Resources for Online Teaching and Learning: Biology, Chemistry & Physics

• Crafting Research Questions and Qualitative Methodology

  Course description
  This course covers approaches to research and evaluation in the planning field, for those preparing to write 1st-year doctoral and other research papers. Topics include narrowing down research interests, using quantitative and qualitative techniques complementarily, and interviewing and other fieldwork challenges. The course uses a seminar-type format in which readings, class discussions, and assignments are built around (1) generic themes that run across the research interests and paper topics of students in the class, and (2) lessons about methodology to be learned from the case comparison studies assigned.

   

• Survival Skills for Researchers: The Responsible Conduct of Research

  Course description
  This course is designed to provide graduate students and postdoctoral associates with techniques that enhance both validity and responsible conduct in scientific practice. Lectures present practical steps for developing skills in scientific research and are combined with discussion of cases. The course covers study design, preparation of proposals and manuscripts, peer review, authorship, use of humans and non-human animals in research, allegations of misconduct, and intellectual property. Also discussed are mentoring relationships and career options. Aspects of responsible research conduct are integrated into lectures and case discussion as appropriate to the specific topic. This course also satisfies the training grant requirements of the NIH for education in the responsible conduct of research.

Visualization for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education

• Writing Recommendation Letters Online

  Course description
  Building on the foundation laid by the popular earlier print editions of his faculty handbook on writing recommendation letters, Joe Schall digs deeper in this new online edition, addressing issues ranging from the ethical considerations faculty wrestle with when writing letters to the new challenges posed by the information age. Citing sources ranging from The Chronicle of Higher Education to refereed journal articles to excerpts from listserv discussions among scholarship directors, this handbook advises faculty on the best practices when writing letters for students, as well as informs writers about nine of the nation's top scholarships and the detail that selectors crave in winning scholarship reference letters.

   

• Writing Personal Statements Online

  Course description
  For students, personal statements and application essays are among the most difficult and most important documents they will ever write. They are difficult because they require both introspection and polish, and important because the writer may literally be competing for tens of thousands of dollars in a huge field of outstanding candidates. A writing tutor who has provided guidance on more than a thousand graduate applications, Joe Schall advises you on how to be competitive but not cocky, informed but not formulaic, openly creative yet professional. As you consider ways to write your way into your future, count on this website to help you grow and thrive in the process.

   

• Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age

  Course description
  For students and others who read it, this style manual quickly becomes a favorite resource. Whether planning a paper, running a grammar check, completing a report, composing an email, puzzling over a usage or grammar issue, or writing a resume or online portfolio, you are bound to find the material and examples you need in Style for Students Online. Drawing from his breadth of experience as a tutor, teacher, editor, and creative writer, Joe Schall provides technical writing advice that spans from the conceptual to the niggling. Thoughtful, practical, up-to-date, and rich in pith, Style for Students Online should be bookmarked as one of your oft-visited websites.

   

• Advanced Writing Seminar

  Course description
  The purpose of this seminar is to expose the student to a number of different types of writing that one may encounter in a professional career. The class is an opportunity to write, review, rewrite and present a point of view both orally and in written form.

   

• Graduate Technical Writing Workshop

  Course description
  This course is designed to improve the student's ability to communicate technical information. It covers the basics of working with sources, including summarizing and paraphrasing, synthesizing source materials, citing, quoting, and avoiding plagiarism. It also covers how to write an abstract and a literature review. In addition, we will cover communication concepts, tools, and strategies that can help you understand how engineering texts work, and how you can make your texts work more effectively.

• Advanced Workshop in Writing for Science and Engineering
  Course description
  This course offers analysis and practice of various forms of scientific and technical writing, from memos to journal articles, in addition to strategies for conveying technical information to specialist and non-specialist audiences. The goal of the workshop is to develop effective writing skills for academic and professional contexts. Models, materials, topics and assignments vary from term to term. 

• Science Writing and New Media: Communicating Science to the Public

  Course description
  This course provides an introduction to writing about science (including medicine, technology, and engineering) for general readers. With a strong emphasis in background research, this course will help students build a foundation for strong science writing. Students will read works by accomplished science writers. Each assignment will focus on a different popular form, such as news articles, interviews, essays, and short features.

