DEEP Summer Academy | Enrichment Studies | Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering

It has been more than a century since the Wright brothers made history with the first manned flight in a heavier-than-air machine. Aerospace vehicles have since then revolutionized all aspects of life in the 20th Century and continue to push the boundaries of what is currently possible in the 21st Century. In this course, participants will discover the technological secrets of powered flight by looking at different types of aircraft, past and present, as well as follow some of the challenges that have faced pioneers throughout the history of aviation. These challenges include aircraft aerodynamics, propulsion system, flight instruments, and traffic control as well as environmental concerns. Participants will not only gain theoretical knowledge of these topics, but will also face their own engineering challenges by designing and building a wing and a simple model jet engine. Participants will also have the unique opportunity to look behind the curtain of the aviation industry by observing the production process at one of the world’s leading turbojet manufacturers.

MONDAY
• Following the Flight Pioneers or How to Stay Aloft
• Being an Aerodynamicist or How to Design Your Own Wing

TUESDAY
• Modern Aviation – Unlimited Opportunities!?
• A Ride Through the Crowded Skies

WEDNESDAY
• A Look Under the Hood – Aircraft Engines

THURSDAY
• Get a Glance Into the Real World

FRIDAY
• Newton Works – Building Your Own Miniature Jet Engine

Instructor(s): Markus Rumpkeil and Lucian Ivan

Imagine a world where we can save lives and help critically injured patients by creating vital organs and human tissue. Biomaterials and tissue engineering bring together scientists, engineers, and medical doctors from diverse backgrounds to create an array of amazing biomedical solutions. The field integrates two fundamental bodies of knowledge, materials science and biomedical science, in an attempt to develop biologically compatible materials to help the body heal and repair. The course will begin with an overview of human anatomy and the human immune system and will lead to the exploration of key areas of biomaterials and tissue engineering (orthopedic implants, cardiovascular tissue constructs, fat and dermal tissue substitutes, and neurological and spinal cord regeneration materials). These domains will be explored through a variety of presentations, interactive lectures and labs, hands-on activities and ethical debates. You’ll develop a deep understanding of some of the vital issues in the field, including biocompatibility, ethical concerns and design considerations.

MONDAY: Introduction: What is bioengineering?
• Where are biomaterials used?
• Implants: designs, and material selection
• Material selection criteria: strength, biocompatibility, geometrical considerations
• Biological response to biomaterials: fracture healing, immune response, stress shielding, wear and particulate debris – endosteal osteolysis
• Fracture fixation plates: how they work, what they are made of
• Specific metals, polymers, and ceramics used as biomaterials
• Activity: take a tour of the anatomy lab

TUESDAY: Material Engineering and testing
• Strengthening Mechanisms: Second Phase Particles, Mechanical Working, Grain Size Reduction
• Material Testing: tensile testing, hardness testing, notch impact testing
• Stress-Strain Curves: definition of strength, stiffness, ductility, toughness
• 3 concurrent rotating labs: Precipitation hardening, Annealing, Tensile testing.
• In computer lab, convert load-displacement curves into stress-strain curves, and make graphs to represent results in the precipitation hardening and annealing labs

WEDNESDAY: Bioethics & Bone fracture
• Split class into five groups, each responsible to present views in one of five different ethical perspectives
• Students are given a cow joint and will have to fracture it using a Charpy Impact Tester (WB 47)

THURSDAY: Design of Fracture Fixation Plates
• ut of the materials supplied (metal plates and screws) students must repair the cow joint they fractured yesterday.
• Using the supplied screws, drill the plates to the bone to close the fracture in any orientation desired. Use your knowledge of mechanical forces to decide how to orient the fracture fixation plates.
• Each group then presents their fracture fixation model and demonstrates its effectiveness by undergoing a three point bending test.
• The winning group’s model undergoes the greatest stress before failing.

