: 9L
A study of the fundamental properties of distributed systems and their description in terms of scalar and vector fields. After a summary of vector-field theory, the formulation of conservation laws, source laws, and constitutive equations is discussed. Energy and force relations are developed and the nature of potential fields, wave fields, and diffusion fields is examined. A survey of elementary transport processes is given. Particular attention is given to the relation between the description of systems in terms of discrete and distributed parameters. Applications are chosen primarily from fluid mechanics, electromagnetic theory, and heat transfer.
Prerequisite: ENGS 22 or permission of instructor
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Hansen (fall), Paulsen (spring)
ENGS 23 home page (Hansen, fall)
ENGS 24 Science of Materials
Offered: 08W, 09W: 10, laboratory 08S, 09S: 10, laboratory
An introduction to the structure/property relationships which govern the mechanical, the thermal, and the electrical behavior of solids (ceramics, metals, and polymers). Topics include atomic, crystalline, and amorphous structures; X-ray diffraction; imperfections in crystals; phase diagrams; phase transformations; elastic and plastic deformation; free electron theory and band theory of solids; electrical conduction in metals and semi-conductors. The laboratory consists of an experimental project selected by the student and approved by the instructor.
Prerequisites: PHYS 14 and CHEM 5
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Frost (winter), Gibson (spring)
ENGS 25 Introduction to Thermodynamics
Offered: 08S, 09S: 2 08X, 09X: 11
The fundamental concepts and methods of thermodynamics are developed around the first and second laws. The distinctions between heat, work, and energy are emphasized. Common processes for generating work, heat, or refrigeration or changing the physical or chemical state of materials are analyzed. The use of thermodynamic data and auxiliary functions such as entropy, enthalpy, and free energy are integrated into the analysis. The numerous problems show how theoretical energy requirements and the limitations on feasible processes can be estimated.
Prerequisites: MATH 13, PHYS 13, and COSC 5 or ENGS 20
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Richter (spring), Frost (summer)
ENGS 25 home page (Richter, spring)
ENGS 26 Control Theory
Offered: 07F, 08F: 9L, laboratory 08S, 09S: 11, laboratory
The course treats the design of analog, lumped parameter systems for the regulation or control of a plant or process to meet specified criteria of stability, transient response, and frequency response. The basic theory of control system analysis and design is considered from a general point of view. Mathematical models for electrical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal systems are developed. Feedback-control system design procedures are established, using root-locus and frequency response methods.
Prerequisite: ENGS 22
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Olfati-Saber (fall), Ray (spring)
ENGS 27 Discrete and Probabilistic Systems
Offered: 08W, 09W: 2
This course is an introduction to probabilistic methods for modeling, analyzing, and designing systems. Mathematical topics include the fundamentals of probability, random variables and common probability distributions, basic queueing theory, and stochastic simulation. Applications, drawn from a variety of engineering settings, may include measurement and noise, information theory and coding, computer networks, diffusion, fatigue and failure, reliability, statistical mechanics, ecology, decision making, and robust design.
Prerequisites: MATH 8 and either ENGS 20 or COSC 5. PHYS 13 or CHEM 5 recommended.
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Cybenko
ENGS 31 Digital Electronics
(Identical to COSC 47)
Offered: 08S, 09S: 12, laboratory 08X, 09X: 9L, laboratory
This course teaches classical switching theory, including Boolean algebra, logic minimization, algorithmic state machine abstractions, and synchronous system design. This theory is then applied to digital electronic design. Techniques of logic implementation, from small scale integration (SSI) through application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), are encountered. There are weekly laboratory exercises for the first part of the course, followed by a digital design project in which the student designs and builds a large system of his or her choice. In the process, computer-aided design (CAD) and construction techniques for digital systems are learned.
