This page lists Jacobs-affiliated courses taught during fall 2020. To see Jacobs Hall course listings from other semesters, please visit our primary course listings page.
This semester-long course introduces students to bioengineering project-based learning in small teams, with a strong emphasis on need-based solutions for real medical and research problems through prototype solution selection, design, and testing. The course is designed to provide a “capstone” design experience for bioengineering seniors. The course is structured around didactic lectures, and a textbook, from which assigned readings will be drawn, and supplemented by additional handouts, readings, and lecture material. Where appropriate, the syllabus includes guest lectures from clinicians and practicing engineers from academia and industry. The course includes active learning through organized activities, during which teams will participate in exercises meant to reinforce lecture material through direct application to the team design project.
This course provides students with a hands-on engineering design experience for creating future infrastructure systems. Intelligent infrastructure systems leverage data and computational to enhance sustainability and resilience for smart cities of the future. Student teams will identify a challenge with current transportation, energy, water, waste, and/or the built infrastructure. Then, student teams design and prototype an innovation that solves this problem using maker resources, e.g. 3D printing, laser cutters, and open-source electronics. The project will be executing via the “Design Sprint” process, which is popular in agile development and Silicon Valley. Finally, students will present their projects to guest judges from industry.
This course provides students with an introduction and hands-on engineering design experience on electric mobility. Transportation is the largest energy end-use sector at 37%. Over 95% of transportation energy is fossil fuel based. Consequently, decarbonizing transportation is a critical step toward climate change mitigation. Electric mobility describes concepts for utilizing electric power technologies for transportation, such as batteries and electric motors. This includes electric cars, micro-mobility, electric aircraft, electric ships, and more. The course is divided into three parts: First, we examine the economic, environmental and ethical principles behind transitioning combustion-based drivetrains to electric drivetrains. Second, we introduce the fundamental principles behind electric drivetrains, including electric machines and batteries. Third, students will disassemble an electric scooter, discover how it works, and then create an improved design.
CS 160 is the introductory course to the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In this class, students will learn to design, prototype and evaluate user interfaces. Unlike most classes, CS 160 will not focus on any particular set of algorithmic techniques, instead students will learn techniques for user-centered interface design (e.g., prototyping, contextual inquiry, heuristic evaluation etc).
A graduate-level course that gives an introduction to the fundamental theories that enable VR/AR and Immersive Computing. The students would design, prototype and implement solutions that would address pain points of AR/VR or use AR/VR to solve problems in other domains. Additionally, The course will provide insight into the main technology drivers of VR/AR markets, and would feature interactive guest lectures from industry experts.
This introductory course aims to expose you to the mindset, skillset and toolset associated with design. It does so through guided applications to framing and solving problems in design, business and engineering. Specifically, you will learn approaches to noticing and observing, framing and reframing, imagining and designing, and experimenting and testing as well as for critique and reflection. You will also have a chance to apply those approaches in various sectors.
This course may be used to fulfill undergraduate technical elective requirements for some College of Engineering majors; students should refer to their Engineering Student Services advisors for more details.
Good ideas alone are not the key to being a great designer or innovator. Rather, it is the strong process and communication skills that will make you stand out as a design practitioner and leader. In today’s landscape of product design and innovation, great visual communicators must know how to 1) effectively and confidently sketch by hand, 2) understand and utilize the basics of visual design, and 3) tell captivating and compelling stories. This course, offered in a project-based learning format, will give participants practice and confidence in their ability to communicate visually.
This course teaches concepts, skills and methods required to design, prototype, and fabricate physical objects. Each week relevant techniques in 2D and 3D modeling and fabrication are presented, along with basic electronics. Topics include a range of prototyping and fabrication techniques including laser-cutting, 3D modeling and 3D printing, soldering, and basic circuits.
In this one unit P/NP course, students will attend the weekly Design Field Notes speaker series, which features local design practitioners who share real-world stories about their projects, practices, and perspectives. Talks are scheduled most weeks during the semester; during any off weeks, students will engage in facilitated discussions.
Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), tolerance analysis for fabrication, fundamentals of manufacturing processes (metal cutting, welding, joining, casting, molding, and layered manufacturing).
Introduction to design and realization of mechatronics systems. Micro computer architectures. Basic computer IO devices. Embedded microprocessor systems and control, IO programming such as analogue to digital converters, PWM, serial and parallel outputs. Electrical components such as power supplies, operational amplifiers, transformers and filters. Shielding and grounding. Design of electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. Design of sensors. Design of power transmission systems. Kinematics and dynamics of robotics devices. Basic feedback design to create robustness and performance.
This course introduces students to the control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The course will cover modeling and dynamics of aerial vehicles, and common control strategies. Laboratory exercises allow students to apply knowledge on a real system, by programming a microcontroller to control a UAV.
This course provides hands-on and real world experience in the development of innovative and realistic customer-driven engineered products, services or systems. Design methods and tools are introduced, and the student’s design ability is developed in a capstone design project or equivalent. The course is organized around the following modules: design research, analysis & synthesis, concept generation & creativity, prototyping, communication & visualization. Students will be expected to use tools and methods of professional practice and use these tools to consider the social, economic and environmental implications of their products, services or systems. There is an emphasis on hands-on innovative thinking and professional practice. We will engage product designers from industry as speakers and coaches.
Throughout the Fung Fellowship program, a diverse cohort of undergraduate students participate in a cross-disciplinary, experience-based curriculum that integrates design thinking and an immersive community experience. Fellows work in teams to develop technology solutions to address the real-world public health challenges facing at-risk populations. This course provides a space for teamwork and project-based learning.