The goal of this course is to teach basic tools and principles of writing good code, in the context of scientific computing. Specific topics include an overview of relevant compiled and interpreted languages, build tools and source managers, design patterns, design of interfaces, debugging and testing, profiling and improving performance, portability, and an introduction to parallel computing in both shared memory and distributed memory environments. The focus is on writing code that is easy to maintain and share with others. Students develop these skills through a series of programming assignments and a group project.

An introductory course to plasma physics, with sample applications in fusion, space and astrophysics, semiconductor etching, microwave generation, plasma propulsion, high power laser propagation in plasma; characterization of the plasma state, Debye shielding, plasma and cyclotron frequencies, collision rates and mean-free paths, atomic processes, adiabatic invariance, orbit theory, magnetic confinement of single-charged particles, two-fluid description, magnetohydrodynamic waves and instabilities, heat flow, diffusion, kinetic description, and Landau damping. The course may be taken by undergraduates with permission of the instructor.

Lectures and readings focus on bridges, railroads, power plants, steamboats, telegraph, highways, automobiles, aircraft, computers, and the microchip. Historical analysis provides a basis for studying societal impact by focusing on scientific, political, ethical, and aesthetic aspects in the evolution of engineering over the past two and a half centuries. The precepts and the papers will focus historically on engineering ideas including the social and political issues raised by these innovations and how they were shaped by society as well as how they helped shape culture.

Lectures and readings focus on bridges, railroads, power plants, steamboats, telegraph, highways, automobiles, aircraft, computers, and the microchip. We study some of the most important engineering innovations since the Industrial Revolution. The laboratory centers on technical analysis that is the foundation for design of these major innovations. The experiments are modeled after those carried out by the innovators themselves, whose ideas are explored in the light of the social environment within which they worked.

The study of the oceans as a major influence on the atmosphere and the world environment. The contrasts between the properties of the upper and deep oceans; the effects of stratification; the effect of rotation; the wind-driven gyres; the thermohaline circulation.

Heat and work in physical systems. Concepts of energy conversion and entropy, primarily from a macroscopic viewpoint. Efficiency of different thermodynamic cycles, with applications to everyday life including both renewable and classical energy sources. In the laboratory, students will carry out experiments in the fields of analog electronics and thermodynamics.

Fundamental principles of solid mechanics: equilibrium equations, reactions, internal forces, stress, strain, Hooke's law, torsion, beam bending and deflection, and analysis of stress and deformation in simple structures. Integrates aspects of solid mechanics that have applications to mechanical and aerospace structures (engines and wings), as well as to microelectronic and biomedical devices. Topics include stress concentration, fracture, plasticity, and thermal expansion. The course synthesizes descriptive observations, mathematical theories, and engineering consequences.

A treatment of the theory and applications of ordinary differential equations with an introduction to partial differential equations. The objective is to provide the student with an ability to solve standard problems in this field.

This course builds on the technical foundations established in MAE 321, and extends the scope to include a range of advanced mechanism designs. Students, working in teams, will be challenged to design and fabricate a robotic system that will draw upon multidisciplinary engineering elements. The robot tasks will be associated with search and rescue operations. CAD, CAE, and CAM will be utilized in the design/simulation/prototype process. Labs are designed to reinforce and expand CAD and CAE skills. A final competition will be held among the design teams.

Relates to the structures, properties, processing and performance of different materials including metals, alloys, polymers, ceramics, and semiconductors. This course satisfies the MAE departmental requirement in materials as well as the MSE certificate core requirement.

Introduction to the performance, stability, and control of aircraft. Fundamentals of configuration aerodynamics. Methods for analyzing the dynamics of physical systems. Characterization of modes of motion and desirable flying qualities.

The course is focused on compressible and incompressible inviscid fluid flow. Compressible subsonic and supersonic flows are studied in the first half of the course. The remaining portion of the semester addresses low-speed, incompressible fluid flows and aerodynamics of two and three-dimensional wings and bodies. Concepts of thrust, lift and drag are introduced and applied.

Student selects subject and adviser - defines problem to be studied and proposes work plan. A list of possible subjects of particular interest to faculty and staff members is provided. Written report at end of semester.

Course similar to MAE 339. Principal difference is that the project must incorporate aspects and principals of design for a system, product, vehicle, device, apparatus, or other design.

Robotics is a rapidly-growing field with applications including unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous cars, and robotic manipulators. This course will provide an introduction to the basic theoretical and algorithmic principles behind robotic systems. The course will also allow students to get hands-on experience through project-based assignments on quadrotors. In the final project, students will implement a vision-based obstacle avoidance controller for a quadrotor. Topics include motion planning, control, localization, mapping, and vision.

The bioinspired design course offers interdisciplinary, advanced design and critical thinking experience. Students will work in teams to integrate biological knowledge into the engineering design process. The course uses case studies to show how biological solutions can be transferred into engineering design. The case studies will include themes such as locomotion, materials, and sensing. By the end of the course, students will be able to use analogical design concepts to engineer a prototype based on biological function.

The course introduces fundamentals of optics, lasers, and Fourier transforms through lectures and hands-on activities. The topics include ray and wave optics, imaging and image processing, optical Fourier transforms, principles of lasers, and applications in nuclear fusion for renewable energy, environmental sensing, space exploration, ultrafast metrology, chemistry, and physics.

To develop an understanding of feedback principles in the control of dynamic systems, and to gain experience in analyzing and designing control systems in a laboratory setting.

Senior independent work is the culminating experience for the mechanical and aerospace engineering programs. Students select a subject and adviser, define the problem to be studied and propose a work plan. Projects include elements of engineering design, defined as devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. A list of possible subjects of particular interest to faculty and staff members is provided. Students must submit a written final report and present their results to faculty, staff, fellow students, and guests.