   

• Science Writing and New Media: Explorations in Communicating about Science & Technology

  Course description
  Proficiency in communicating about science and technology comes from both knowledge and practice, and this course emphasizes both. Through a variety of reading and writing assignments, we will examine general principles of good writing, as well as principles associated specifically with scientific and technical writing. We will also explore the effects of new media as avenues for communicating about science.

   

• Science Communication: A Practical Guide

  Course description
  This class develops the abilities of students to communicate science effectively in a variety of real-world contexts. It covers strategies for dealing with complex areas like theoretical physics, genomics and neuroscience, and addresses challenges in communicating about topics such as climate change and evolution. Projects focus on speaking and writing, being an expert witness, preparing briefings for policy-makers, writing blogs, and giving live interviews for broadcast, as well as the creation of an interactive exhibit for display in the MIT Museum.

   

• Writing in the Sciences

  Course description
  This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, peer review, grant writing, ethical issues in scientific publication, and writing for general audiences.

• Cell Biology

  Course description
  This course deals with the biology of cells of higher organisms: The structure, function, and biosynthesis of cellular membranes and organelles; cell growth and oncogenic transformation; transport, receptors, and cell signaling; the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and cell movements; chromatin structure and RNA synthesis.

   

• Cell Biology: Structure and Functions of the Nucleus

  Course description
  The goal of this course is to teach both the fundamentals of nuclear cell biology as well as the methodological and experimental approaches upon which they are based. Lectures and class discussions will cover the background and fundamental findings in a particular area of nuclear cell biology. The assigned readings will provide concrete examples of the experimental approaches and logic used to establish these findings. Some examples of topics include genome and systems biology, transcription, and gene expression.

   

• A Double-Edged Sword: Cellular Immunity in Health and Disease

  Course description
  Immune cells protect our bodies from both self-derived threats and exogenous pathogens, while keeping peace with normal cells and non-harmful commensal microbiota. They have various mechanisms to perform these tasks, a capacity that is essential for maintaining homeostasis. However, these same mechanisms can backfire, resulting in severe disorders such as immunodeficiency, chronic inflammation, allergy, degenerative diseases, and cancer. This course discusses the connections between normal physiology and disease by examining the developmental relationship between innate and adaptive immune cells as well as the functions and malfunctions of immune cells. The course familiarizes students with both basic biological principles (such as cell death and immune cell signaling) and clinical applications (such as immune checkpoint blockade). More generally, students learn to identify relevant primary research literature, critically evaluate experimental data, and reach their own conclusions based on primary data.

   

• Cellular Metabolism and Cancer: Nature or Nurture?

  Course description
  In this course we will explore how altered metabolism drives cancer progression. Students will learn (1) how to read, discuss, and critically evaluate scientific findings in the primary research literature, (2) how scientists experimentally approach fundamental issues in biology and medicine, (3) how recent findings have challenged the traditional “textbook” understanding of metabolism and given us new insight into cancer, and (4) how a local pharmaceutical company is developing therapeutics to target cancer metabolism in an effort to revolutionize cancer therapy.

   

• The RNA Revolution: At the Frontiers of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine

  Course description
  In this course, we will investigate the diverse types and functions of different RNA species, with a focus on "non-coding RNAs," i.e. those that do not directly encode proteins. The course will convey both the exciting discoveries in and frontiers of RNA research that are propelling our understanding of cell biology as well as the intellectual and experimental approaches responsible. The molecular biology revolution firmly established the role of DNA as the primary carrier of genetic information and proteins as the primary effector molecules of the cell. The intermediate between DNA and proteins is RNA, which initially was regarded as the "molecule in the middle" of the central dogma. This view has been transformed over the past two decades, as RNA has become recognized as a critical regulator of cellular processes.

• Ecology I: The Earth System

  Course description
  We will cover fundamentals of ecology, considering Earth as an integrated dynamic system. Topics include coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and oceans; photosynthesis and respiration; the hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles. We will examine the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems; regulation of the distribution and abundance of organisms; structure and function of ecosystems, including evolution and natural selection; metabolic diversity; productivity; trophic dynamics; models of population growth, competition, mutualism and predation. This course is designated as Communication-Intensive; instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Biology is a recommended prerequisite.

   

• Ecology II: Engineering for Sustainability

  Course description
  This course provides a review of physical, chemical, ecological, and economic principles used to examine interactions between humans and the natural environment. Mass balance concepts are applied to ecology, chemical kinetics, hydrology, and transportation; energy balance concepts are applied to building design, ecology, and climate change; and economic and life cycle concepts are applied to resource evaluation and engineering design. Numerical models are used to integrate concepts and to assess environmental impacts of human activities. Problem sets involve development of MATLAB® models for particular engineering applications. Some experience with computer programming is helpful but not essential.

