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IAP 2010 Activities by Category

Engineering

"Fuel Your Mind" -- A Primer on Transportation Fuels, Current and Future
William H. Green (MIT Dept. of Chem. Eng.), George Huff & Jim Simnick (BP Global Fuels Technology)
Thu Jan 14, 09am-04:00pm, 56-114

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up

The goal of this short course is to gain a better understanding of fuels using a combination of video, photos, diagrams, text and audio. The material is based on seminars our fuels technology staff has given to automotive mechanics, as well as our marketing and advertising agencies. We have included four modules which deal with the most common topics that have been requested at these seminars. These include:
1. Refining, Supply and Pricing
2. Gasoline
3. Biofuels
4. Ethanol & E-85


Contact: William Green, 66-207, x3-4580, whgreen@mit.edu
Sponsor: Chemical Engineering

Adventures in Scanning Electron Microscopy
Donald Galler
Tue Jan 12, Thu Jan 14, 09am-05:00pm, 4-141, 1 hour lunch break

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 01-Jan-2010
Limited to 20 participants.
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: Attendees must be present for the entire day.

The seminar is an introduction to the basic operation of a scanning electron microscope. The basic operating principles will be covered and the attendees will be trained on the use of the microscope. This is a modern scanning electron microscope with several advanced features: low pressure chamber, computer controlled positioning stage. The SEM is equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy system for elemental analysis. Attendees will also be familiarized with the operation and capabilities of the EDS system. Attendees are encouraged to bring samples for exploration.

Note: 10 attendees per session.
Contact: Donald Galler, 4-133, x3-4554, dgaller@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Engineering

Air Traffic Management Decision Support Systems and Field Data Collection Techniques
Dr. Hayley Reynolds, Dr. Tom Reynolds
Mon Jan 25 thru Fri Jan 29, 09am-03:00pm, 36-155

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 18-Jan-2010
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None

Participants gain a basic understanding of air traffic control and the practical issues in designing and evaluating decision support tools for this domain. Taught by AeroAstro and Lincoln Laboratory staff, topics include an introduction to air traffic control, field data collection techniques, and field data consolidation. The classroom portion occurs on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Wednesday or Thursday is spent at Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and/or Boston Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) air traffic facilities performing field observations. The workshop provides initial training for students wishing to pursue UROPs or graduate work in the area of ATC field evaluations in conjunction with Lincoln Laboratory in the summer of 2010. No prior air traffic control knowledge is required.
Contact: Dr. Hayley Reynolds, (781) 981-3309, hayley@ll.mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Cosponsor: Lincoln Laboratory

An Introduction to Mathematical Modeling
Louis Atsaves, Andrew Spann
Thu Jan 14, 12-01:00pm, 2-131

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none

Guest speaker Andrew Spann will be giving a talk on mathematical modeling. Andrew Spann was the winner of the MCM contest and was apart of the MIT "dream team" which one an award four consecutive years in a year row. This event will be sponsored by the MIT Math Modeling Club.
Contact: Louis Atsaves, 2-131, latsaves@mit.edu
Sponsor: Louis C Atsaves, SIMMONS HALL # 1044, 617 452-2136, latsaves@mit.edu

Athletic Performance Engineering
Dave Clarke
Fri Jan 22, 01:30-04:30pm, 56-154
Sat Jan 23, 09:30am-12:30pm, 56-154

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 22-Jan-2010
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

This course covers the latest in the science of athletic training and performance. In the first class, we will discuss basic exercise physiology, principles of training and periodization, and motivate the need for an engineering approach to athletic training. The second class will feature methods for quantifying training data and using this data in computer models to predict performance. Case studies from world champion professional athletes will be presented. While this course is geared towards endurance sport performance, the principles apply to many other sports.
Contact: Dave Clarke, 16-463, x4-5671, clarkedc@mit.edu
Sponsor: Biological Engineering

Aviation Accident Investigation or Agatha Christie for Engineers
Brian Nield (Boeing Commercial Airplane), Chuck Oman
Tue Jan 12, Wed Jan 13, Thu Jan 14, 02-03:00pm, Room 33-319, Thurs 2-4 pm

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 07-Jan-2010
Limited to 24 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Spreadsheet Skills (Excel); Some Familiarity with Aviation

Commercial aviation is extremely safe, in part due to knowledge gained from studying accidents. The investigation process and some of the most significant accidents are discussed. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to work with their peers in a small, self-directed, investigative team to solve a realistic (but fictional) aircraft accident mystery. New information on the crash will be given out each session as you piece together the facts to determine what caused the accident and build recommendations for improving flying safety.
Web: http://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/16/ia09/16.ai/index.html
Contact: Liz Zotos, 37-219, x3-7805, zotos@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Boeing 767 Cockpit Systems and Automation
Dr. Charles Oman, Brian Nield (Boeing Commercial Airplane), and Colleagues.
Mon Jan 11 thru Fri Jan 15, 09am-05:00pm, Room 33-218

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 24-Dec-2009
Limited to 12 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Basic flight simulator flying skills (see below).

