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Empedocles taught that the world is made of four elements; earth, air, fire, and water. And what of the quintessence? Physics banished the ether as that elusive fifth element, but our current age has settled on "information" as the element that permeates and connects the world. What is information? Can it be measured and manipulated like the other elements? The primary steps -- before circuits and chips and computers take charge -- are mathematical, and information became mathematical through the work of Claude Shannon on problems in communication. Shannon laid the foundations for the digital revolution that has become part of our everyday lives. The mathematics of the information age is likewise a part of your everyday life, from images to iTunes to the Internet, and the mathematics is quite accessible. We will discuss the elements of information theory and how information is represented in different ways for different purposes. We will work with the mathematical representation of signals from the classical functions of trigonometry to the spectrum of a general signal. This course will help you understand some of the profound ways mathematics is used to shape and direct these aspects of the modern world.

Preference to freshmen. The stories behind disruptive inventions such as the telegraph, telephone, wireless, television, transistor, and chip are as important as the inventions themselves, for they elucidate broadly applicable scientific principles. Focus is on studying consumer devices; projects include building batteries, energy conversion devices and semiconductors from pocket change. Students may propose topics and projects of interest to them. The trajectory of the course is determined in large part by the students themselves.

The goal of this seminar is to introduce freshmen to the design process associated with an engineering project. The seminar will consist of a series of lectures. The first part of each lecture will focus on the different design aspects of an engineering project, including formation of the design team, developing a project statement, generating design ideas and specifications, finalizing the design, and reporting the outcome. Students will form teams to follow these procedures in designing a term project of their choice over the quarter. The second part of each lecture will consist of outside speakers, including founders of some of the most exciting companies in Silicon Valley, who will share their experiences about engineering design. On-site visits to Silicon Valley companies to showcase their design processes will also be part of the course. The seminar serves three purposes: (1) it introduces students to the design process of turning an idea into a final design, (2) it presents the different functions that people play in a project, and (3) it gives students a chance to consider what role in a project would be best suited to their interests and skills.

Preference to freshmen. The first part is hands-on micro- and nano-fabrication including the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF) and the Stanford Nanocharacterization Laboratory (SNL) and field trips to local companies and other research centers to illustrate the many applications; these include semiconductor integrated circuits ('chips'), DNA microarrays, microfluidic bio-sensors and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The second part is to create, design, propose and execute a project. Most of the grade will be based on the project. By the end of the course you will, of course, be able to read critically a New York Times article on nanotechnology. More importantly you will have experienced the challenge (and fun) of designing, carrying out and presenting your own experimental project. As a result you will be better equipped to choose your major. This course can complement (and differs from) the seminars offered by Profs Philip Wong and Hari Manoharan in that it emphasizes laboratory work and an experimental student-designed project. Prerequisites: high-school physics.

The Internet is a universal communication system that spans the entire globe and enables a wide range of services. It is very loosely managed, yet it works very well. The goal of this seminar is two-fold: (i) to describe how the Internet infrastructure works (its underlying functions and protocols) and (ii) to explore the many services that it offers (web browsing, social networking, VoIP, IPTV, etc.) Students will work in groups of two on projects related to Internet functions and services.

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. The technology of major imaging modalities used for disease diagnosis: x-ray, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance; their history, societal impact, and clinical applications. Field trips to a medical center and an imaging research lab. Term paper and presentation. Prerequisites: high school physics and calculus.

Transportation accounts for nearly one-third of American energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and three-quarters of American oil consumption. It has crucial impacts on climate change, air pollution, resource depletion, and national security. Students wishing to address these issues will need to reconsider how we move, finding sustainable transportation solutions. This course will provide an introduction to the issue, covering the past and present of transportation and its impacts; examining alternative fuel proposals; and digging deeper into the most promising option: battery electric vehicles. Energy requirements of air, ground, and maritime transportation; design of electric motors, power control systems, drive trains, and batteries; and technologies for generating renewable energy. Two fun opportunities for hands-on experiences with electric cars. Prerequisites: Introduction to calculus and Physics AP or elementary mechanics.

Many "green technologies" including hybrid cars, photovoltaic energy systems, efficient power supplies, and energy-conserving control systems have at their heart intelligent, high-power electronics. This freshman seminar examines the technology at the heart of the green-tech revolution and uses green-tech examples to teach the engineering principles of modeling, optimization, analysis, simulation, and design. The class will include a hands-on lab, readings, and discussion. Preference given to Freshman.