   

• Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior

  Course description
  his course presents the principles of evolution, ecology, and behavior for students beginning their study of biology and of the environment. It discusses major ideas and results in a manner accessible to all Yale College undergraduates. Recent advances have energized these fields with results that have implications well beyond their boundaries: ideas, mechanisms, and processes that should form part of the toolkit of all biologists and educated citizens.

• Introductory Biology

  Course description
  7.016 Introductory Biology provides an introduction to fundamental principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics for understanding the functions of living systems. Taught for the first time in Fall 2013, this course covers examples of the use of chemical biology and twenty-first-century molecular genetics in understanding human health and therapeutic intervention.

   

• Introductory Biology

  Course description
  The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms.

   

• Introductory Biology

  Course description
  Introductory biology courses from University of California, Davis.

   

• Biology Tutorials with Worksheets

  Course description
  In this video tutorial series, study the fundamentals of a freshman Biology course while completing all the work on the provided worksheets.

• Genetics

  Course description
  This course discusses the principles of genetics with application to the study of biological function at the level of molecules, cells, and multicellular organisms, including humans. The topics include: structure and function of genes, chromosomes and genomes, biological variation resulting from recombination, mutation, and selection, population genetics, use of genetic methods to analyze protein function, gene regulation and inherited disease.

   

• Genetics

  Course description
  An introductory genetics course from University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

   

• Useful Genetics

  Course description
  This college-level course gives students a thorough understanding of gene function, and enables them to apply this understanding to real-world issues, both personal and societal.

   

• Principles of Mendelian and Molecular genetics

  Course description
  Integrates principles of Mendelian and molecular genetics toward understanding structure and function of the gene. Emphasizes quantitative analysis of genetic data and explores current issues of genetic engineering from technical and ethical viewpoints.

   

• Experimental Molecular Genetics

  Course description
  This project-based laboratory course provides students with in-depth experience in experimental molecular genetics, using modern methods of molecular biology and genetics to conduct original research. The course is geared towards students (including sophomores) who have a strong interest in a future career in biomedical research. This semester will focus on chemical genetics using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. Students will gain experience in research rationale and methods, as well as training in the planning, execution, and communication of experimental biology.

   

• The X in Sex: A Genetic, Medical, and Evolutionary View of the X Chromosome

  Course description
  This course will explore a diverse collection of striking biological phenomena associated with the X chromosome. We will examine the genetic basis and significance of several X-linked mutations. We will also discuss why men are more likely than women to display X-linked traits. We will look at the different mechanisms by which X chromosome gene expression is equalized in mammals, flies, and worms and how these mechanisms can yield unusual phenotypes. Throughout our discussions of the X chromosome we will use both recent and classic primary research papers to learn about this chromosome's fascinating biology.

   

• Computational Personal Genomics: Making Sense of Complete Genomes

  Course description
  With the growing availability and lowering costs of genotyping and personal genome sequencing, the focus has shifted from the ability to obtain the sequence to the ability to make sense of the resulting information. This course is aimed at exploring the computational challenges associated with interpreting how sequence differences between individuals lead to phenotypic differences in gene expression, disease predisposition, or response to treatment.

• Introductory Microbiology

  Course description
  An introductory microbiology course from Northwest University.

   

• Principles of Microbiology

  Course description
  This is a course on microbiology given at Colby Community College by Heidi Bulfer The textbook used in this course is: Talaro & Chess. 2012. Foundations in Microbiology. 8th ed. McGraw Hill.

   

• Systems Microbiology

  Course description
  This course covers introductory microbiology from a systems perspective, considering microbial diversity, population dynamics, and genomics. Emphasis is placed on the delicate balance between microbes and humans, and the changes that result in the emergence of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The case study approach covers such topics as vaccines, toxins, biodefense, and infections including Legionnaire’s disease, tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, and plague.

   

• Unusual Biology: The Science of Emerging Pathogens

  Course description
  Infectious diseases represent a serious global public health problem. They have the potential to kill millions of people, whether they emerge naturally as outbreaks or pandemics, or deliberately through bioterrorism. Some examples of diseases caused by emerging pathogens are the Bubonic Plague, Toxoplasmosis, African Sleeping Sickness, and Chagas Disease. Each day, infectious disease scientists serve on the front lines protecting us from such threats. In this course students will learn how to design and critique experiments through the discussion of primary research articles that explore the molecular basis of disease caused by emerging pathogens.