FRIDAY: Tissue Engineering
• Limitations of orthopedic implants.
• How do we tissue engineer articular cartilage and what are some limitations?
• 3 concurrent rotating labs: Dissection, Cell counting and plating, Scanning Electron Microscopy

Instructor(s): Caroline Spiteri

Genetic engineering has significantly transformed the way scientists approach biological research. It has revolutionized many aspects of our lives including medicine and agriculture but also prompted us to re-think policy regulations to prevent any harmful implications. The goal of this course is to expose students to the fundamental concepts of genetic engineering through a series of stimulating lectures and activities aimed to examine genetic engineering through a variety of perspectives, such as biology, physics, computation, and of course, engineering. The course will cover advanced and current topics such as stem cells engineering as well as the creation of synthetic organisms.

MONDAY
• Introduction to Genetic Engineering! History and fundamentals of molecular biology
• Introduction to common laboratory equipments and techniques
• DNA isolation

TUESDAY
• The basic tools of genetic engineering: Recombinant DNA technology
• Create a restriction map of our mystery DNA using restriction enzyme digests
• Bioinformatics
• Gel Electrophoresis of digests

WEDNESDAY
• How to amplify DNA – Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and bacterial transformation
• DSet up PCR to detect genetic modification of your snack/food
• Genome projects
• Gel electrophoresis of PCR products

THURSDAY
• Using animals as models of human diseases
• Advanced topics in genetic engineering
• Making bacteria glow! Transforming bacteria with plasmid DNA coding for green fluorescent protein

FRIDAY
• Social and Ethical implications of genetic engineering
• Education and career perspectives of genetic engineering

Instructor(s): Deepthi Gorapalli and Stephen Chen

It’s undeniable—from the tropics to the arctic, the effects that we humans have had on our environment are being felt everywhere, such as through global climate change. This hands-on course will expose you to the science behind some of the problems that our Earth is facing, and open your eyes to the many ways that engineers around the world are changing it. You will learn about these issues first-hand through interactive activities such as using bioremediation techniques to clean contaminated soil and water you will also build your own renewable energy power-generating devices, and have the opportunity to investigate and track the sources of air pollution in Ontario and around the globe. Through measurement techniques, you’ll also get to see the effects of air pollution on the environment and your personal health. This course will introduce you to the fast-growing field of environmental problem solving as well as the many related career possibilities, and introduce you to emerging strategies that can be used for engineering a greener future for us all.

MONDAY: Introduction: Why is the environment so important to us?
• What is environmental engineering?
• Air, water and soil pollution – sources and effects
• Climate change and the greenhouse effect
• Activity: Measuring the Earth’s albedo – light absorption of glaciers vs. oceans

TUESDAY: Air Pollution
• The structure of the Earth’s atmosphere
• Atmospheric chemistry – what’s happening down here and up there
• Effects of air pollution: Acid rain and smog
• How can we control and reduce air pollution?
• Activity: Monitor your personal exposure – What normal daily activities expose us to air pollution?

WEDNESDAY: Water and Soil Pollution
• Water – properties and the water cycle
• Water pollution and waste-water treatment chemistry – biological treatments
• Water in the city of Toronto – from treatment to consumption
• Sustainable water management
• Soil properties and formation
• Activity: Treatment of nitrate polluted groundwater using soil bacteria

THURSDAY: Renewable Energy
• What is energy and where does ours come from?
• Energy and environmental problems
• From conventional energy to renewable energy
• Guest lecture: Implementing renewable energy sources at your high school
• Activity: How to build a solar panel out of glass and berries

FRIDAY: What is really happening to our environment?
• Global warming in the media – true or false
• Governmental policies – what is being done to face our environmental problems
• Environmental jeopardy
• Closing discussion: Engineer your ideal environment

Instructor(s): Krystal Godri and Maygan McGuire

Buildings and architectural structures are some of the most exemplary works of art in the world. As techniques and mediums are to a painting, so are architectural and civil design principles to a structure. Explore the foundations of architecture and civil design to see how these fields converge to create beautiful structural works and depend on one another for the development and growth of cities and urban infrastructure. This course includes a variety of interactive lectures, site visits, use of computer-aided design (CAD) and project work. This course will provide a good base of information for students interested in learning more about Architecture and Civil Engineering.