Prerequisite: None
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Pogue (spring), Hansen (summer)
ENGS 31 home page (Hansen, summer)
ENGS 32 Electronics: Introduction to Linear and Digital Circuits
(Identical to PHYS 48)
Offered: 08W, 09W: 11, laboratory
Principles of operation of semiconductor diodes, bipolar and field-effect transistors, and their application in rectifier, amplifier, waveshaping, and logic circuits. Basic active-circuit theory. DC biasing and small-signal models. Introduction to integrated circuits: the operational amplifier and comparator. Emphasis on breadth of coverage of low-frequency linear and digital networks. Laboratory exercises permit "hands-on" experience in the analysis and design of simple electronic circuits. The course is designed for two populations: a) those desiring a single course in basic electronics, and b) those desiring the fundamentals necessary for further study of active circuits and systems.
Prerequisite: ENGS 22 or equivalent background in basic circuit theory
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Sullivan
ENGS 33 Solid Mechanics
Offered: 07F, 08F: 11, laboratory 08X, 09X: 12, laboratory
After a brief review of the concepts of rigid body statics, the field equations describing the static behavior of deformable elastic solids are developed. The stress and strain tensors are introduced and utilized in the development. Exact and approximate solutions of the field equations are used in the study of common loading cases, including tension/compression, bending, torsion, pressure, and combinations of these.
In the laboratory phase of the course, various methods of experimental solid mechanics are introduced. Some of these methods are used in a project in which the deformation and stress in an actual load system are determined and compared with theoretical predictions. The course includes a series of computer exercises designed to enhance the student's understanding of the principles of solid mechanics.
Prerequisites: MATH 13, PHYS 13, and ENGS 20 or COSC 5
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Phan (fall), Diamond (summer)
ENGS 34 Fluid Dynamics
Offered: 08W, 09W: 9L, laboratory
A survey of fundamental concepts, phenomena, and methods in fluid mechanics and their application in engineering systems and in nature. Emphasis is placed on the development and use of the conservation laws for mass, momentum, and energy, as well as on the empirical knowledge essential to the understanding of many fluid-dynamic phenomena. Applications include fluid machinery as well as geophysical, environmental, and biomedical fluid flows.
Prerequisites: ENGS 23 and ENGS 25 (may be taken concurrently), or permission of instructor
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Vlahovska
ENGS 35 Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering
Offered: 07F, 08F: 9L, laboratory
A consideration of the engineering and scientific basis for using cells or their components in engineered systems. Central topics addressed include kinetics and reactor design for enzyme and cellular systems; fundamentals, techniques, and applications of recombinant DNA technology; and bioseparations. Additional lectures will provide an introduction to metabolic modeling as well as special topics. The course is designed to be accessible to students with both engineering and life-science backgrounds.
Prerequisites: MATH 3, CHEM 3 or 5, BIOL 12 or 13, or permission of instructor
For the course to count for graduate credit, students complete a project that involves additional class meetings.
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Gerngross
ENGS 36 Chemical Engineering
Offered: 07F, 08F: 10A
This course will expose students to the fundamental principles of chemical engineering and the application of these principles to a broad range of systems. In the first part of the course, aspects of chemical thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and transport phenomena will be addressed. These principles will then be applied to a variety of systems including industrial, environmental, and biological examples.
Prerequisites: ENGS 22, ENGS 25; CHEM 5
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Laser
ENGS 37 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Offered: 07F, 08F: 10
A survey of the sources, measurement techniques, and treatment technologies relating to environmental pollution resulting from the activities of humans. The course will be technology-focused, but will also touch on topics related to the implementation of technology in the real world such as public perception, policy and legislation, and choosing between technological alternatives. Technological and other issues will be addressed relating to water pollution, air pollution, solid wastes, and the fate and transport of pollutants in the environment. Consideration of each area will include general background and key concepts, detailed design examples of importance in the area, and case studies/current topics. The course will include guest lectures.