   

• Virology

  Course description
  In this course, Prof. Vincent Racaniello gives 26 video lectures on Virology. The course will emphasize the common reactions that must be completed by all viruses for successful reproduction within a host cell and survival and spread within a host population.

   

• Sophisticated Survival Skills of Simple Microorganisms

  Course description
  In this course, we will discuss the microbial physiology and genetics of stress responses in aquatic ecosystems, astrobiology, bacterial pathogenesis and other environments. We will learn about classical and novel methods utilized by researchers to uncover bacterial mechanisms induced under both general and environment-specific stresses. Finally, we will compare and contrast models for bacterial stress responses to gain an understanding of distinct mechanisms of survival and of why there are differences among bacterial genera.

   

• The Microbiome and Drug Delivery: Cross-species Communication in Health and Disease

  Course description
  There are more microbes permanently living in our gut than there are cells in the human body. This rich community of bacteria, fungi and viruses, called the microbiome, plays a central role in human health and disease. Recent research has linked this passenger community to nutrition, circadian rhythms, infectious disease, inflammatory disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and even immune system and nervous system development. How can we analyze such a complex system? Can we exploit the microbiome to improve human health? Can interactions with microbes be harnessed for drug delivery? In this course, we will learn to critically assess the primary scientific literature to find answers to these questions and learn to distinguish between correlation and causality. We will learn how mechanistic insights and emerging tools, such as synthetic biology and microfluidics, together are transforming microbiome research, and might lead to new types of therapeutics and drug delivery for improving human health.

• Introduction to Neural Computation

  Course description
  This course introduces quantitative approaches to understanding brain and cognitive functions. Topics include mathematical description of neurons, the response of neurons to sensory stimuli, simple neuronal networks, statistical inference and decision making. It also covers foundational quantitative tools of data analysis in neuroscience: correlation, convolution, spectral analysis, principal components analysis, and mathematical concepts including simple differential equations and linear algebra.

   

• Brain Structure and Its Origins

  Course description
  This course provides an outline of vertebrate functional neuroanatomy, aided by studies of comparative neuroanatomy and evolution, and by studies of brain development. Topics include early steps to a central nervous system, basic patterns of brain and spinal cord connections, regional development and differentiation, regeneration, motor and sensory pathways and structures, systems underlying motivations, innate action patterns, formation of habits, and various cognitive functions. In addition, lab techniques are reviewed and students perform brain dissections.

   

• Biological Bases of Learning and Memory

  Course description
  How does the brain come to learn whether a stimulus is annoying, rewarding or neutral? How does remembering how to ride a bicycle differ from remembering scenes from a movie? In this course, students will explore the concept that learning and memory have a physical basis that can be observed as biochemical, physiological and/or morphological changes to neural tissue. Our goal will be to understand the strategies and techniques biologists use to search for the memory trace: the "holy grail" of modern neuroscience.

   

• Fine-Tuning the Synapse: Synaptic Functions and Dysfunction

  Course description
  The synapse is the fundamental element by which neurons transmit, receive and transform information in the brain. Synapses are functionally diverse, and a single neuron in the brain receives up to 10,000 synapses. Given the enormous complexity of the nervous system, how does a neuron integrate, encode and retrieve information? How is information processed beyond a single cell within the context of a neuronal circuit? Fundamental synaptic mechanisms underlie expression of higher-order brain functions, such as learning and memory, and cognition. Conversely, the disruption of synaptic processes contributes to the development of neurological disorders. In this course, students will learn to critically analyze the primary research literature to explore how synapses are studied and to understand how synapses integrate information to perform higher-order behavior.

   

• Systems Neuroscience Lab

  Course description
  Systems Neuroscience Laboratory consists of a series of laboratories designed to give students experience with basic techniques for conducting systems neuroscience research. It includes sessions on anatomical, neurophysiological, and data acquisition and analysis techniques, and the ways these techniques are used to study nervous system function. Training is provided in the art of scientific writing with feedback designed to improve writing skills. Assignments include weekly preparation for lab sessions, two major research reports and a series of basic computer programming tutorials (MATLAB®). The class involves the use of experimental animals.