MONDAY
• Introduction and general overview of streams within civil engineering and their interactions with architecture
• Fundamentals of Architecture
• Structural Engineering Focus

TUESDAY
• Introduction to Sustainable Design

WEDNESDAY
• Activity: Reflect on the “Streets Belong to All of Us” exhibit
• Introduction to AutoCAD

THURSDAY
• Case Study: Antoni Gaudi’s work
• City Tour- discussion of various aspects of building and infrastructure of downtown Toronto

FRIDAY
• Calculation examples for some of the elements highlighted in the city tour
• Activity: Green Building project presentation

Instructor(s): Carolyn Hicks

Energy is central to the advancement of human societies, while a sustainable energy base is integral to the continuity and development of modern societies. In the recent past, generation of energy from renewable and sustainable sources has become a hot topic. From Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” to the political and media reaction to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report, the message is clear: there is an urgent need for a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Record high oil prices are also driving the demand for alternative energy. Solar energy has emerged as a popular contender in the alternative energy market. In this course, students will learn about the history, physics and functionality of solar cells along with a look at the technologies that are under development world-wide. The course will also promote discussion and debates with regards to social, political and environmental issues associated with solar energy.

Please note: due to the nature of this course, both Junior and Senior students will be accepted.

Instructor(s): David Stanley and Junho Jeong

This course will expose students to a rigorous and in-depth development of two fundamental tools for any aspiring engineer: Integral Calculus and Linear Algebra. From Riemann Sums, Markov Chains and calculating volumes to axioms of vector space, techniques of integration and Eigen value programs, students will learn the complex concepts that make the world of physics, engineering and mathematics go round. In addition, students will be able to observe the combined need of proofs and an intuitive understanding of integral concepts in mathematics.

MONDAY
• Functions, limits, and derivatives.
• Introduction to integrals.
• Riemann Sums.
• Numerical methods of integration.
• Activity: introduction to MatLab.
• Vector space axioms, examples of vector spaces, vector subspaces.
• Linear combinations, spans, bases, and dimension

TUESDAY
• Activity: comparison of numerical methods (MatLab).
• Linear transformations and their associated vector subspaces.
• Invertible transformations and isomorphisms.
• Matrix representation and systems of linear equations.

WEDNESDAY
• Determinants
• The eigenvalue problem.
• Activity: deriving the golden ratio from the Fibonacci sequence.
• Markov chains and applications of matrices to probability.

THURSDAY
• Introduction to Optimization.
• Simple matrix strategic game.
• Examples: Prisoner’s Dilemma and Game of Chicken.
• Pure and mixed Nash equilibrium.
• Zero-sum games.
• Games in Computer Security.

FRIDAY
• Introduction to auctions.
• Learning in games: fictitious play.
• Games in extensive forms.
• Bargaining.

Instructor(s): Ryan Donnelly

The purpose of Engineering Physics is to use fundamental concepts in physics to design and implement new technologies or to improve upon existing ones. In order to accomplish this, a thorough understanding of fundamental physical principles is necessary. This course will provide an introduction to the many advanced principles central to Engineering Physics. This course will also explore developments of classical mechanics, in which the tools of calculus and linear algebra are essential, as well as an exploration of electromagnetism and overview of quantum mechanics. Hands-on investigations will be an essential component of the study of these concepts.

MONDAY
• Review of elementary Classical Mechanics (Newton, gravity, potential and kinetic energy).
• Derivatives and vectors from the Physics perspective.
• Rotational motion.
• Angular momentum and torque.
• Activity: demonstration of rotational dynamics: the gyroscope and bike wheel.
• Activity: tour of Physics labs.

TUESDAY
• Oscillations and waves
• Harmonic oscillators
• Introduction to electromagnetism
• Activity: classical mechanics experiment from McLennan Physics Laboratories

WEDNESDAY
• Maxwell’s equations.
• Voltage, charge, current.
• Gauss’s Law.
• Biot-Savart Law.
• Electric circuits and linear circuit analysis

THURSDAY
• Phasors
• Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits
• Activity: electronics experiment from McLennan Physics Laboratories (in pairs).
• Introduction to Quantum Mechanics.