Prerequisites: MATH 3 and CHEM 5, or equivalent, or permission of instructor
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Cushman-Roisin
ENGS 41 Sustainability and Natural Resource Management
Offered: 08S, 09S: 11
Natural resources sustain human productivity. Principles of scientific resource management are developed, and prospects for sustainability are explored. Three generic categories of resource are analyzed: exhaustible, living, and renewable. In the first category we emphasize the lifecycle of exploitation including exhaustion, exploration and substitution. In the living category we explore population dynamics under natural and harvested regimes, for fisheries and forests. Finally, the renewable case of water is treated in terms of quantity and quality. Throughout, the intersection of natural, economic, and political behavior is explored in theory via computer simulations; case studies illustrate contemporary management problems and practices.
Prerequisite: MATH 13
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Lynch
ENGS 42 Contaminant Hydrogeology
(Identical to EARS 76)
Offered alternate years: 09S: Wed, Fri 2:00-4:00pm, laboratory Wed 4:00-6:00pm
Groundwater contamination is a widespread threat to the environment and to human health. This course will include a survey of the physical, chemical, and biological processes by which both dissolved and multiphase contaminants are transported and transformed in the subsurface. The laboratory is used to illustrate phenomena and principles.
Prerequisite: EARS 66 or permission of instructor
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Renshaw
ENGS 43 Environmental Transport and Fate
Offered: 08W: 11
Introduction to movement and transformation of substances released into the natural environment. Fundamentals of advection, dispersion, and reaction. Aggregation and parameterization of various mixing processes leading to dispersion at larger spatial and temporal scales. Importance of inhomogeneity, anisotropy, and stratification in natural media. Basic principles are illustrated by application to atmospheric, ground water, river, estuarine, coastal, and oceanic pollution problems. Case studies include urban smog, acid rain, Chernobyl fall-out, and stratospheric ozone depletion.
Prerequisite: MATH 13, ENGS 37 or permission of instructor
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Cushman-Roisin
ENGS 44 Sustainable Design
Offered: 08W, 09W: 10A
An interdisciplinary introduction to the principles of design for the environment (DfE). Through lectures, discussions, and design projects, students will learn strategies for managing the complexity of the product life-cycle, including design for manufacturing, use, and disposal. Working in design teams, students will develop and present solutions to engineering design challenges drawn from architecture and product design. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Prerequisites: ENGS 21 and ENGS 22 or SART 65
Dist: TAS
Instructors: Cushman-Roisin, Robbie
ENGS 51 Principles of System Dynamics
Offered: 08S: 10A
This course introduces system dynamics, an approach to policy design and analysis based upon feedback principles and computer simulation. The approach is useful for gaining an understanding of the underlying structural causes of problem behavior in social, economic, political, environmental, technological, and biological behaviors and to design policies aimed at improving them. Lectures and exercises illustrate applications of the approach to real, current problems such as urban decay, resource depletion, environmental pollution, product marketing and distribution, and agricultural planning in an expanding population. The similarity and transferability of underlying feedback characteristics among various applications is emphasized. No prior engineering or computer science experience is necessary.
Prerequisite: MATH 3
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Daubenspeck
ENGS 52 Introduction to Operations Research
Offered: 08W, 09W: 10A
Basic concepts of optimization are introduced as aids in systematic decision-making in engineering contexts. Deterministic optimization is developed in the form of linear and integer programming and their extensions. Probabilistic models are introduced in terms of Markov chains, queuing and inventory theory, and stochastic simulation. The course emphasizes the application of these methods to the design, planning, and operation of complex industrial and public systems.
Prerequisite: MATH 8
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Santos
ENGS 56 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
Offered: 08S, 09S: 2
This course will survey applications of engineering principles to medical diagnosis/treatment of disease, monitoring/measurement of physiological function, and rehabilitation/replacement of body dysfunction. Case studies will be used to highlight how engineering has advanced medical practice and understanding. Examples will be drawn from bioinstrumentation, bioelectricity, biotransport, biomaterials, and biomechanics. While investigations will focus primarily on the engineering aspects of related topics, issues surrounding patient safety, public policy and regulation, animal experimentation, etc., will be discussed as appropriate.