• Biochemistry

  Course description
  A first semester biochemistry course from California State University, Chico.

   

• Principles of Biochemistry

  Course description
  This course by Purdue University covers the basic principles of biochemistry covering topics such as amino acids, enzymes, protein function, lipids and membranes, glycosis, citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and electron transport, etc.

   

• Principles of Biochemistry

  Course description
  This introduction to biochemistry from Harvard University explores the molecules of life, starting at simple building blocks and culminating in complex metabolism.

   

• Graduate Biochemistry

  Course description
  The tools and analytical methods that biochemists use to dissect biological problems. Analysis of the mode of action and structure of regulatory, binding, and catalytic proteins.

   

• Biological Chemistry I

  Course description
  This course examines the chemical and physical properties of the cell and its building blocks, with special emphasis on the structures of proteins and principles of catalysis, as well as the chemistry of organic / inorganic cofactors required for chemical transformations within the cell. Topics encompass the basic principles of metabolism and regulation in pathways, including glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis / degradation, pentose phosphate pathway, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

   

• Biological Chemistry II

  Course description
  This course is an advanced treatment of biochemical mechanisms that underlie biological processes. Topics include macromolecular machines such as the ribosome, the proteasome, fatty acid synthases as a paradigm for polyketide synthases and non-ribosomal polypeptide synthases, and polymerases. Emphasis will be given to the experimental methods used to unravel how these processes fit into the cellular context as well as the coordinated regulation of these processes.

   

• Biochemistry Laboratory

  Course description
  The course, which spans two thirds of a semester, provides students with a research-inspired laboratory experience that introduces standard biochemical techniques in the context of investigating a current and exciting research topic, acquired resistance to the cancer drug Gleevec. Techniques include protein expression, purification, and gel analysis, PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, kinase activity assays, and protein structure viewing.

• General Chemistry

  Course description
  A general chemistry course from Rutgers University.

   

• General Chemistry II

  Course description
  A course from Oregon Institute of Technology covering electronic structure of atoms, periodic trends, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, intermolecular forces, phase transitions, and properties of solutions. Emphasis on engineering applications.

   

• Advanced General Chemistry I

  Course description
  An advanced general chemistry course from New York University.

   

• General Chemistry for Applied Sciences

  Course description
  A general chemistry Libretexts Textmap organized around the textbook General Chemistry -Atoms First By OpenStax.

   

• General Chemistry Laboratory Experiments

  Course description
  A series of short HD videos showing freshman chemistry laboratory experiments.

   

• Principles of Chemical Science

  Course description
  This course provides an introduction to the chemistry of biological, inorganic, and organic molecules. The emphasis is on basic principles of atomic and molecular electronic structure, thermodynamics, acid-base and redox equilibria, chemical kinetics, and catalysis.

   

• Fundamentals of Chemistry

  Course description
  This Textmap is an introductory chemistry text aimed for a single semester or quarter beginning experience to the chemistry field. This Textmap surveys some of the basic topics of chemistry and should give students enough knowledge to appreciate the impact of chemistry in everyday life and, if necessary, prepare students for additional instruction in chemistry.

• Inorganic Chemistry

  Course description
  This course is an introduction to modern inorganic chemistry. Topics include principles of structure, bonding, and chemical reactivity with application to compounds of the main group and transition elements, including organometallic chemistry.

   

• Principles of Inorganic Chemistry II (Undergraduate)

  Course description
  This course provides a systematic presentation of the chemical applications of group theory with emphasis on the formal development of the subject and its applications to the physical methods of inorganic chemical compounds. Against the backdrop of electronic structure, the electronic, vibrational, and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes are presented and their investigation by the appropriate spectroscopy described.

   

• Principles of Inorganic Chemistry III (Graduate)

  Course description
  This course covers the principles of main group (s and p block) element chemistry with an emphasis on synthesis, structure, bonding, and reaction mechanisms.

   

• Advanced Inorganic Laboratory

  Course description
  An advanced inorganic laboratory course from Johns Hopkins University.

• Freshman Organic Chemistry I & II

  Course description
  A two-semester introductory course focused on current theories of structure and mechanism in organic chemistry, their historical development, and their basis in experimental observation. The course is open to freshmen with excellent preparation in chemistry and physics, and it aims to develop both taste for original science and intellectual skills necessary for creative research.

