Discover, Design, Build and Test: A Hands-On Introduction to Product and Device Design

Catalog description

Part two of a two semester lab and classroom-based design sequence. Engineers design molecules, medicines, materials, products and processes. This course introduces students to the practical elements of such design. It offers a hands-on introduction to the design and realization of practical products and devices that leverage engineering principles for their operation. Students work in small teams to realize a specific design objective - a working device that meets cost and performance-based design specifications. The first part of the course is centered on lab safety, exploring the physical and chemical principles associated with the design objective, conducting basic market research, surveying intellectual property, and developing the required maker space skills in instrumentation and fabrication that are required to build the design target. The second part of the course entails the fabrication and evaluation of prototypes, and iterative refinement of designs. Prerequisites: . Two semesters of Math/Calculus. One semester of introductory Chemistry, Physics, or Biology.