FRIDAY
• Activity: free choice experiment from McLennan Physics Laboratories (in pairs).
• Examples of quantum mechanical systems.
• The infinite and finite wells.
• Quantum harmonic oscillator.
• The Hydrogen atom.
• Superposition of states and Schrodinger’s cat.

Instructor(s): Ryan Donnelly

This course will cover complex theoretical chemistry as it applies to engineering. Chemical engineering uses the essentials of chemical theory and applies this to engineering design in order to create amazing solutions to society’s most challenging issues. This course will cover topics in physical chemistry, biochemical engineering and pharmaceuticals, polymers and nanocomposites, and chemical electronics. Participants will apply this new knowledge of pure chemistry and apply it to real-world problems in the form of a series of hands-on activities and design projects.

Instructor(s): TBA

This course explores aspects of business operations and services from the perspective of industrial engineering. Industrial engineering is important for any business as it helps to maintain and improve the efficiency of the firm while helping to reduce costs. For instance, how many times have you had to wait in line for a bank teller or cashier and wondered why they just don’t hire more staff? An industrial engineer is able to evaluate such a system and determine the cause and develop effective improvements to the system (potentially without having to hire a new employee). Some industrial consultants are able to make claims such as “will improve business process by 20-500% within 6 months, guaranteed.” This course will ultimately give participants the opportunity to experience industrial engineering and use some of the “tools of the trade” (i.e. software packages and modelling techniques). Participants will tackle real-life problems and develop important business-focused skills through case-based learning.

MONDAY
• Origins of IE
• Role of IE, cases where IE improved businesses
• Activity: Introduction of concepts through a hands on example
• Maximizing profit or minimizing costs
• Considering market and resource constraints
• Activity: using Excel to help make production decisions

TUESDAY
• Designing facilities in order to reduce travelling costs, improve flow
• Locating facilities to best suit needs while improving the bottom line
• Activity: design the “best” factory
• Activity: locating warehouses
• Determining the best route for deliveries, transportation, etc
• Reduce costs and distances travelled
• Activity: Route construction
• Activity: Using Excel to help solve SCM problems

WEDNESDAY
• Improving the processes of a factory or business processes through evaluation of the processes, balancing work load, and design
• Activity: improving the process flow and throughput of a mock factory
• Reduce “wastes” while improving customer value
• How to improve operations
• Activity: reducing wastes and improving factory efficiency through a mock toy car factory

THURSDAY
• Discover different methods and reasons for lines
• How can we reduce how long people/things wait?
• Activity: comparing lines in different situations. Are many lines better then one?
• Discover hands-on more about computer simulation modelling that Industrial Engineers use.
• Have people or widgets wiz across your screen get services at machines or tellers.
• Activity: design your own simulation model of a factory or service centre.

FRIDAY
• Groups tackle a realistic case study which can have several aspects/issues where IE can be applied
• Groups will work on the case study, and present their solutions to the class at the end of the day

Instructor(s): Daphne Sniekers

Welcome to The Apprentice the DEEP way! This course is a must for the business-minded student. Learn the skills needed to take an idea and make it an innovation. Through interactive lectures, guest presentations, strategy exercises and business team competitions, students will discover the foundations of entrepreneurship. Students will develop communication and presentation skills, teamwork experience and gain vital knowledge on commercialization theories and strategies.