   

• Organic Chemistry for Chemistry Majors (1st semester)

  Course description
  A comprehensive study of the chemical principles underlying aliphatic and aromatic compounds. The syntheses and reactions of these materials are discussed. Modern theory and stereochemistry are stressed to illustrate the logic inherent in the subject matter and to demonstrate the predictability of many chemical transformations. Recommended for students majoring in chemistry.

   

• Organic Chemistry for Chemistry Majors (2nd semester)

  Course description
  A continuation of CHM 26505, but a broader scope. The chemistry of a variety of functional groups is discussed. Theory is employed extensively to demonstrate the coherence underlying seemingly diverse transformations. Qualitative organic analysis is introduced, with particular emphasis on spectroscopic methods.

   

• Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry I

  Course description
  An organic chemistry course from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

   

• Organic Chemistry II

  Course description
  This intermediate organic chemistry course focuses on the methods used to identify the structure of organic molecules, advanced principles of organic stereochemistry, organic reaction mechanisms, and methods used for the synthesis of organic compounds. Additional special topics include illustrating the role of organic chemistry in biology, medicine, and industry.

   

• Advanced Organic Chemistry

  Course description
  This course deals with the 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.

   

• Organic Structure Determination

  Course description
  This course covers modern and advanced methods of elucidation of the structures of organic molecules, including NMR, MS, and IR (among others). The fundamental physical and chemical principles of each method will be discussed. The major emphasis of this course is on structure determination by way of interpreting the data (generally in the form of a spectrum or spectra) that each method provides.

   

• Introduction to Organic Synthesis Laboratory

  Course description
  This course, which spans a third of a semester, provides students with experience using techniques employed in synthetic organic chemistry. It also introduces them to the exciting research area of catalytic chiral catalysis.

• Physical Chemistry

  Course description
  This course is an introduction to quantum mechanics for use by chemists. Topics include particles and waves, wave mechanics, semi-classical quantum mechanics, matrix mechanics, perturbation theory, molecular orbital theory, molecular structure, molecular spectroscopy, and photochemistry. Emphasis is on creating and building confidence in the use of intuitive pictures.

   

• Physical Chemistry II

  Course description
  This course covers elementary statistical mechanics, transport properties, kinetic theory, solid state, reaction rate theory, and chemical reaction dynamics.

   

• Electrochemical Energy System

  Course description
  This course introduces principles and mathematical models of electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Students study equivalent circuits, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, electrostatics, porous media, and phase transformations. In addition, this course includes applications to batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and electrokinetics.

   

• Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

  Course description
  This course discusses the principles and methods of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Basic topics covered are stochastic processes, regression and response theory, molecular hydrodynamics, and complex liquids. Selected applications, including fluctuation theorems, condensed phase reaction rate theory, electron transfer dynamics, enzymatic networks, photon counting statistics, single molecule kinetics, reaction-controlled diffusion, may also be discussed.

   

• Introduction to Nanoelectronics

  Course description
  Traditionally, progress in electronics has been driven by miniaturization. But as electronic devices approach the molecular scale, classical models for device behavior must be abandoned. To prepare for the next generation of electronic devices, this class teaches the theory of current, voltage and resistance from atoms up. To describe electrons at the nanoscale, we will begin with an introduction to the principles of quantum mechanics, including quantization, the wave-particle duality, wavefunctions and Schrödinger's equation. Then we will consider the electronic properties of molecules, carbon nanotubes and crystals, including energy band formation and the origin of metals, insulators and semiconductors. Electron conduction will be taught beginning with ballistic transport and concluding with a derivation of Ohm's law. We will then compare ballistic to bulk MOSFETs. The class will conclude with a discussion of possible fundamental limits to computation.

• Electromagnetic Fields, Forces, and Motion

  Course description
  This course examines electric and magnetic quasistatic forms of Maxwell's equations applied to dielectric, conduction, and magnetization boundary value problems. Topics covered include: electromagnetic forces, force densities, and stress tensors, including magnetization and polarization; thermodynamics of electromagnetic fields, equations of motion, and energy conservation; applications to synchronous, induction, and commutator machines; sensors and transducers; microelectromechanical systems; propagation and stability of electromechanical waves; and charge transport phenomena.

   

• Electromagnetism II

  Course description
  This course is the second in a series on Electromagnetism beginning with Electromagnetism I (8.02 or 8.022). It is a survey of basic electromagnetic phenomena: electrostatics; magnetostatics; electromagnetic properties of matter; time-dependent electromagnetic fields; Maxwell's equations; electromagnetic waves; emission, absorption, and scattering of radiation; and relativistic electrodynamics and mechanics.

