Subject Listings

Undergraduate research opportunities in the Edgerton Center. Throughout the year, the Edgerton Center sponsors a variety of UROP positions ranging from electronics and design projects to teaching 4th to 8th graders.

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Undergraduate research opportunities in the Edgerton Center. Throughout the year, the Edgerton Center sponsors a variety of UROP positions ranging from electronics and design projects to teaching 4th to 8th graders. (P/D/F)

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Students will each manufacture a functioning internal combustion engine. Advanced mill and lathe skills, both CNC and manual, will be taught and practiced. Previous milling or turning experience is good to have but not required. All materials and tools will be provided.
Very limited spaces.

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PCBs!!!!!!!!! This class teaches the basics of Printed-Circuit-Board (PCB) schematic design, layout engineering, population, and debugging. General engineering design principals provide a base for learning for the entire class, hands-on education is also stressed through lab components.

Class contains three tracks. Track 1: little to no experience with electrical design or PCBs in general, students design and build a bluetooth speaker. Track 2: more extensive prior experience, students build a more complex project, focus on motors and motor control. Track 3: extensive design experience, focus on special topics including flexible PCBs and RF. All tracks meet together. Class additionally covers details on batteries, impedance matching, motors, motor control, RF, flexible PCBs, design for manufacturing, and analysis.

You WILL BUILD THINGS IN THIS CLASS, this includes the PCB you design. We will teach you to solder microcontrollers, populate small components with precision, and how to SYSTEMATICALLY test and debug your PCB. Order of population and testing is stressed, by-hand population is required. 

NO EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED, OPEN TO ALL. Uses the industry-standard software Altium Designer (licenses provided).

Click for Class website

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Build your own bicycle

Students will each manufacture a steel single speed bicycle frame, install parts, and ride it. Students will meet with instructors for a required meeting in December to choose geometry. MIG welding training is a prerequisite and will not be taught as part of this course. One complete set of components needed to make the bike rideable will be provided.

Interested students will need to be available for December meeting with instructor. Contact Jack Whipple (whipple@) directly to confirm prereq and confirm December meeting date.

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Manufacture a steel single speed bicycle frame, install parts, and ride it. Students will meet with D-Lab instructors for a required meeting in December to choose geometry. MIG welding training is a prerequisite and will not be taught as part of this course. One complete set of components needed to make the bike rideable will be provided.

For credit, 2 units.  Five students only, undergrad or grad.

Interested students will need to be available for December meeting with instructor. Contact Jack Whipple (whipple@) directly to confirm prereq and confirm December meeting date.  Twenty additional hours to be scheduled with Instructor in shared lab space.

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Students develop teaching skills as they prepare to lead an IAP (Independent Activities Period) event/workshop supported by the Edgerton Center.  A uniquely MIT tradition, IAP provides faculty, students, staff, and alumni with an opportunity to share and/or explore a wide variety of academic and non-academic topics. IAP offerings are distinguished by their innovative, playful spirit and fusion of fun and learning. The offerings created by students in this course can range from 1 event to a series of workshops.

Through weekly hands-on meetings, students choose topics, design and pilot lessons, learn from each other, and finally schedule their IAP offering.  Open to students of all levels and disciplines who will be on campus during IAP and willing to offer an event/workshop.

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An opportunity for undergraduates to participate in teaching and tutoring Center subjects and seminars. Students develop one-on-one teaching skills under the supervision of an Edgerton Center instructor.

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Opportunity for independent study under regular supervision by a staff member. Projects require prior approval, as well as a written proposal and final report.

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An opportunity for undergraduates to participate in teaching and tutoring Center subjects and seminars. Students develop one-on-one teaching skills under the supervision of an Edgerton Center instructor.

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Opportunity for independent study under regular supervision by a staff member. Projects require prior approval, as well as a written proposal and final report. Students work with international community partners to continue developing projects, focusing on one or more issues in education, design, or public service. Final presentations and written reflection required. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 12 units.