MONDAY: Introduction to Commercializing Technological Innovations
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship
• Different types of entrepreneurship
• Technical vs. Non-technical businesses
• Service-based vs. product-based businesses
• Interest Theory: Simple Interest vs. Compound Interest
• Case study: Commercialization strategy
• Activity: Building student teams and brainstorming business ideas

TUESDAY: Intellectual Property (IP)
• Importance of Intellectual Property (IP)
• Protection of IP, and when does one need it?
• Closely-held vs. loosely-held assets
• Technological innovations: patents, trademarks and copyrights
• Case study: Intellectual Property
• Activity: Student teams: establishing business ideas, and their IP-related issues
• Guest lecture by successful serial entrepreneur

WEDNESDAY: Business financing, budgeting and negotiations
• Sources and types of business financing
• Financing Life cycle
• What do investors look for?
• Smart budgeting
• What is negotiation, and what skills are required?
• Case-studies: Financing and negotiations
• Various risk-factors involved
• Activity: Student teams: moving forward with the business proposal

THURSDAY: Marketing and Sales, HR management
• Basics of marketing: why, how and when?
• Market research, customer analysis and feedback
• Established vs. disruptive technologies
• Competition in selling to market and sustainable competitive edge
• Building different teams: technology, marketing, sales and public relations
• Activity: Student teams: finalizing details of their business proposals
• Guest lecture by successful serial entrepreneur

FRIDAY: Elements of a successful business plan
• Developing a successful business plan and commercialization strategy
• Survival of a start-up
• Summary and closing remarks
• Activity: Student team presentations of their business proposals

Instructor(s): Ankur Saxena

Do you have an idea that would sweep the world off its feet? This course will help you take your technical know how and will complement it with the important business-oriented mindset that will allow you to take that next step towards being a successful innovator. Business Solutions will allow students to translate technical skills into a design and ultimately into a prototype. Working from beginning to end on a simulated project you’ll get to experience what it’s like to be a technical consultant. The course also focuses on “softer” skills that are integral for success in the business world.

Please note: due to the nature of this course, both Junior and Senior students will be accepted.

Instructor(s): Flora Wan

From fossil fuels to sustainable energy, this course will take an indepth look at how useful energy is produced and the engines that produce it. Through interactive lectures and hands-on activities, students will explore turbines, combustion engines, fuel cells and solar power. The overall theme of the course is about optimizing engine efficiencies and matching technological solutions to societal needs. Energy policy will also be discussed, with an emphasis on emerging technology and the importance of energy engineering.

MONDAY: Introduction to Energy Conversion
• What is energy?
• Introduction to energy conversion and efficiency
• Introduction to thermodynamics
• Activity: Build a simple rotary steam engine

TUESDAY: Combustion Engines and Turbines
• Mechanics of reciprocating engines
• Four stroke internal combustion engines
• Steam, gas, and wind turbines
• Activity: Design and test a wind-powered turbine

WEDNESDAY: Resources and Energy Policy
• What resources of energy do we have?
• Fossil fuels – Oil sands and Coal
• Activity: Viscosity of Oil
• Energy policy discussion: How are different countries approaching challenges regarding energy? Which policies are best for Canada?

THURSDAY: Fuel Cell Technology
• Electrochemistry
• Fuel cell technology
• Guest speaker: Olivera Kesler, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering
• Activity: Electrolysis of water and operation of a fuel cell

FRIDAY: Solar Energy
• Radiant heat transfer
• Solar thermal power
• Photovoltaic cells
• Activity: Comparison of solar technologies to heat water

Instructor(s): Jeff Harris

Pharmaceutical sciences remains an obscurity to the general public — kept behind closed doors of big pharmaceutical companies and overshadowed by the practice of pharmacy. In this course we will take you inside the field of pharmaceutical sciences. Like many fields these days, pharmaceutical science has become an interdisciplinary field incorporating not only pharmacists but also biologists, chemists, and engineers. Participants will have the opportunity to design their own drug delivery systems, use analytical methods to examine a known drug and gain insight into the research aspect of the field. The course aims to give participants the chance to work in teams on a variety of projects and presentations covering everything from the initial design and discovery of drugs to the delivery vehicles and final consumer destination.

