IAP 99 Non-Credit Activities by Category


Engineering - Hands-on

"Information-Based" Product Development
Poping Lin
Tue Jan 19, 01-02:30pm

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
An introduction to the use of information in the product development process -- from identifying market opportunities to launching the product. Covers various information channels and resources for students of the field.
Contact: Poping Lin, E53-220, 253-8971, plin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries

AIAA 14th Annual Paper Airplane Contest
Kari Bingen , Col. Pete Young, T Rivkin
Schedule: TBD
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: None
So your airplane design wasn't pick for the new F-22? Well show 'em all at the AIAA 14th Annual Paper Airplane Contest. Come design, build, and fly paper airplanes. Or, bring your own secret design. Supplies will be provided. Prizes will be awarded in several design and performance categories.
Contact: Kari Bingen, Ashdown 103A, 225-9654, bing20@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

AIAA 14th Annual Paper Airplane Contest
Kari Bingen , Col. Peter Young, Tyra Rivkin
Fri Jan 22, 02-05:00pm, Lobby 7

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: N/A
So your airplane design wasn't picked for the new F-22? Well, show 'em all at the AIAA 14th Annual Paper Airplane Contest. Come design, build, and fly paper airplanes. Supplies will be provided. Prizes will be awarded in several design and performance categories.
Contact: Kari Bingen, Ashdown 1034, x5-9654, bing20@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Advanced Embedded Microcontroller Seminar
Andrew Huang
Tue Jan 19, Thu Jan 21, Fri Jan 22, 04-06:00pm, 4-402

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: C, some asssembly, some basic circuit prototyping.
Fee: for (fee for microcontroller is for Hands-on Participants Only)
Embedded microcontollers are ubiquitous. They are in everything from your car engine to your cell phone. This seminar teaches you how to integrate an embedded microcontroller into your next design, with a focus on mid-range applications and the Hitachi SH-1 32 bit RISC microcontroller. The lecture portion of this seminar is open attendance. The hands-on part requires advance sign up and a fee which covers the cost of an SH-1 embedded workhorse. The hands-on portion will take place the week on the 25th. Time and place TBA. Students keep their embedded workhorse and associated software after the seminar.
Contact: Andrew Huang, NE43-007, 734-3650, bunnie@mit.edu
Sponsor: Edgerton Center

Archaeological Materials: The State of the Art in 200 B.C.
Professor Heather Lechtman
Thu Jan 7, 02-03:00pm, 16-602

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: none
The Moche people in Peru could plate gold onto copper without a battery! Tiwanaku builders near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia designed bronze architectural cramps strong enough to hang a modern Toyota! The Romans constructed the largest dome in the world from non-reinforced concrete; only MIT's Kresge is bigger! Why were these the cutting edge materials technologies of their time, and how do we investigate them today as archaeologists and as materials engineers?
Contact: Professor Heather Lechtman, 8-437, x3-2172, lechtman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Concrete Canoe Competition
Nathaniel Grier , Dr. John T. Germaine
Mon Jan 11, 10am-12:00pm, 1-350, First Meeting

No limit but advance sign up required
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None
This activity will focus on the construction of the canoe for the 1999 ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition in April. We will work on all stages of construction. Participants from all majors, grads and undergrads, are welcome! No experience required. Optional credit can be arranged. Sign up by January 8th by emailing ngrier@mit.edu.
Contact: Nathaniel Grier, ngrier@mit.edu
Sponsor: Civil and Environmental Eng

Design and Entrepreneurship in the Bicycle Industry
Owen Hughes
Thu Jan 28, Fri Jan 29, 01-04:00pm, 2-190

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Founders, designers and manufacturers will share their experiences, comment on the current state of the bicycle industry and speculate on future trends. Keynote address by Professor David Gordon Wilson, author of "Bicycling Science." Additional speakers will represent 1) retailers, 2) single builder frame shops, 3) components manufacturers, 4) non-conventional cycles builders (recumbent and handicap), and 5) mass-market bicycle manufacturers. Speakers will focus on the place of design in their industry, the structure of their industry and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Builders will be invited to display their creations. Finally, a field trip to a local manufacturer will be organized for the following day.
Contact: Owen Hughes, 925-8170, owen@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering

Electronic Resources in Engineering and Science
Deborah Helman
Thu Jan 14, 02-03:00pm, 2-132

No limit but advance sign up required
Single session event
Learn how to exploit the electronic services, databases, and journals offered by the MIT Libraries. We will focus on the resources available in engineering and science.
Contact: Deborah Helman, 253-9368, dhelman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries

Empower Your Learning with Interactive Hypermedia
Dr. Nishikant Sonwalkar Director, Hypermedia Teaching Facility, Michael Kashambuzi, Laura Koller
Mon Jan 25, Wed Jan 27, Fri Jan 29, 01-04:00pm, 9-250, Will use electronic class room

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 25 students.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: School of engineering and science students
This course will provide a unique opprotunity for MIT students and TAs to enhance their learning experince using interactive hypermedia environments. This course will involve interactive sessions related to introductory Mechanical Engineering, Operations Research, Chemical Engineering and Physics subjects. Each interactive module will allow students to meet a specific learning goal and evaluate the learning process. The students will learn about interactive hypermedia and learn how to use it for maximizing their learning potential in the web-based educational medium.
Web: http://curricula.mit.edu/iap1999/
Contact: Michael Kashambuzi, 9-250, x8-0816, michaelk@nish.mit.edu
Sponsor: Nishikant Sonwalkar, 9 230, x8-8730, nish@mit.edu

Exploring the Symmetry of Crystal Shapes on the Computer
Prof. W. Craig Carter
Thu Jan 7, 01-02:00pm, 13-5051

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Freshmen especially should give it a try!
Crystal shapes are obvious and beautiful examples of the underlying atomic structure of materials. We will calculate, display and construct some interesting crystal shapes.
Contact: Prof. W. Craig Carter, 13-5034, x3-6048, ccarter@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Glass Blowing
Michael J. Cima
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Jan 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 10am-09:00pm, 4-003, 1/4, 10am, 4-003 Required.

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 20 students.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Freshmen favored!
This studio will familiarize students with hot glass working techniques to make hand-blown vessels, providing a unique interactive experience with glass and refractory materials. Learn how skill changes the properties of materials. Students will obtain actual "hands-on" experience with glass and glass working equipment including melting furnace, reheating furnace, and glass working tools. The studio is open 4 days a week. Individuals sign up for two hour instruction and practice sessions. Sign up early with Prof. Cima at mjcima@mit.edu to schedule your time! Experience the interface between materials science, technology, design, and art.
Contact: Michael J. Cima, 12-011, x3-6877, mjcima@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Harold "Doc" Edgerton: Rediscover the Inspiration!
MIT Museum and Edgerton Center Staff
Tue Jan 12, 01-04:00pm, 4-402 and MIT Museum

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 25 students.
Single session event
Signup by: 18-DEC-98
Prereq: None
We'll start at the Edgerton Center viewing a short film and doing some hands-on demonstrations of some of Doc's old experiments. Then, we'll travel to the MIT Museum to view the Museum's new exhibition about Doc.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/museum
Contact: Daniele Lantagne, 4-406, x8-6844, alethia@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Museum

Holy Hologram! An Introduction to Holography Laboratory
Otto Loggers
No limit but advance sign up required
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Learn how to make a hologram! This event in the Museum's holography laboratory will introduce the exciting process of making a reflection or transmission hologram. Participants are invited to bring objects to class to use as holographic subjects. Meet at MIT Museum (N52) at second floor reception desk.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/museum
Contact: Otto Loggers, N52-2nd floor, x3-5927, loggers@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Museum

Holy Hologram! An Introduction to Holography Laboratory
Otto Loggers
Session 1 on Jan 5 only meets from 2-5 pm.
Tue Jan 5, 02-05:00pm, N52-2nd floor

Holy Hologram! An Introduction to Holography Laboratory
Otto Loggers
Wed Jan 13, 10:30am-02:30pm, MIT Museum (N52)

Holy Hologram! An Introduction to Holography Laboratory
Otto Loggers
Thu Jan 21, 10:30am-02:30pm, MIT Museum (N52)

Holy Hologram! An Introduction to Holography Laboratory
Otto Loggers
Schedule: TBD

How to Use a Slide Rule
Craig B. Watkins
Wed Jan 6, 04-05:00pm, Museum, N52-2nd fl.