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Opportunity for independent study under regular supervision by a staff member. Projects require prior approval, as well as a written proposal and final report. Students work with international community partners to continue developing projects, focusing on one or more issues in education, design, or public service. Final presentations and written reflection required. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of 12 units.

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Explores gender roles, illuminates the power dynamics and root causes of inequality, and provides a framework for understanding gender dynamics. Develops skills to conduct a gender analysis and integrate gender-sensitive strategies into large- and small-scale development solutions. Prompts critical discussion about social, economic, and political conditions that shape gender in development (particularly design and implementation of appropriate technology) as well as agricultural and job creation initiatives. In project development workshops students apply key tools to real-life situations, e.g., providing a gender analysis and making recommendations on how to incorporate gender considerations into an existing organization; developing programs in low-income communities; or building a gender component to be incorporated in a new initiative. Opportunities may be available for international fieldwork over IAP. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 12; must attend first class session. (Meets with EC.718J/ WGS.277J)

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Focuses on product development of technologies for people in less industrialized markets. Students work in interdisciplinary teams to develop previously established prototypes or technologies towards manufacturing-ready product designs. Topics are presented within the context of the developing world and include technology feasibility and scalability assessment; value chain analysis; product specification; design for affordability, manufacturability, usability, and desirability; and product testing and manufacturing at various scales. Lessons are experiential and case study-based; taught by instructors with field experience and by industry experts from product development consulting firms and the consumer electronics industry. In-person not required. (Meets with EC.729)

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Provides an introduction to the field of computational psychiatry from the perspective of technology platforms that can be applied to mental health and wellness. Identifies current needs and challenges informed by clinical practice, and reviews emerging technologies, including chatbots, social robots, wearable sensors, virtual reality, mobile phones, and digital phenotyping. Discusses related topics of privacy and ethical use. Students complete weekly written assignments as well as three design exercises over the course of the semester. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. (Meets with EC.744)

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Provides an overview of thermodynamics and heat transfer through an international development context to impart energy literacy and common sense applications. Students survey various alternative energy technologies and strategies for implementation in developing countries. Focuses on compact, robust, low-cost systems for generating electrical power and meeting household-level needs. Labs reinforce lecture material through deconstruction, system assembly, and sensor installation to track performance. Team projects involve activities, such as researching community needs, assessing the suitability of specific technologies, continuing the development of ongoing projects, and assessing the efficacy and impacts of existing projects. Optional summer fieldwork may be available. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment limited by lottery; must attend first class session.

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Addresses mitigation and adaptation to climate change as it pertains to water and health. Focuses on regions where water-borne illness, malnutrition, and vector-borne diseases - problems that will worsen with increasing temperatures and urban overcrowding - represent the top three causes of morbidity and mortality. Includes readings, workshops and films that address water, climate change and health challenges and explore solutions. Field trips include coastal watershed restoration, flood protection, carbon sequestration, and zero-carbon sites in the Boston area. Students complete a term project and/or teach a class, setting the stage for a life-long commitment to communicating climate science to a broad public. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

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Provides an overview of pedagogical theories and core teaching skills that allow students to craft their own K-12 curriculum using the design process. Working in groups and collaborating with an international partner, students use the design process to create a final project for a specific audience that emphasizes hands-on, inclusive, project-based learning. Suitable for students with varying levels of teaching experience. Local fieldwork and K-12 classroom visits are required throughout the semester and international fieldwork may be available to students in the summer. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 10.

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Explores the role innovation can and does play in how humanitarian aid is provided, and how it can impact people, products, and processes. Provides a fundamental background in the history and practice of humanitarian aid. Considers the various ways that design can be used to enhance aid, such as product and system design for affected populations, co-creation with affected populations, and capacity building to promote design by refugees and the displaced. Case studies and projects examine protracted displacement as well as recovery and resettlement, including efforts in Colombia, Lebanon, Nepal, Sudan, and Uganda. Potential for students to travel over the summer to partner communities.

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