1 Simmons

2 MacGregor
3 Next House
4 BC
5 East Campus
6 Baker
7 McCormick
8 Spanish House
9 Random Hall
10 Maseeh
11 New House (Numbered Houses)
12 Senior House
13 French House
14 German House
15 iHouse
16 Chocolate City
D-Lab
Do you consider yourself a tinkerer, an inventor, a hacker, a creator of sorts?
Or would you like to become one? Do you want to use your skills to solve real-wo
rld problems? This seminar is structured as a series of modules, each teaching d
ifferent aspects of creativity, problem solving and prototyping skills. Modules
include mapping MIT's creativity ecosystem, using the power of your imagination
to help you learn a new language, learning how to build (nearly) anything with (
almost) nothing, devising a new microfluidic diagnostic to prevent the next dise
ase outbreak, and designing and building a rainwater harvesting and storage syst
em.
MAS.A19 Designing Consumer Electronics
What makes well-designed products more attractive and pleasant to use than avera
ge or bad ones? We'll use case studies in consumer electronics to explore how te
chnology, human factors, aesthetics, and marketing collide when we try to design
products. As a final project, each student will propose and defend a concept fo
r a new product, based on what we've learned.
Engineering, Art, and Science
In this hands-on seminar, you will learn many of the concepts of engineering des
ign by actually proposing, designing, and building a number of interesting proje
cts ranging anywhere from underwater vehicles to interactive art. By the end of
the term you will be able to do basic electronic and mechanical fabrication. We
will learn from our less than perfect first attempts and "fail our way to succes
s." Our final project(s) might turn out to be a display for the MIT Museum, or T
he Strobe Alley Corridor Lab.
GPS: Where Are You?
You will explore how to find locations using simple household items (simple, at
least by MIT standards). You will use hand held GPS units to hunt for candy arou
nd campus and have access to expensive units to write messages that can be can b
e seen from space. This seminar is followed by an optional UROP in the spring se
mester.
Hack Your Mind: Unlock Your Potential
Interested in hacking into your mind to understand how better to improve your po
tential and attention span? In this seminar we will explore the inner-workings o
f our minds, tapping into our own cognitive processes. By studying the neurologi
cal, cognitive and emotional interactions that occur as part of the brain-body c
onnection, you will better understand how to improve your awareness and develop
a portable tool kit of attention and mindfulness-building techniques to enhance
your ability to learn and perform at MIT and beyond.
Metalsmithing and Physical Metallurgy
Physical metallurgy encompasses the relationships between the composition, struc
ture, processing history and properties of metallic materials. In this seminar y
ou'll be introduced to metallurgy in a particularly "physical" way. We will teac
h various metalsmithing techniques, which include enameling, hollowware, welding
, soldering, and brazing using both traditional and modern methods.
Programming the Universe
It has been known for more than a hundred years that every atom carries with it
bits of information; and every time two atoms collide, those bits flip. The univ
erse computes. In this seminar we will explore the implications of the computati
onal universe. Topics include the origins of information, the nature of choice a
nd free will, how the universe began and what will happen to it in the distant f
uture, and how to build a quantum computer.
Prosody: The Music of Language
Spoken language is characterized not only by the words and sentences it contains
, but also by its prosody, that is, the variations in pitch, timing, amplitude a
nd voice quality that signal how words are grouped into phrases and which words
are more prominent. We will examine current theories of prosody and how it funct
ions in typical healthy adults, and then examine how it develops in typically-de
veloping children and those who are not developing typically.
That's Just Semantics: The Search for Meaning
In this seminar, we will explore a central feature of human nature: we are meani
ng-seeking engines. We will talk about smoke signals, talking drums, alphabets,
Universal Grammar, artificial languages, the problem of first contact, code brea
king, Sherlock Holmes, the genetic code, multi-tasking, information overload, cr
owd intelligence, and much more. We will bring in ideas from information theory,
cryptography, linguistics, logic, psychology, anthropology, computer science, p
hilosophy, and literature.
Who Says Math Isn't Fun? Operations Research in Our Everyday Lives
Who says that mathematics isn't fun or useful? We will explore a branch of mathe
matics called operations research (OR), which is defined as the science of decis
ion making. The origins of operations research date back to World War II, when t
he development of new mathematical methods was instrumental in locating enemy su
bmarines. Operations research has been used in finding lost treasures as well as
in determining strategies for fighting AIDS. By examining interesting applicati
ons, we will take a close look at this fascinating field.
Tell us about who you are, your background, and your interests (e.g. where are y
ou from, your interests and hobbies, what you do for fun outside of class, what
your advisor should know about you).
Over three years, I've gone from an ISTP to an ENTJ. I live in Naperville, IL, b
ut I also come from Damascus, MD. My dad's family is Jewish and my mom's is Chri
stian. My sister is six years younger than I am. I love xkcd, swing dancing, Sha
kespeare, music, sci-fi and fantasy books, and various British TV shows. I am a
cat person. I would be totally lost without my calendar. I hardly ever play vide
o games. I once won a dollar by shooting it with a bow and arrow. I enjoy outdoo
r adventures (e.g. kayaking, rock climbing, hiking). I am proficient in Spanish.
Someday, I hope to visit all seven continents.
What fields/research areas inspire you or what types of problems do you enjoy so
lving? Why?
I love cryptography! Secret communications are absolutely fascinating to me. I e
njoy both encrypting my own information and breaking others' ciphers. I like loo
king at these problems from mathematical, computer science, and purely logical p
erspectives. Defending information makes me feel powerful.
Data analysis also inspires me. I would love to try my hand at pulling answers f
rom a vast database of information. I'm curious how much information we share ev
en when we think we're being discreet.