ME Elective Course Descriptions

Instructor: Brandon Stafford

Schedule: Tuesday & Thursday 10:30 - 11:45 AM

Description: Design thinking through practical design challenges. Designing, protoyping, and fabricating working solutions. Understanding real-world design constraints found with different tools, components, and materials. Assessment based on a series of mechanical fabrication projects of increasing sophistication.

Instructor: Tony Gao

Schedule: Monday & Wednesday 10:30 - 11:45 AM

Description: This course in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) reviews theoretical foundations and introduces numerical methods for modeling fluid mechanics and transport phenomena. Upon successful completion, students will understand CFD fundamentals and be able to apply numerical methods and algorithms to solve various flow problems. Specifically, students will learn to: (i) formulate physical problems and develop mathematical models, (ii) discretize governing equations, (iii) solve discretized equations numerically using Matlab or other programming languages, and (iv) evaluate, validate, and visualize numerical results. Instead of using commercial software, the course emphasizes classical Finite Difference and Finite Volume methods. Required: Prior fluid mechanics and heat transfer courses (at the level of ME51 or equivalent).

Instructor: Mark Kachanov

Schedule: Tuesday & Thursday 12 - 1:15 PM

Description: Stress concentrations at pores and cracks. Cracks in brittle materials. Conditions for crack propagation. Stable and unstable crack growth. Loss of stiffness due to cracks. Fracture of brittle materials under compression. Fracture of ductile materials and limit loads on structural elements. Fracture under creep conditions. Recommendations: ME120

Instructor: Khosrow Bakhtari

Schedule: Tuesday & Thursday 3 - 4:15 PM

Description: This course explores various energy storage technologies, their function, and their practical application. The course reviews current and emerging technologies, with each week dedicated to a different energy-storage modality. Topics include batteries, fuel cells, pumped hydro storage, compressed air, flywheel energy storage, thermal energy storage, and many more. 

Instructor: David Aurelio

Schedule: Wednesday 6:30 - 9 PM

Description: Ethics plays a key role in decision making during the process of developing new products.  What role does an engineer play in this process?  Should a new product maximize benefit or freedom?  What ethical frameworks should we use when determining benefit for whom, and freedom for whom?  We explore how to practice ethical engineering given the challenging balance of profit motives, new technical capabilities, data privacy, algorithmic bias and fairness, sustainability, and safety.

The course will examine the following product ethical questions:

• How can you apply ethical frameworks and approaches to the choices that product designers make?
• Under what circumstances should police and governments use facial recognition software to predict crime and who is a criminal?
• How reasonable is it to develop a system of armed drones that identifies enemies and drops bombs without human intervention?
• What new energy technologies should be developed in balancing environmental concerns with demand for power-hungry artificial intelligence models?
• How should an operator determine when a new commercial submersible (or spacecraft) is safe enough to book the first passenger?

 The course includes readings, lectures, and classroom discussions and debates.

Instructor: Joel Huegel

Schedule: Monday & Wednesday 3 - 4:15 PM

Description: This course explores the engineering and design of prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation technologies. Students learn and integrate biomechanics, mechatronics, and human-centered design to explore innovative assistive devices. The course covers approaches to create, evaluate, and refine technologies that enhance mobility, function, and quality of life.