MONDAY
• History of pharmacy, from ancient Babylon to modern day
• Role of Pharmacists and types of medications they deal with
• What the Pharmaceutical science field encompasses
• Debate competition on issues related to pharmaceutical science
• Extraction and purification of natural drug (i.e. caffeine) from common products such as pop, coffee and tea

TUESDAY
• Using various chemicals to synthesize Aspirin®
• Purification and extraction techniques will be employed to isolate the final compound which students can take home
• Students will learn how to handle cells in a sterile environment, how to count cells under a microscope and how to seed cells in 96-well plates
• Mouse fibroblast cells will be utilized

WEDNESDAY
• Using the Aspirin® made earlier, a cytotoxicity experiment will be done
• The goal is to determine the toxicity level of the drug
• Cell viability will be calculated and related to drug concentration
• Introduction to polymers
• Hydrogel, lipid, micelle, and biodegradable polymers will be discussed
• Design, synthesis, and use of polymers in the drug delivery field
• Polymer microsphere synthesis lab

THURSDAY
• Techniques of discovering and manufacturing modern drugs
• Human physiology: where do drugs go?
• Overview of various analytical techniques used to study drug systems
• Oral, aerosol spray, transdermal patches, injectable, and implant systems will be discussed
• Group research project and presentation

FRIDAY
• Visit various research facilities
• Q/A session with the company’s researchers and employees

Instructor(s): Payam Zahedi and Raquel De Souza

Advances in research and technology have completely changed the way we look at living systems. From stem cell engineering to artificial organ creation, the medical field is rapidly changing and expanding in ways never thought possible. This course will expose you to some of the top areas of research in the innovative field of regenerative medicine. The first part of the course will be spent familiarizing students with the basic sciences of regenerative medicine, including cell biology, genetics, physiology and pathology. In the second part, students will learn the principles needed to integrate these disciplines. You will explore new and cutting-edge topics such as issues in tissue engineering, cell therapy, in vivo organ regeneration, gene therapy and bioethics. The concepts learned will be reinforced throughout the course with many exciting hands-on laboratory sessions and group activities.

MONDAY
• getting-to-know you session
• discussion on current methodology used to treat tissue and organ failure, and their limitations
• Students will then be introduced to cell and tissue engineering and its role in regenerative medicine
• “Building organs: a step-by-step approach.”
• Students will be introduced to important concepts and principles in human physiology to organ systems down to cellular and sub-cellular levels
• Introductory lab on cell culture

TUESDAY
• “Fixing the blueprint: treating diseases at the genetic level.”
• The lecture will introduce the students to the pathology of several genetic diseases and the technologies that are under the development to treat them
• Students will have a lab where they transform bacteria with green fluorescent protein

WEDNESDAY
• “Organ in a box: Tissue engineering for clinical application”
• Students will be introduced to the fundamental ideas and challenges facing the engineering of clinically useful products
• lab on the fabrication of microfluidic device used in the modelling of vasculatures in tissue-engineered organ

THURSDAY
• “Alchemy of healing: The chemistry of regenerative medicine”
• The lecture will review the key chemical and biochemical concepts used in the design and development of novel treatment therapies and tissue engineered organs
• Video on microencapsulation, a technique used in immunoisolation
• Lab where students perform encapsulation

FRIDAY
• Using the tools presented throughout the week, propose a novel therapy to treat a disease of choice
• Alternatively, research time for a debate regarding regenerative medicine topics
• Give a presentation explaining the pathology of the disease and the proposed treatment
• Alternatively, hold moderated, formal debates

Instructor(s): Brendan Leung and Omar Khan

Hit TV shows like ER and House throw around terms like ECG and EEG all the time – but what do these terms really mean? This course will show you what all these medical terms and diagnostic tests are all about. Due to the prevalence of disease and illness, engineers must design advanced technologies to collect and analyze biomedical signals and images that are crucial to diagnosis. This course will provide you with a comprehensive overview of biomedical signals and images, from both a medical and engineering perspective. The course will cover key concepts in human anatomy and physiology, the types of signals which are generated by the body, the acquisition technology needed to capture medical signals and images as well as how a computer can be used to process them. We will dive into special topics on biomedical signals and images, starting with several types of signals: action potential (AP), electromyograms (EMGs), electrocardiograms (ECGs), electroencephalograms (EEGs), vibroarthographic (VAG) signals and voice signals. Students will explore how 3-D imaging works and how medical images are stored in hospitals around the world as well as the physics and engineering principles of how X-rays, magnetic resonance images (MRIs), functional MRIs, ultrasounds, nuclear medicines and small bowel images are captured. Students will perform hands-on experiments collecting their own biomedical signals with real technological devices, to experience first-hand the relevance of signaling and imaging to the health and well-being of humanity.