Prerequisites: PHYS 13 and 14 (PHYS 14 may be taken concurrently)
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Hoopes
ENGS 61 Intermediate Electrical Circuits
Offered: 07F, 08F: 11, laboratory
A method for writing the equations for any practical circuit is defined. Fundamental theorems based on network topology and conservation laws are presented. Arbitrary networks are analyzed as combinations of two-port networks. The op-amp is studied as a powerful electronic building block. Filter theory is explored in depth, and filters are implemented as op-amp circuits. The bipolar junction transistor is treated as a two-port and applied to create the operational amplifier. The student is exposed to computer-aided design. Laboratory exercises provide an opportunity to apply theory. The course is intended for those who wish to prepare for advanced study of electrical circuits.
Prerequisite: ENGS 22
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Trembly
ENGS 62 Microprocessors in Engineered Systems
Offered: 08W, 09W: 2A, laboratory
Microprocessor and microcomputers are central components in ever-increasing numbers of consumer, industrial, and scientific products. This course extends the design framework developed in ENGS 31 to include these high integration parts. Students are introduced to simple and advanced microcomputers, their supporting peripheral hardware, and the hardware and software tools that aid designers in creating embedded system controllers. Laboratory projects will cover basic microprocessor behavior, bus interfaces, peripheral devices, and digital signal processing.
Prerequisites: ENGS 20 and ENGS 31
Dist: TAS
Instructor: McGrath
ENGS 63 Introduction to VLSI Systems
(Can be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements)
Offered: 07F, 08F: Mon/Wed 3:00-5:00pm
This course provides an introduction to VLSI (very large scale integration) systems. It starts by examining basic CMOS logic circuits and VLSI design styles, and then surveys VLSI architectures and current trends in chip design. A group design project is required in which students specify the function of a large digital system, decompose it into primitive components, lay out its physical design, and verify and debug its digital behavior. Students learn to use modern computer-aided design (CAD) tools which are essential in managing the complexity that VLSI offers. Chips designed by students are fabricated by the MOSIS fabrication service during the winter term. Students then test and evaluate their designs. Grades will not be reported until this task is completed.
Prerequisite: ENGS 31
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Wissel
ENGS 65 Engineering Software Design
Offered: 08W, 09W: 12
As a successor to ENGS 20, this course covers intermediate topics in programming and software design with an emphasis on engineering applications. Students will learn software design principles and basic data structures. Topics covered will include object-oriented design, user interface design, lists, stacks, queues, binary trees, hash tables, and simulation. Students will learn techniques for developing maintainable, extensible, and understandable software.
Prerequisites: ENGS 20 or COSC 5
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Santos
ENGS 66 Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science
(Identical to COSC 21; see also MATH 19)
Offered: 08W, 09W: arrange
This course integrates discrete mathematics with algorithms and data structures, using computer science applications to motivate the mathematics. It covers logic and proof techniques, induction, set theory, counting, asymptotics, discrete probability, graphs, and trees.
Prerequisite: ENGS 20 or COSC 5
Dist: QDS
Instructor: Zomorodian
ENGS 68 Introduction to Communication Systems
Offered: 09W: 10A
This course provides an introduction to communication systems. The focus is on the deterministic aspects of analog and digital systems. The student is introduced to modeling and analyzing signals in the time and frequency domains. Modulation techniques are addressed as well as sampling, multiplexing, line coding, and pulse shaping. Recent developments in communication systems are briefly discussed.