Are you an aero-engineering student, pilot, or serious desktop flight simulator user? Want to understand how transport aircraft systems and automation work? Boeing and MIT Aero/Astro are offering a Boeing 767/757 systems and automation familiarization course corresponding to those taken by Boeing engineers and airline pilots. Classroom lectures and afternoon/evening sessions using a sophisticated B767-300 desktop flight simulator, computer based training modules, and a 757 or 767 airplane at Logan Airport. You don't need to be a real world pilot, but it helps if you have some familiarity with desktop flight simulator flying.

Must preregister by December 24. Intensive course.
Morning lectures open to MIT community - no registration required for morning lectures.
Web: http://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/16/ia08/16.767/index.html
Contact: Liz Zotos, x3-7805, zotos@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Brain-Computer Interfaces: Igniting a Revolution
Erika Wagner, Bruce Klein (Singularity University)
Thu Jan 7, Fri Jan 8, 09am-05:00pm, 4-349

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 28-Dec-2009
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Imagine a direct connection between the human brain and the world's most powerful computers...

Would you type with your thoughts?
...help the blind to see?
...give an amputee control over his bionic arm?
...super-charge your memory with digital RAM?

If you had $20 million to catalyze these sort of breakthroughs, what could the world achieve?

Join the X PRIZE Lab@MIT and Singularity University for this special interactive 2-day workshop.

Special guests include:
\\* Ed Boyden, Director of the MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group
\\* Ray Kurzweil, Chancellor of Singularity University
\\* Gerwin Schalk, Director of BCI2000
\\* Peter Diamandis, CEO & Chairman of X PRIZE

EVENT IS FULL.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/xprize
Contact: Erika Wagner, 37-219, 253-0017, xprize@mit.edu
Sponsor: Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation
Cosponsor: MIT Entrepreneurship Center

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Tour
Linda R. Fuhrman, Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
Tue Jan 12, 02-03:30pm, 555 Tech Square, Meet in Lobby of 555 Tech Sq.

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 06-Jan-2010
Limited to 30 participants.
Single session event
Prereq: Must be a U.S. citizen.

While still the MIT Aero-Astro department's Instrumentation Lab, we
developed the computers and guidance systems that sent men to the moon.
Now known as Draper Laboratory, our works spans everything from
guidance, navigation & control of all sorts of vehicles to development
of micro-miniaturized electronics and devices, to biomedical devices,
signal processing, and information exploitation. The tour will begin
with an introduction to the Draper Laboratory, its
history, and major projects. We will then visit several areas of the
Laboratory and see some of its project activities. Restricted to U.S.
citizens who must bring a government issued ID to be admitted to the
tour and also bring the confirmation from the contact below.
Web: http://www.draper.com/
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-208, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Hatsopoulos Microfluids Lab Tour
Led by graduate students in Mech Eng
Wed Jan 6, 02-03:00pm, 3-247, Meet in Rm 3-252

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

A tour of the Hatsopoulos Microfluids Laboratory.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/hml/HML.html
Contact: Dawn Wendell, 3-247, dawn@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering

How to Fly: A Guide to Air Travel
Dr. Peter Belobaba, Program Manager, MIT Global Airline Indu
Thu Jan 7, 02-03:30pm, Room 33-206

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Delayed flights? Missed connections? Confusing air fares? This talk provides an overview of the economic and operational rationale behind airline hub-and-spoke networks, scheduling practices, as well and pricing, revenue management and overbooking. Implications for consumers and ways to minimize air travel problems will be discussed.
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-208, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Introduction to Nuclear Power
Benoit Forget, Paul Romano, Jacob DeWitte
Tue Jan 19 thru Fri Jan 22, 02-03:30pm, 4-149

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 50 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Course 1: Historical perspective of nuclear fission; Overview of radioactive decay and nuclear fission; Basic concepts of a nuclear power reactor. Course 2: Introduction of nuclear reactor safety. Discussion of reactivity and feedback mechanisms. Overview of defense in depth concepts. Discussion of Chernobyl accident. Course 3: Overview of the fuel cycle; From mining to waste disposal, this course will discuss ore processing, enrichment, spent nuclear fuel and long term disposal. Course 4: Overview of closed-fuel cycles possibilities such as Pu recycling and Minor actinides recycling. Introduction to fast reactors.

