Calendar

SES # TOPICS KEY DATES
1

Class overview

Introduction to engineering and the design process, engineering drawing, sketching, back of the envelope calculations

 
2

Basic design analysis

Free body diagrams, Newton's laws

 
3

Electronics and water: two great tastes that don't taste so great together…

Exploration with instrumentation

 
4 Hydrostatics, pressure and water proofing  
5 Holiday - no lecture Lab notebook review 1
6 Design brainstorming, project ideas, Solidworks repository development  
7

Motors and electronics

Guest lecturer: Prof. Steven Leeb, MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

 
8

Design analysis, error estimation, data presentation

Propulsion: power vs. thrust and efficiency

 
9 Engineering ethics and using your best judgment

Ethics position paper due

Lab notebook review 2

10

Communicating engineering design

Promoting your ideas/inventions

 
11

Exploration on the Moon: mission planning for EVA and geology, part 1

Guest lecturer: Prof. Dava Newman, MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics

Solidworks parts due
12

Exploration adventure part 2

Guest lecturer: Prof. Dava Newman, MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics

 
13 Student presentations: in-class design review

Parts list due

Oral team presentations

14 Design iterations, recalculations  
15 Cool robots and bomb disposal

Technical report 1 due

Lab notebook review 3

16 Bio-robots, gecko feet, and cool stuff!  
17 Engineering and society  
18 Guest lecture  
19 Pool testing at the Z-Center

Engineering problem review paper due

Lab notebook review 4

20 Engineering at MIT: choice of majors  
21 No class, optional Boston Harbor Day trip + lunch  
22 Guest lecturer: Prof. Steve Dubowsky, MIT Mechanical Engineering, mobile robots  
23 Guest lecturer: Prof. Sangbae Kim, MIT Mechanical Engineering, bioinspired design Lab notebook review 5
24 Engineering after MIT: grad school, consulting, FE exam, professional engineers certification, internships  
25 Guest lecturer: Dr. Sheri White, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, underwater exploration Technical report 2 due
26 Guest lecturer: Prof. Jeff Hoffman, MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics, aerospace engineering design Final poster due
27 Final student poster presentations Turn in lab notebooks
28 Lab clean up, evaluations