Prerequisite: Prior or concurrent enrollment in ENGS 22; ENGS 27 and ENGS 92 strongly recommended
Instructor: Österberg
ENGS 71 Structural Analysis
Offered alternate years: 09S: 9L
An introduction to the behavior of structural systems (including examples of buildings, space structures, and mechanical systems), with an emphasis on modeling and approximating behavior: Classical and computational analysis methods for structural; load flow through basic three-dimensional structures; methods of approximating the response of planar structures; methods of determining deformations in planar, statically determinate structure; actions and deformations in statically indeterminate structures, using both flexibility/compatibility methods and stiffness/equilibrium methods (including an introduction to matrix methods). A structural system of choice will be redesigned to improve performance.
Prerequisites: ENGS 33
Dist: TAS
Instructor: May
ENGS 73 Materials Processing and Selection
Offered: 08S, 09S: 10A, laboratory
In this course the basic concepts of materials science introduced in ENGS 24 are applied to a variety of materials problems and processes. The course will treat processes and principles relevant to both mechanical and electrical engineering applications. Topics include solidification and crystal growth, joining and bonding techniques, deformation processing, surface coatings and thin film deposition, polymer processing, composite materials, magnetic and dielectric materials, powder metallurgy and ceramics processing, materials selection, failure processes, and quality control. The course will involve laboratory exercises and field trips to local industry. Materials applications will be considered on a case study basis, including aerospace and automotive structures, consumer goods, high performance sports equipment, electric components, VLSI circuit fabrication and packaging.
Prerequisites: ENGS 24 and ENGS 33 or permission of instructor
Dist: TLA
Instructor: Frost
ENGS 74 Nanotechnology
Offered alternate years: 09W: 10A
This course introduces the fundamental experimental and theoretical tools used in nano-technology. The core concepts of self-assembly, reduced dimensionality, and surface-molecule interactions are introduced. Topics will include: optical and magnetic properties at the nanoscale, colloid formation and crystallization. Biological applications of nanoscale particles, especially in medical imaging and targeted drug therapy will be discussed. This course has a graduate section; see ENGS 134.
Prerequisite: ENGS 24 or PHYS 19 or CHEM 6 or equivalent
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Gibson
ENGS 75 Product Design
(Can be used for A.B. course count and Engineering Sciences major elective; can be used for B.E. course count and design credit)
Offered: 08W, 09W: 2A, laboratory
A laboratory course on human-centered product design. A series of design projects form the vehicle for exploring creative strategies for optimizing product design for human use. The course focus includes need-finding, concept development, iterative modeling, prototyping and testing. The goal is synthesis of technical requirements with aesthetic and human concerns. Includes presentations by visiting professional designers. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Prerequisites: ENGS 21 or ENGS 190
Dist: TAS
Instructors: Robbie, J. Collier
ENGS 76 Machine Engineering
Offered: 07F: 2 08F: 11
An introduction to the analysis and synthesis of mechanical components and systems. Analysis of the various components requires application of specialized solutions of the equations of elasticity along with laws governing the mechanical behavior of materials. Topics and components to be studied will include power transmission shafting, springs, screws, belts, clutches, brakes, roller chains, welded and riveted connections, lubrication, ball and roller bearings, and gears. Several projects must be completed which demonstrate the student's ability to synthesize a workable and sufficiently optimized design of a machine or device.
Prerequisite: ENGS 33
Dist: TAS
Instructor: Ray
ENGS 80 Ethics and Engineering
(Cannot be used to satisfy A.B. major requirements; can be used for course count for the B.E.)
Not offered 2007-2008
An examination of the normative dimensions of professional practice, with a practical focus on engineering. Discussion topics will include common morality; ethical theories (virtue, deontological, utilitarian, contractarian); the definition and role of professions in contemporary societies, including theories of professionalism that seek to justify action or inaction in the workplace; the relations among professionals, clients, employers, professional societies, and the service population; and professional codes of conduct. Case studies will include contemporary accidents and issues in advanced technology (genetic engineering, nanotechnology, the machine-human interface). Goals of achievement for the profession will be examined, as expressed by professional societies, educators, and legislation, in the context of emergent globalization of technology and trade. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
Prerequisite: Senior standing in Engineering Sciences, the physical sciences, or philosophy, or permission of the instructor
Dist: TMV
ENGS 84 Reading Course
Offered: all terms: arrange
Advanced undergraduates occasionally arrange a reading course with a faculty member in a subject not occurring in the regularly scheduled curriculum. This course can be elected only once; either ENGS 84 or 85 may be used toward the Engineering Sciences major, but not both.