No limit but advance sign up required
Single session event
Back in the old days, you had to know math to do arithmetic. We'll see how slide rules work, why they are useful (no electricity? no problem!), and great fun at parties. Some slide rules will be provided; bring your own if you have one.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/watko/www/slide.html
Contact: Otto Loggers, N52-2nd floor, x3-4405, loggers@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Museum

MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
We will be working hard during IAP to get our last solar car ready to race again this summer, and starting to build a new car for a race in Australia next October. If you are intersted in helping us with this very hands-on activitiy, please come to our organization meetings every Monday, or call (our office at x3-6140 or our lab at 441-7963) or email us (sevt@mit.edu) if you want to help but can't come to the meeting (and to get directions to our 7 Emily St. lab).
Web: http://www.mit.edu/activities/solar-cars/
Contact: Brian Graham, 4-405, 253-6140, bbgraham@mit.edu
Sponsor: Solar Electric Vehicle Team

Organizational Meetings
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
We will be discussing and planning the weeks' events at these meetings. Please come if you are interested in helping.
Mon, Jan 4, 11, 18, 25, 06-07:00pm, 33-128

Mold Finishing, Chassis Design, Solar Array Review
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Finishing the molds for the new body shell. Review the design for the next chassis. Learn how to make a winning solar array.
Tue Jan 5, 01-06:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Thermoplastic Fitting, Brazing Practice
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Help fit thermoplastic sheets to the upper mold where the solar array will go. Learn how to braze weld or practice if you know how already.
Thu Jan 7, 04-09:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Cutting Honeycomb, Brazing Practice
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Cut honeycomb for the new shell, and patterns for the kevlar weave. Learn or practice braze welding.
Sat Jan 9, 10am-03:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Oven Building, Destructive Weld Testing, Circuit Design
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Build a foam oven for heating the composite layup to curing temperature. Determine the quality and reliability of braze welded joints by destructive testing. Design the on-board electronic circuits for the car.
Sun Jan 10, 01-08:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Final Mold Preparation, Solar Array Assembly
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Coat the lower mold with wax and mold release. Practice assembling a solar array.
Tue Jan 12, 03-09:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Layup Lower Mold
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Composite layup (assembling the composite sandwich and cooking it) on the lower mold.
Fri Jan 15, 08am-10:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Layup Top Mold
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Layup the composite shell on the top mold.
Mon Jan 18, 09am-09:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Trim shells, Suspension Design, Circuit Testing
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Remove the excess material on the edge of the new shells. Learn about suspension design basics. Build and test an electronic circuit to be used on the next car.
Thu Jan 21, 11am-03:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Joining the Halves, Chassis Assembly, Circuit Prototyping
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Join the two halves of the body with epoxy filler. Start braze welding the new chassis. Learn how to use printed circuit board prototyping software.
Sat Jan 23, 12-06:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Ribbing Layup, Machine Shop Practice
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Layup flat sheets to be used for internal ribbing. Learn or practice using machine shop equipment to create simple parts for the chassis.
Tue Jan 26, 03-08:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Ribbing Insertion, Chassis Assembly, Circuit Prototyping
Brian Graham , Carlos Araque, Iahn Cajigas, Jacinda Clemenzi
Cut the ribbing panels to shape and insert in the body for stiffening. Continue brazing the new chassis together. Enter the new circuit design in prototyping software.
Fri Jan 29, 09am-08:00pm, 7 Emily St.

Magnetic Materials for Data Storage
Prof. Caroline A. Ross
Thu Jan 28, 02-03:00pm, 16-602

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Freshmen especially invited!
Information in hard disks, tapes and magneto-optical disks is stored as magnetization patterns in a thin magnetic layer. We will discuss how information is written and read back from these storage devices, and what magnetic properties are needed to give the optimum performance. We will also compare magnetic storage with other formats such as CD-ROMs and DVDs.
Contact: Prof. Caroline A. Ross, 13-4005, x8-0223, caross@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Make a Motor
Steven B. Leeb
Fri Jan 22, Mon Jan 25, Tue Jan 26, 09am-05:00pm, TBA

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 14 students.
Single session event
Prereq: Permission of instructor, enrollment in the Adv. Mech. Proj.
Ever wonder what makes an electric motor turn? In this three day seminar you will design and construct your own DC motor. You'll learn how to use machine tools like the lathe, bandsaw, and milling machine. Enrollment strictly limited to students taking the Advanced Mechatronics Project Laboratory in the spring. You can receive 3 units of credit for this course by signing up for 6.100.
Contact: Steven B. Leeb, 10-069, sbleeb@mit.edu
Sponsor: Steven B Leeb, 10 069, x3-9360, sbleeb@mit.edu

Materials and Engineering Disasters
David K. Roylance
Thu Jan 28, 01-02:00pm, 16-602

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Freshmen especially welcome.
Improper use or understanding of materials has been a root cause of many phenomenal disasters throughout history, to include collapse of ancient pyramids, explosive aircraft depressurization, and even the sinking of the Titanic. Several of these horrifying yet fascinating catastrophes will be outlined, and the role of materials science and engineering in understanding them, and preventing similar tragedies in the future, will be described.
Contact: David K. Roylance, 8-309, x3-3309, roylance@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Menger's Sponge Building Workshop: Creating 3D Mathematical Sculptures
Jeannine Mosely
Wed Jan 20, 03-05:00pm, Museum, N52-2nd fl.