   

• Electromagnetics and Applications

  Course description
  This course explores electromagnetic phenomena in modern applications, including wireless and optical communications, circuits, computer interconnects and peripherals, microwave communications and radar, antennas, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, and power generation and transmission. Fundamentals include quasistatic and dynamic solutions to Maxwell's equations; waves, radiation, and diffraction; coupling to media and structures; guided waves; resonance; acoustic analogs; and forces, power, and energy.

   

• Electromagnetic Energy: From Motors to Lasers

  Course description
  This course discusses applications of electromagnetic and equivalent quantum mechanical principles to classical and modern devices. It covers energy conversion and power flow in both macroscopic and quantum-scale electrical and electromechanical systems, including electric motors and generators, electric circuit elements, quantum tunneling structures and instruments. It studies photons as waves and particles and their interaction with matter in optoelectronic devices, including solar cells, displays, and lasers.

• Fundamentals of Physics I

  Course description
  This course provides a thorough introduction to the principles and methods of physics for students who have good preparation in physics and mathematics. Emphasis is placed on problem solving and quantitative reasoning. This course covers Newtonian mechanics, special relativity, gravitation, thermodynamics, and waves.

   

• Fundamentals of Physics II

  Course description
  This is a continuation of Fundamentals of Physics, I (PHYS 200), the introductory course on the principles and methods of physics for students who have good preparation in physics and mathematics. This course covers electricity, magnetism, optics and quantum mechanics.

• Classical Mechanics

  Course description
  This first course in the physics curriculum introduces classical mechanics. Historically, a set of core concepts—space, time, mass, force, momentum, torque, and angular momentum—were introduced in classical mechanics in order to solve the most famous physics problem, the motion of the planets. The principles of mechanics successfully described many other phenomena encountered in the world. Conservation laws involving energy, momentum and angular momentum provided a second parallel approach to solving many of the same problems. In this course, we will investigate both approaches: Force and conservation laws. Our goal is to develop a conceptual understanding of the core concepts, a familiarity with the experimental verification of our theoretical laws, and an ability to apply the theoretical framework to describe and predict the motions of bodies.

   

• Classical Mechanics II

  Course description
  This undergraduate course is a broad, theoretical treatment of classical mechanics, useful in its own right for treating complex dynamical problems, but essential to understanding the foundations of quantum mechanics and statistical physics.

   

• Classical Mechanics III

  Course description
  This course covers Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, systems with constraints, rigid body dynamics, vibrations, central forces, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, action-angle variables, perturbation theory, and continuous systems. It provides an introduction to ideal and viscous fluid mechanics, including turbulence, as well as an introduction to nonlinear dynamics, including chaos.

   

• Dynamics

  Course description
  This course covers the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics, including kinematics, motion relative to accelerated reference frames, work and energy, impulse and momentum, 2D and 3D rigid body dynamics. The course pays special attention to applications in aerospace engineering including introductory topics in orbital mechanics, flight dynamics, inertial navigation and attitude dynamics. By the end of the semester, students should be able to construct idealized (particle and rigid body) dynamical models and predict model response to applied forces using Newtonian mechanics.

   

• Structural Mechanics

  Course description
  Applies solid mechanics to analysis of high-technology structures. Structural design considerations. Review of three-dimensional elasticity theory; stress, strain, anisotropic materials, and heating effects. Two-dimensional plane stress and plane strain problems. Torsion theory for arbitrary sections. Bending of unsymmetrical section and mixed material beams. Bending, shear, and torsion of thin-wall shell beams. Buckling of columns and stability phenomena. Introduction to structural dynamics. Exercises in the design of general and aerospace structures.

   

• Dynamics of Nonlinear Systems

  Course description
  This course provides an introduction to nonlinear deterministic dynamical systems. Topics covered include: nonlinear ordinary differential equations; planar autonomous systems; fundamental theory: Picard iteration, contraction mapping theorem, and Bellman-Gronwall lemma; stability of equilibria by Lyapunov's first and second methods; feedback linearization; and application to nonlinear circuits and control systems.

• Statistical Physics I

  Course description
  This course offers an introduction to probability, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Numerous examples are used to illustrate a wide variety of physical phenomena such as magnetism, polyatomic gases, thermal radiation, electrons in solids, and noise in electronic devices.