Particularly geared for Freshman.
Contact: Benoit Forget, 24-214, (617) 253-1655, bforget@mit.edu
Sponsor: Nuclear Science and Engineering

Introduction to Surface Analysis Part 1: Auger Electron Spectroscopy and XPS
Libby Shaw
Wed Jan 20, 02-05:00pm, 13-2137

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 15-Jan-2010
Single session event
Prereq: none

CMSE's Shared Experimental Facilities include several useful tools for looking at the structure and chemical composition of solid surfaces, with a sampling depth of a few atomic layers. This afternoon seminar is a general introduction to two of these techniques: Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). We will summarize how each technique works, its strengths and limitations, and some of the research questions these methods help to answer. See also "Introduction to Surface Analysis Part 2" (Wednesday, January 27).
Contact: Libby Shaw, 13-4149, x3-5045, elshaw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Materials Science and Engineering

Introduction to Surface Analysis Part 2: Scanned Probe Microscopies
Libby Shaw
Wed Jan 27, 02-05:00pm, 13-2137

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 15-Jan-2010
Single session event

CMSE's Shared Experimental Facilities include several useful tools for characterizing solid surfaces with a sampling depth of a few atomic layers. This afternoon seminar introduces a fascinating class of techniques which use a tiny mechanical probe to characterize the topography and material properties of surfaces. With a primary focus on Atomic Force Microscopy, we will summarize how each technique works, its strengths and limitations, and some of the research questions these methods help to answer. See also "Introduction to Surface Analysis Part 1" on January 20.
Contact: Libby Shaw, 13-4149, 253-5045, elshaw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Materials Science and Engineering

Introduction to Transmission Electron Microscopy
Yong Zhang
Thu Jan 21, 02-03:30pm, 13-2137

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

The lecture provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of transmission electron microscopy. Topics covered include the illumination system, electron lenses and their aberrations, image formation and resolution. A variety of imaging and analysis techniques and their roles specific to inorganic materials, such as crystallography, diffraction patterns and high resolution imaging are to be presented with practical demonstration. This presentation will also introduce TEM sample preparation techniques for a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, powders and thin films.
Contact: Yong Zhang, 13-1034, x3-5092, yzhang05@mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Materials Science and Engineering

Introduction to the TALARIS Project: A Lunar Hopper Prototype for the Google Lunar X-Prize Contest
Phillip M. Cunio
Thu Jan 28, 02-03:30pm, Room 33-206

Single session event

This event will briefly present the TALARIS (Terrestrial Artificial Lunar And Reduced gravIty Simulator) hopper prototype, currently being developed by the Space Systems Lab, which will pave the way for an entry into the Google Lunar X-Prize contest (MIT is partnered with Draper Laboratories, Sierra Nevada, and Aurora to form the Next Giant Leap team) and possibly for future generations of
a new kind of planetary exploration vehicle: the remotely-operated hopper. An overview of the program and of the technical details of the hopper will be provided, and afterward the floor will be open for questions. Persons with a general interest in space exploration, persons with an interest in joining the project, and the general public are all welcome.
Web: http://www.nextgiantleap.com
Contact: Phillip M. Cunio, Room 37-387, pmcunio@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Lectures on Flexures: Design Principles and Applications
Jonathan B. Hopkins, Martin Culpepper
Mon-Fri, Jan 5-8, 11-15, 01-03:00pm, room 1-371

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Signup by: 23-Dec-2009
Limited to 15 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Advanced flexure design principles, modeling approaches, engineering tools, and best practices. Applications: precision motion stages, general purpose flexure bearings, and MEMs/Nano-scale positioning systems. Emphasis on kinematic and elastomechanic flexure systhesis using principles of constraint-based design. Lectures, assigned readings, hands-on exercises, and a substantial project involving 3-D printing.

NOTE: Class will meet in Room 1-371.

\\\\\\*NOTE: May be available for credit; check after Dec 8th.
Contact: Jonathan B. Hopkins, 35-135, x3-2108, jhopkins@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering

Operations Research in the Military
Chris Boyer, Kimberly Shenk, Christian Figueroa, Professor Donald B Rosenfield
Mon Jan 25, 09:30am-04:00pm, 2-105

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

The activity will consist of a series of talks by Operations Research Analysts from the military or affiliated military research covering various applications, such as supply chain optimization and demand forecasting for aircraft parts, risk mitigation for operations around IEDs, robust planning for military logistics and transportation, and scheduling for force protection. Speakers include current and former Army and Air Force Officers as well as civilians working in analytic institutions such as the Pentagon and Draper Laboratory. Each talk will be followed by a Q&A session, and there will be opportunities for networking with the speakers.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/orc/www/seminars/iap.html
Contact: Chris Boyer, E40-107, (412) 551-7724, cboyer@mit.edu
Sponsor: Operations Research Center

