IAP Independent Activities Period
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IAP 2012 Activities by Sponsor

Aeronautics and Astronautics

An Introduction to Jet Propulsion -- Gas Turbine Engine Fundamentals and Hands-On Lab for Freshmen
Prof. Zoltan Spakovszky, F. Ehrich
Mon Jan 23 thru Fri Jan 27, 01-05:00pm, Gas Turbine Lab, Bldg 31-161

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 19-Jan-2012
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None.

Have you ever wondered how a jet engine works? This course will give you an introduction to the fundamentals of gas turbine engines and jet propulsion with a “hands-on” experience in engine assembly, measurement setup and operation of a small-scale gas turbine jet engine. The introductory lectures will cover the history of the jet engine, thermodynamic and aerodynamic fundamentals of gas turbine engines, current engine design trends, and background information on the small-scale jet engine design, assembly, test setup and operation. The hands-on lab will be carried out in teams in the engine test cell at MIT’s Gas Turbine Laboratory.

Participants are requested to attend lectures on January 23. Each of the student teams is requested to attend the lab on one day during the remainder of the week.
Contact: Robin Courchesne-Sato, rsato@mit.edu

Aurora Flight Sciences Research Facility Tour
Tim Dawson-Townsend '90, Aurora Flight Sciences, Cambridge, MA
Mon Jan 30, 02-03:00pm, 1 Broadway,Cambridge, Meet in Lobby of 1 Broadway

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 27-Jan-2012
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event
Prereq: None

Aurora Flight Sciences is a leading small business in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Servicing customers from the Air Force to NASA, Aurora spans the entire field from research to full-scale system design and development, to prototyping, flight testing, and production. Aurora's Cambridge Research Office works extensively with MIT faculty, students, and labs to conduct leading research in guidance & control, autonomy, advanced structures, space systems, propulsion, and vehicle concepts & prototyping. Visit Aurora for a company overview, details on some of our projects, and a tour of the Cambridge research facility.

Bring an ID to be admitted to the tour. Will depart promptly at 2:00 from the lobby of One Broadway (corner of Broadway and Third Street).
Web: http://www.aurora.aero/
Contact: Marie Stuppard, (617) 253-2279, mas@mit.edu

Aviation Accident Investigation or Agatha Christie for Engineers
Brian Nield (Boeing Commercial Airplane), Chuck Oman
Tue Jan 10, Wed Jan 11, Thu Jan 12, 02-03:00pm, Room 33-319

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 09-Jan-2012
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. This course is led by Brian Nield, MIT XVI G '78, Boeing's Chief Engineer for Aviation Systems Safety. The aircraft accident 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. Prereq: Spreadsheet Skills (Excel); Some familiarity with Aviation.
Note: The session on January 12 will be from 2-4.
Web: http://stellar.mit.edu/S/project/16.ai/
Contact: Liz Zotos, 37-219, x3-7805, zotos@mit.edu

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Tour
Stephen Kolitz, Ph.D. Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
Thu Jan 26, 02-03:30pm, 555 Technology Sq.

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 19-Jan-2012
Limited to 25 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 work spans everything from guidance, navigation & control of vehicles that fly, swim, crawl, roll, walk and soar 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 (such as a driver’s license) to be admitted to the tour and registration must be confirmed by Draper at least 24 hours in advance. Will depart from the Draper Lab Reception Lobby, 555 Technology Square, Cambridge (next to NE43).
Web: http://www.draper.com/
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-208, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu

Hands-on Aerospace
Qinxian (Chelsea) He, Sameera Ponda, Sunny Wicks
Tue Jan 17, Wed Jan 18, 10am-12:00pm, Room 33-419, Open Lab 1-5pm (optional)
Thu Jan 19, 10am-12:00pm, Room 33-419, Open Lab, 1-5pm (optional)
Fri Jan 20, 10am-12:00pm, Room 33-419, Open Lab 1-5pm (optional)

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None

Want to build your very own wind tunnel? Interested in programming unmanned robots? Come explore the fun side of AeroAstro by jumping right in! “Hands-On Aerospace” is a workshop designed to show how diverse AeroAstro can be through practical, hands-on activities and demos. In this course, you will group into teams and explore one activity in detail by building a hands-on demo, creating a guide/lecture to teach others how to make and use the demo, and finally showcasing it in front of the other teams. Examples of aerospace demos will include:
- "Build Your Own Wind-Tunnel"
- "Program a Team of Unmanned Robots"
- "Engineered Structures: Why Light Composites Can Lift a Heavy Plane"
- And many more …

Not only will this workshop show you the practical applications of AeroAstro, you will help pass knowledge on to future generations by creating “demo kits” that can be used as instructional materials for outreach activities at high schools and middle schools across the country!

Freshmen are particularly encouraged to participate.
Contact: Sameera Ponda, sponda@mit.edu


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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Last update: 7 Sept. 2011