   

• Statistical Physics II

  Course description
  This course covers probability distributions for classical and quantum systems. Topics include: Microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical partition-functions and associated thermodynamic potentials. Also discussed are conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium for homogenous and heterogenous systems.

   

• Statistical Mechanics II: Statistical Physics of Fields

  Course description
  This is the second term in a two-semester course on statistical mechanics. Basic principles are examined in this class, such as the laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of temperature, work, heat, and entropy. Topics from modern statistical mechanics are also explored, including the hydrodynamic limit and classical field theories.

   

• Applied Quantum and Statistical Physics

  Course description
  6.728 is offered under the department's "Devices, Circuits, and Systems" concentration. The course covers concepts in elementary quantum mechanics and statistical physics, introduces applied quantum physics, and emphasizes an experimental basis for quantum mechanics. Concepts covered include: Schrodinger's equation applied to the free particle, tunneling, the harmonic oscillator, and hydrogen atom, variational methods, Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, and Boltzmann distribution functions, and simple models for metals, semiconductors, and devices such as electron microscopes, scanning tunneling microscope, thermonic emitters, atomic force microscope, and others.

• Quantum Theory I

  Course description
  This is the first semester of a two-semester graduate-level subject on quantum theory, stressing principles. Quantum theory explains the nature and behavior of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level. Topics include Fundamental Concepts, Quantum Dynamics, Composite Systems, Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics, and Approximation Methods.

   

• Quantum Physics III

  Course description
  This course is a continuation of 8.05 Quantum Physics II. It introduces some of the important model systems studied in contemporary physics, including two-dimensional electron systems, the fine structure of hydrogen, lasers, and particle scattering.

   

• Quantum Physics III

  Course description
  8.06 is the third course in the three-sequence physics undergraduate Quantum Mechanics curriculum. By the end of this course, you will be able to interpret and analyze a wide range of quantum mechanical systems using both exact analytic techniques and various approximation methods. This course will introduce some of the important model systems studied in contemporary physics, including two-dimensional electron systems, the fine structure of Hydrogen, lasers, and particle scattering.

   

• Relativistic Quantum Field Theory II

  Course description
  This course is the second course of the quantum field theory trimester sequence beginning with Relativistic Quantum Field Theory I (8.323) and ending with Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III (8.325). It develops in depth some of the topics discussed in 8.323 and introduces some advanced material.

   

• Selected Topics in Theoretical Particle Physics: Branes and Gauge Theory Dynamics

  Course description
  This course is an introduction to branes in string theory and their world volume dynamics. Instead of looking at the theory from the point of view of the world-sheet observer, we will approach the problem from the point of view of an observer which lives on a brane. Instead of writing down conformal field theory on the world-sheet and studying the properties of these theories, we will look at various branes in string theory and ask how the physics on their world-volume looks like.

• Thermal Energy

  Course description
  This course is taught in four main parts. The first is a review of fundamental thermodynamic concepts (e.g. energy exchange in propulsion and power processes), and is followed by the second law (e.g. reversibility and irreversibility, lost work). Next are applications of thermodynamics to engineering systems (e.g. propulsion and power cycles, thermo chemistry), and the course concludes with fundamentals of heat transfer (e.g. heat exchange in aerospace devices).

   

• Thermodynamics & Kinetics

  Course description
  This subject deals primarily with equilibrium properties of macroscopic systems, basic thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium of reactions in gas and solution phase, and rates of chemical reactions.

   

• Internal Combustion Engines

  Course description
  This course studies the fundamentals of how the design and operation of internal combustion engines affect their performance, efficiency, fuel requirements, and environmental impact. Topics include fluid flow, thermodynamics, combustion, heat transfer and friction phenomena, and fuel properties, with reference to engine power, efficiency, and emissions. Students examine the design features and operating characteristics of different types of internal combustion engines: spark-ignition, diesel, stratified-charge, and mixed-cycle engines. The class includes lab project in the Engine Laboratory.

   

• Introduction to Heat Transfer

  Course description
  This course is an introduction to the principal concepts and methods of heat transfer. The objectives of this integrated subject are to develop the fundamental principles and laws of heat transfer and to explore the implications of these principles for system behavior; to formulate the models necessary to study, analyze and design heat transfer systems through the application of these principles; to develop the problem-solving skills essential to good engineering practice of heat transfer in real-world applications.