Instructor(s): April Khademi

We live in a world dominated by electronics. Electronics are present in phones, computers, automobiles, and even in credit cards. So what exactly do these electronics do and how do they do it? In this course participants will be introduced to the basic theory behind microprocessors and will learn how to program their own microprocessors. Key robotics and digital logic design concepts are taught through a series of design-oriented projects. The course will culminate is a design challenge where students will make a robotic car. The goal of this course is to provide initial foundation in digital logic design that will equip students to pursue their interests in the field of robotics.

MONDAY: Mechatronics and engineering methods
• An introduction to embedded systems
• The engineering approach to complex systems
• Activity: Identifying and abstracting embedded systems
• Analysis of common embedded systems
• Circuits and the PIC programmer circuit
• Activity: PIC development board assembly

TUESDAY:
• Microcontrollers/Microprocessors
• Analysis of a processor (ALU, memory)
• Introduction to the Microchip PIC microcontroller
• Microcontroller C
• Activity: Blinking leds using the PIC development board

WEDNESDAY:
• Motor controller interfacing
• PWM modules and A/D converters
• The PIC toolchain and the compilation process
• Advanced microcontroller C programming
• Activity: Integrating PIC with test cart

THURSDAY:
• Sensors and sensor interfacing
• Advanced microcontroller C programming
• Basic navigation algorithms
• Activity: Weapon design and construction. Integration.

FRIDAY:
• Introduction to the final challenge
• Autonomy and navigation strategies
• Activity: Programming and testing for the final challenge
• Activity: Final challenge competition integrating the work from the entire week.

Instructor(s): Sinisa Colic and Josh Dian

Advancements in the research and development of artificial intelligence through the past decade have been breath-taking. Theoretical computer science and software engineering has been taken to the next level. Novel techniques have been developed through which a machine is not merely programmed to perform a certain task, but it has been given the capability to artificially “learn” or self-program to perform a certain class of tasks. Automated speech recognition systems, detecting credit card fraud, stock market analysis, computer vision, spam filtering, and robot localization are some examples of numerous applications of machine-learning and pattern recognition. This course allows students to learn about the fundamentals of machine-learning as a diverse sub-field of artificial intelligence through interactive and exciting hands-on experiments.

MONDAY: Introduction to Aerospace Industry and History
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
• Introduction to Probability Theory
• Introduction to Matrix and Vector Algebra
• Introduction to MATLAB

TUESDAY: Introduction to Dynamics of Aircraft
• Examples of current Artificial
• Intelligence systems
• Introduction to Signals and Systems
• Introduction to MATLAB’s Image Processing Toolbox

WEDNESDAY: Forces on Aircraft
• Advanced probability theory: Markov chains and Hidden Markov Models
• Artificial Vision Systems

THURSDAY: Introduction to Orbital Dynamics and Space Robotics
• Introduction to Estimation Theory and Pattern Classification
• Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)

FRIDAY: Testing in Aerospace and overview
• Pattern Recognition using ANNs
• ANN-based artificial intelligence systems

Instructor(s): TBA

Biology, electronics, aesthetics and mechanics combine to create the next step in robotic evolution: BEAM robotics. In this course students will learn how to design and build small insect-like robots from recycled “technoscrap”. A strong project oriented hands-on component coupled with an introduction to circuit theory, sensory systems, microcontrollers, neural networks, motor systems, mechanics and power systems will allow participants to discover and explore their creativity while producing functional robots. In order to build an effective bugbot, circuit analysis tools such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, function generators and soldering irons will be utilized. The course culminates with a grand showcase of all the bugbot prototypes designed and built by the students.

Instructor(s): Siraj Sabihuddin