January 2023
Applied Design Thinking for Scientists and Engineers
Anas Chalah PhD, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Design thinking is widely considered to be an essential skill for twenty-first century leaders and innovative thinkers. Engineering programs should graduate engineers who can design effectively to meet social and environmental needs. However, the role and perception of design across a wide range of educational disciplines has improved markedly in recent years. One of the defining characteristics of design thinking is that there is rarely a single correct answer to a complex problem. Design thinking is an iterative and interdisciplinary collaborative process toward crafting acceptable solutions. This intensive January session course enables students to exercise and practice different thinking styles, including divergent, convergent, critical, analytical, and integrative. It guides students through the different steps of the design thinking process, starting with empathy, into problem definition, ideation, prototyping, building, measurement, and analysis. On the technical side, this course focuses on teaching systems and system controls to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations in solving complex challenges. As some students want to bring forward their innovative ideas to the commercialization stage, the course aims to support their aspirations by including aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship in some of the course's hands-on projects.
Spring 2023
Laboratory Electronics: Digital Circuit Design
Oliver Saunders Wilder PhD, Research Affiliate, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This course covers digital design, emphasizing microprocessors and microcontrollers as well as programmable logic devices, and provides an understanding of the fundamentals of computer circuitry. After examining analog-digital interfacing issues, students build a microcomputer from the chip level. They apply this computer first to assigned tasks and later to individual projects. The student's microcomputer is based on an 8051-derivative microcontroller, chosen because it allows an easy transition, after the course is completed, from the course's pedagogically useful transparent design (using external buses and memory) to practical single-chip implementations. Each meeting includes a laboratory session.
Prerequisites: High school algebra and some familiarity with analog electronics.
Spring 2023
Tissue Engineering for Clinical Applications
Sujata K. Bhatia PhD, MD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Tissue engineering is now recognized as a way to lessen the global disease burden: novel methods for pancreatic islet regeneration can address diabetes; autologous cells for heart muscle regeneration can address coronary artery disease; and nerve regeneration technologies can be used to treat stroke. This course describes strategies of tissue engineering and focuses on the diseases tissue engineering can address. Each lecture identifies a specific disease (coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes) and describes tissue-engineered scaffolds that can alleviate the disease. Students learn the underlying pathology of the disease, understand the latest advances in tissue engineering for treating the disease, and discuss prospective research areas for novel biomaterials to modify the disease process. In addition, students gain an appreciation of clinical trials of tissue-engineered scaffolds, as well as commercialization of tissue engineering.
Prerequisites: Introductory biology and chemistry.
Fall 2022
Introduction to Nanobiotechnology: Concepts and Applications
Anas Chalah PhD, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Nanobiotechnology is a new frontier for biology with important applications in medicine. It bridges areas in physics, chemistry, and biology and is a testament to the new areas of interdisciplinary science that are becoming dominant in the twenty-first century. This course provides perspective for students and researchers who are interested in nanoscale physical and biological systems and their applications in medicine. It introduces concepts in nanomaterials and their use with biocomponents to synthesize and address larger systems. Applications include systems for visualization, labeling, drug delivery, and cancer research. Technological impact of nanoscale systems, synthesis, and characterizations of nanoscale materials are discussed.
Prerequisites: Introductory courses in chemistry, physics, and biology; an introductory course in nanoscale science would be helpful.
Spring 2023
Fundamentals and Applications of Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Devices
Anas Chalah PhD, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Advancement in the studies of microfluidic components and integrated lab-on-a-chip devices have created a new class of tools and systems. These devices are convenient platforms to study chemical and biochemical analysis and, as a consequence, applications in biology and rapid detections have been on the rise. In this course we introduce the science and technology of miniaturization and its applications in creating microfluidic devices. We discuss methods, tools, and measuring devices to create microfluidic systems. Different types of lithography methods are presented for the purpose of creating simple devices. We discuss fluid flow and fluid characteristics in microchannels as well as the components for controlling fluid flow. We also discuss applications to cellular analysis including nucleic acids analysis, DNA hybridization and sequencing, and protein analysis. Additionally, advanced systems for rapid chemical and biological detections such as organs on chips are analyzed and discussed.
Prerequisites: PHYS E-1bx, or the equivalent, and some knowledge of biology.