Some Funny Things Happened on the Way to the Moon: A History of MIT's Participation in the Guidance, Navigation & Control of the Apollo Spacecraft
Prof. Richard Battin
Thu Jan 21, 02-03:30pm, Room 37-212

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

In the spring of 1961, President Kennedy announced that America would send astronauts to the moon and return them safely to earth. Exactly eleven weeks later MIT was chosen by NASA as the first prime contractor to supply the Guidance and Navigation System for the Apollo spacecrafts. A true story told by one who was there.
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-208, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Technical Seminar: Detection, Estimation and Beamforming for Adaptive Sensor Arrays: Algorithms and Performance
Dr. Christ Richmond
Wed Jan 27, 02-03:00pm, Stata, 32-G449

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

A class of adaptive detection and estimation algorithms has emerged over the past 30 years that exploits the spatial and temporal diversity available from sensor array systems in order to provide robust signal detection and parameter estimation under rather adverse/nonideal conditions. These algorithms rely heavily upon the data sample covariance matrix for interference rejection. An overview is presented of analyses embracing practicalities such as finite sample support, signal array response mismatch, nonstationarity and nonlinear parameter estimation, all quintessential for radar/sonar/communication systems design requiring precision and robustness. The adaptive matched filter, coherence estimator, generalized likelihood ratio test, 2-D sidelobe blanker detectors, and maximum-likelihood estimation are considered
Contact: Gary A. Hackett, S2-127A, 181-7056, hackett@ll.mit.edu
Sponsor: Lincoln Laboratory
Cosponsor: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Magic of Carbon Nanotubes: Properties, Growth, and Applications
Gilbert D. Nessim PhD Alum
Thu Jan 28, 01-03:00pm, Chipman Room, 6-104

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 25-Jan-2010
Single session event
Prereq: none

Carbon nanotubes, one of the most interesting structures in the nanotechnology landscape, are the closest implementation to a one-dimensional structure. Their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties have made them a hot subject of research for many future applications. Carbon nanotube reinforced tennis racquets are already in the market. Research labs have already developed prototypes of electrical devices such as field effect transistors or field emission displays using nanotubes. The futuristic space elevator project has focused on carbon nanotubes as the material of choice for its super-strong cable.

This presentation will provide the audience with an understanding of the properties, growth methods, future applications, and challenges for integration of carbon nanotubes in future products.
Contact: Gilbert D. Nessim, gdnessim@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Engineering

Tim Berners-Lee, Father of the Web, Talk on Linked Data
K. Krasnow Waterman
Mon Jan 11, 09-10:00am, Room and Webcast TBD

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event

The next generation Web is all about data and how we can make better use of it for incredibly useful, game changing applications. In this talk, the inventor of the WorldWideWeb, Tim Berners-Lee will present his vision for how we can connect related data across the Web that wasn’t previously linked. Much more than a mash-up, learn more about how Linked Data can be the mechanism to expose, share and connect pieces of data, information and knowledge on the Semantic Web. Discover the kinds of innovative applications that are already being employed, as well as opportunities for new applications that leverage disparate data sets in exciting new ways.

Note: This lecture is the kickoff for the weeklong Linked Data Application Development Lab, http://student.mit.edu/searchiap/iap-9813.html.
Contact: Chris Mather, iapsemantic@mitecenter.org
Sponsor: MIT Entrepreneurship Center
Cosponsor: Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab

Tour of the MIT Research Reactor
Edward Lau
Wed Jan 13, Fri Jan 15, 22, 10am-12:00pm, NW12 1st floor lobby

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 08-Jan-2010
Limited to 25 participants.
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session

Learn how the MIT Research Reactor is operated and utilized. A descriptive lecture and a walking tour of the lab will be given with emphasis on interdisciplinary research and applications. Advance sign up and photo ID required. To register, send email specifying full name(s), relation to MIT, and which tour date you prefer.
Contact: Edward Lau, NW12-116, x3-4211, eslau@mit.edu
Sponsor: Nuclear Reactor Lab

Workshop on Project-Based Learning (Lunch Provided)
Edward Crawley, Steve Banzaert, Diane Soderholm
Tue Jan 12, 10am-03:30pm, Room 33-116

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 09-Jan-2010
Single session event

This workshop focuses on designing, conducting and assessing project-based learning experiences in engineering education. It is designed so participants will be able to summarize the rationale for project-based learning, design conduct and assess project-based learning through an example, and apply the design process to a project-based learning experience of their own. Open to all faculty. A faculty member may bring a teaching assistant (TA) with them. The workshop is limited to TA's accompanying a faculty member.
Contact: Dr. Diane Soderholm, x3-5575, dhsoder@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Cosponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab


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Last update: 19 August 2010