No limit but advance sign up required
Single session event
Explore the geometry of the sponge by using classic origami techniques to build modules that can be assembled into an approx. model of a fractal. Menger's sponge is a fractal solid: an infinitely self-similar object with zero volume and infinite area.
Web: http://world.std.com/~j9/sponge
Contact: Otto Loggers, N52-2nd Floor, x3-4405, loggers@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Museum

Photonic and Electronic Materials Research Aboard the Space Station
August F. Witt
Thu Jan 7, 03-04:00pm, 16-602

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Freshmen particularly welcome.
Discussion of issues related to advanced materials research projects currently being designed for implementation aboard the Space Station. Attendees are expected to advance original ideas for innovative research projects which require experimentation in reduced gravity environment. Exploratory experiments to be conducted in parabolic KC-135 flights can be proposed as UROP projects to be submitted to NASA.
Contact: August F. Witt, 13-4138, x3-5303, afwitt@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Polymer Processing
Prof. Chris Scott
Thu Jan 28, 03-04:00pm, 16-602

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: Freshmen particularly welcome!
Effective processing of polymeric materials is critical for achieving superior performance in many parts such as automotive side panels, wings of stealth aircraft, and juice bottles. The unusual rheological behavior of polymers enables many of these processes as well as providing challenges in understanding them. Operations like mixing and compounding often establish the desired morphological structure needed for optimum performance.
Contact: Prof. Chris Scott, 13-5013, x8-6113, cscott@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Eng

Searching Compendex
Cheryl Sirna
Wed Jan 13, 01:30-02:30pm, 1-115

No limit but advance sign up required
Single session event
This hands on seminar will cover both basic and advanced techniques of searching Compendex, the primary bibliographic database for all fields of engineering. (Advance sign-up: csirna@mit.edu; walk-ins may attend if space is available)
Contact: Cheryl Sirna, 253-9370, csirna@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries

Supersonic Projectiles Producing Thrust By External Combustion
Robert G. Hohlfeld, Research Assoc. Prof., Center for Computational Sc., B.U.
Wed Jan 13, 06-08:00pm, 35-225, Co-Sponsored by AIAA.

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Prereq: N/A
Air-breathing hypersonic propulsion systems have received renewed interest in recent years for use in systems for economical access to low earth orbit and in other aerospace systems. We have successfully built and tested projectiles that generate thrust by the combustion of a metallic fuel on their external, trailing surfaces. This is an experimental system with considerable promise for development of hypersonic flight. Evidence will be presented for net thrust production (i.e. exceeding projectile drag) under favorable circumstances. Proposals for thrust production by external combustion date from the 1950s, but to our knowledge, this is the first tractable experimental system exhibiting thrust production by external combustion, and almost certainly the first such system for a free-flying projectile. Plans will be discussed to extend this work to higher Mach numbers for various applications including low-cost access to space.
Contact: Colonel Pete Young, 33-413, x3-5340, pwyoung@mit.edu
Sponsor: Aeronautics and Astronautics

Take a Floppy Drive Apart: Have Fun and Learn Something in the Process
Ben Wells, Wells Research and Development, David Trumper
Tue Jan 5, Thu Jan 7, 01:30-03:00pm, 1-004, Mechatronics Teaching Lab

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 12 students.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
This activity presents design and manufacturing principles for mass-produced electromechanical devices by taking apart a 3.5" floppy disk drive. Each participant will be provided with a floppy drive and tools for disassembly. We will attempt to develop and understanding of the function of each of the elements of the floppy drive. We will use this exercise as a means to understand the functioning of storage devices for computers and also to illustrate more general design and manufacturing techniques. The instructor has experience with developing electromechanical products at major corporations and in a start-up company. He will use these experiences to illuminate issues associated with developing and manufacturing such devices.
Contact: Ben Wells,, (781) 259-7995, ben@wellsresearch.com
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering


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Listing generated: 14-Jan-1999