Prerequisite: Permission of the chair of the Engineering Sciences Department
ENGS 85 Special Topics
Offered: all terms: arrange
From time to time a section of ENGS 85 may be offered in order to provide an advanced course in a topic which would not otherwise appear in the curriculum. This course can be elected only once; either ENGS 84 or 85 may be used toward the Engineering Sciences major, but not both.
Prerequisite: Permission of the chair of the Engineering Sciences Department
ENGS 86 Independent Project
Offered: all terms: arrange
(Can be counted as an elective if ENGS 190 is taken as a culminating experience)
An individual research or design project carried out under the supervision of a member of the staff. Students electing this course will be expected to carry out preliminary reading during the preceding term. This course may be taken in one term, or as a one-third course credit for each of three consecutive terms. A major written report and oral presentation will be submitted at the completion of the course.
Prerequisites: Senior standing in the Engineering Sciences major and permission of the chair of the Engineering Sciences Department; one-page proposal submission required
ENGS 87 Undergraduate Investigations
(Cannot be used to satisfy A.B. major requirements)
Offered: all terms: arrange
An original investigation in a phase of science or engineering under the supervision of a member of the staff. Students electing the course will be expected to carry out preliminary reading during the preceding term and to meet weekly with the staff member supervising the investigation. The course is open to qualified undergraduates with the consent of the Department Chair, and it may be elected more than once, or taken as a one-third course credit for each of three consecutive terms. A report describing the details of the investigation must be filed with the Department Chair, at the completion of the course.
Prerequisite: Permission of the chair of the Engineering Sciences Department; one-page proposal submission required
ENGS 88 Honors Thesis
(Can be counted as an elective in the Engineering Sciences major if ENGS 190 is taken as the culminating experience)
Offered: all terms: arrange
Honors version of ENGS 86. A course normally elected by honors students in one term of the senior year. The student will conduct a creative investigation suitable to the major subject under the supervision and guidance of a member of the staff. Students electing this course will be expected to begin the project work at least one term prior to electing ENGS 88 and may choose to conduct the preliminary investigation under ENGS 87. A major written report and oral presentation will be submitted at the completion of the course.
Prerequisite: Permission of the chair of the Senior Honors program
ENGS 91 Numerical Methods in Computation
(Identical to MATH 26 and COSC 26)
(Can be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements)
Offered: 07F, 08F: 12
A study and analysis of important numerical and computational methods for solving engineering and scientific problems. The course will include methods for solving linear and nonlinear equations, doing polynomial interpolation, evaluating integrals, solving ordinary differential equations, and determining eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices. The student will be required to write and run computer programs. ENGS 91 may not be used by Mathematics or Computer Science majors in partial satisfaction of the distributive requirement.
Prerequisite: COSC 5 or ENGS 20; ENGS 22 or MATH 23 or permission of the instructor
Dist: QDS
Instructor: Shepherd
ENGS 92 Fourier Transforms and Complex Variables
(Identical to PHYS 70)
(Can be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements)
Offered: 07F, 08F: 2
Survey of a number of mathematical methods of importance in engineering and physics with particular emphasis on the Fourier transform as a tool for modeling and analysis. Orthogonal function expansions, Fourier series, discrete and continuous Fourier transforms, generalized functions and sampling theory, complex functions and complex integration, Laplace, Z, and Hilbert transforms. Computational Fourier analysis. Applications to linear systems, waves, and signal processing.
Prerequisite: MATH 33 or ENGS 22 and ENGS 23, or the equivalent
Dist: QDS
Instructor: Österberg