Subject Listings

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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Seminar participants define and study the development stages of new enterprises at MIT, from the exciting moment a new idea for a tech product or service is realized, through to selling, customer support, and the next new idea. Follows the history of successful MIT spin-off companies with attention to the people (and their ideas) behind the start-up. Students attend MIT technology and science start-up case presentations given by individuals and teams working from zero-stage, and by partners in going concerns of historical relevance to the Institute and the economy. Second in a two-part series (seminars do not have to be taken sequentially; see EC.074 in fall term).

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The Art and Science of PCB Design is an introductory course into the fundamental aspects of developing electronic systems on printed circuit boards (PCBs). This course will heavily focus on providing hands-on labs with electronic design tools actively used in industry towards designing a primary course project resulting with the physical assembly of a PCB-based device. Students will gain experience in designing systems, conducting SPICE simulations, drawing schematics, and creating a PCB layout. Complex topics in electrical and PCB design will be explored, including from guest speakers and through advanced simulations. This class is intended for students of all skill-levels but at a minimum requires a basic understanding of circuit analysis, which will be applied towards learning how to implement real devices.

Prerequisites: Understanding of basic circuit analysis provided in 6.200, 2.678, or equivalent. Prospective students who have not taken 6.200, 2.678, or an equivalent class will be required to pass a staff-created open-book pretest, prior to the start of IAP, that covers required circuit knowledge for the course. Prospective students should fill out the interest form located at: pcb.mit.edu.

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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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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.797)

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Seminar on founding, financing, and building entrepreneurial ventures in developing nations. Challenges students to craft enduring and economically viable solutions to the problems faced by these countries. Cases illustrate examples of both successful and failed businesses, and the difficulties in deploying and diffusing products and services through entrepreneurial action. Explores a range of established and emerging business models, as well as new business opportunities enabled by innovations emerging from MIT labs and beyond. Students develop a business plan executive summary suitable for submission in the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition's Accelerate Contest or MIT IDEAS.

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Focuses on disseminating Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) or water/environment innovations in developing countries and underserved communities worldwide. Structured around field-based learning, case studies, lectures and videos in which teams propose an idea and are mentored through the process of bringing that innovation to fruition. Emphasizes core WASH and water/environment principles, culture-specific solutions, tools for start-ups, appropriate and sustainable technologies, behavior change, social marketing, building partnerships, and the theory and practice of innovation diffusion. Term project entails entering the IDEAS or other competition(s) while implementing a WASH innovation in a specific locale. Guest lectures on specific real-world WASH projects which have been disseminated by MIT faculty, students, alumni, and others. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 30.

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Students explore possibilities of repurposed electronic devices in various sectors of development, including agriculture, education, health, and energy, for positive impact on people living in low-income communities. Guest lecturers provide insight into current trends in information and communication technology for development. Students work in teams to apply principles of participatory and inclusive design to projects developed in collaboration with community innovators in refugee camps in Northern Uganda and rural areas of Tanzania. Optional travel to Uganda and Tanzania during IAP with D-Lab field partners. Graduate students complete additional assignments.

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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.794)

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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 a technical introduction to decarbonizing building energy systems via the fundamentals of thermal energy networks. Introductory lectures with required field trips to three Net Zero sites in the Boston area provide first-hand experience with the technologies and systems involved in building decarbonization (transportation is arranged and free). All field trips take place during class sessions.

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