1 - 10 of 165 results for: EE

Preference to freshmen. Musical instruments as examples of science, engineering, and the interplay between the two. The principles of operation of wind, string, and percussion instruments. Concepts include waves, resonators, sound spectra and the harmonic structure of instruments, engineering design, and the historical co-development of instruments and the science and engineering that makes them possible. Prerequisites: high school math and physics. Recommended: some experience playing a musical instrument.

How mathematics is used to shape and direct modern life and work. The mathematics of the information age including CD players, cellular phones, imaging, and the Internet.

Preference to freshmen. Most engineering curricula present truncated, linear histories of technology, but the stories behind disruptive inventions such as the telegraph, telephone, wireless, television, transistor, and chip are as important as the inventions themselves. How these stories elucidate broadly applicable scientific principles. Focus is on studying consumer devices; optional projects to build devices including semiconductors made from pocket change. Students may propose topics of interest to them.

Preference to freshmen. Hands-on operation of microscopes and micro-fabrication tools in the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, field trips to local companies engaged in the applications of micro/nanotechnologies, and guest speakers in microelectronics, MEMS, and bio- and nanotechnology. Prerequisites: high-school physics.

Nanotechnology is an often used word and it means many things to different people. Scientists and Engineers have some notion of what nanotechnology is, societal perception may be entirely different. In this course, we start with the classic paper by Richard Feynman ("There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom"), which laid down the challenge to the nanotechnologists. Then we discuss two classic books that offer a glimpse of what nanotechnology is: Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology by Eric Drexler, and Prey by Michael Crichton. Drexler's thesis sparked the imagination of what nano machinery might do, whereas Crichton's popular novel channeled the public's attention to this subject by portraying a disastrous scenario of a technology gone astray. We will use the scientific knowledge to analyze the assumptions and predictions of these classic works. We will draw upon the latest research advances to illustrate the possibilities and impossibilities of nanotechnology.

Preference to freshmen. Forms of imaging including human and animal vision systems, atomic force microscope, microscope, digital camera, holography and three-dimensional imaging, telescope, synthetic aperture radar imaging, nuclear magnetic imaging, sonar and gravitational wave imaging, and the Hubble Space telescope. Physical principles and exposure to real imaging devices and systems.

How everything from electrostatics to quantum mechanics is used in common high-technology products. Electrostatics are critical in micro-mechanical systems used in many sensors and displays, and basic EM waves are essential in all high-speed communication systems. How to propagate energy in free space. Which aspects of modern physics are needed to generate light for the operation of a DVD player or TV. Introduction to semiconductors, solid-state light bulbs, and laser pointers. Hands-on labs to connect physics to everyday experience.

Preference to freshman. Natural hazards, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, and fires, and how they affect people and society; great disasters such as asteroid impacts that periodically obliterate many species of life. Scientific issues, political and social consequences, costs of disaster mitigation, and how scientific knowledge affects policy. How spaceborne imaging technology makes it possible to respond quickly and mitigate consequences; how it is applied to natural disasters; and remote sensing data manipulation and analysis.

Lectures/discussions on topics of importance to the electrical engineering professional. Continuing education, professional societies, intellectual property and patents, ethics, entrepreneurial engineering, and engineering management.