Senior thesis is a year-long independent study for individual students. It is the culminating experience for the mechanical and aerospace programs. Work begins in fall, but enrollment is in spring when a double grade is recorded. Projects include engineering design, defined as devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. Students develop their own topic or select a faculty proposed topic. Students create a work plan and select an adviser. A written progress report is expected at the end of the fall term. Students submit a written final report and make an oral presentation at the end of the spring term.

Methods of mathematical analysis for the solution of problems in physics and engineering. Topics include an introduction to linear algebra, matrices and their application, eigenvalue problems, ordinary differential equations, Sturm-Liouville theory and eigenvalue problems, Green's functions, partial differential equation, finite Fourier Transform, method of characteristics, self-similar solution.

Under the direction of a faculty member, the student carries out a one-semester research project chosen jointly by the student and the faculty member. Without prior approval of the Director Graduate Studies, directed research can only be taken during the first year of study. At the beginning of the semester, students must submit the topic of the project and the faculty advisor to the Graduate Office. The project culminates in a final presentation in the style of a conference talk at the end of the semester.

Independent project for Master of Engineering students under the direction of a faculty advisor. The project topic and faculty advisor must be sent to the Graduate Office at the beginning of the semester. The project culminates in a oral presentation at the end of the semester

This bioinspired design course offers interdisciplinary, advanced design and critical thinking experience. Students work in teams to integrate biological knowledge into the engineering design process. The course uses case studies to show how biological solutions can be transferred into engineering design. The case studies include themes such as locomotion, materials, and sensing. By the end of the course, students are able to use analogical design concepts to engineer a prototype based on biological function.

This course is an introduction to plasma propulsion with focus on mechanisms that control performance of plasma thrusters. A review of various plasma propulsion concepts and applicability to space missions; a review of fundamentals of low-temperature collisional plasmas, needed to discuss plasma propulsion before discussing the acceleration & dissipation mechanisms in Hall thrusters, magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, pulsed plasma thrusters & inductive plasma thrusters, to derive expressions for the propulsive efficiencies of each of these concepts. The discussions are at a first-year graduate student or senior undergraduate level.

Reactive flow such as combustion and non-equilibrium plasma is an interdisciplinary research area that address the challenging issues in low carbon energy conversion and chemical manufacturing. This course provided an overview of the fundamentals, research frontiers, and applications of interdisciplinary aspects of combustion and non-equilibrium plasma. The course discusses combustion and plasma chemistry, dynamics of cool flames, warm flames, and hot flames; non-equilibrium plasma discharges such as glow, corona, and microwave plasmas.

Principles and methods for formulating and analyzing mathematical models of physical systems; Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian formulations of particle and rigid and elastic body dynamics; canonical transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi theory; and integrable and nonintegrable systems. Additional topics are explored at the discretion of the instructor.

This course covers the main principles of optimal control theory applied to deterministic continuous-time problems and provide guidance on numerical methods for their solution. Fundamental results are reached starting with parameter optimization, the calculus of variations, and finally Pontryagin¿s principle(s), dynamic programming and the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Geometric and analytic properties of the formulations and solutions are highlighted. Numerical methods for direct and indirect optimal control problems are covered with applications. Emphasis is placed on intuition between the various aspects of the course.

Robotics is a rapidly-growing field with applications including unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous cars, and robotic manipulators. This course provides an introduction to the basic theoretical and algorithmic principles behind robotic systems. The course also allows students to get hands-on experience through project-based assignments on quadrotors. In the final project, students implement a vision-based obstacle avoidance controller for a quadrotor. Topics include motion planning, control, localization, mapping, and vision.

An introduction to fluid mechanics: from a rigorous derivation of basic conservation laws in integral and differential form to the exploration of flow physics. The course tackles foundational topics in mass, momentum and energy transport as well as classical topics including vorticity, potential flow, vortex dynamics, and brief introductions to boundary layers and turbulence.

Overview and fundamentals of numerical algorithms and models for computational fluid dynamics. Numerical approaches discussed include finite difference, finite volume, finite element, and spectral methods on both structured and unstructured grids. Coverage includes asymptotically zero Mach number (incompressible), low-speed compressible, and high-speed compressible flows. Introduction to modeling of turbulent flows.

This course seeks to build a bottom-up understanding of energy transport at small length scales by invoking fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, and statistical mechanics, and combining them with device-relevant models. Wherever possible, the course makes connections to recent literature to familiarize students with the state-of-the-art and provide exposure to open questions. Topics include kinetic theory, thermal physics, electron transport, Boltzmann transport equation, thermoelectricity, nanoscale thermometry etc., and applications of these concepts to devices.

In this course students learn practical applications of optimization methods in energy systems engineering. Students also gain familiarity with techniques via survey of canonical problems in power systems operations and planning. The course teaches practical model development, including formulation and implementation of linear and mixed integer programs in an algebraic programming language. The second half surveys advanced topics, including: managing dimensionality in large-scale problems, technology evaluation, policy evaluation, decision making under uncertainty, and multi-objective optimization.

A seminar of internal and external speakers on a diverse range of topics relevant to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering including Applied Physics; Biomechanics and Biomaterials; Control, Robotics, and Dynamical Systems; Fluid Mechanics; Materials Science; and Propulsion and Energy Sciences. There is one seminar per week on Friday and a subsequent discussion on Monday. All first-year PhD students are required to participate.

Emphasizes the connection between microstructure and properties in solid-state materials. Topics include crystallinity and defects, electronic and mechanical properties of materials, phase diagrams and transformations, and materials characterization techniques. Ties fundamental concepts in materials science to practical use cases with the goal of solving complex challenges in sustainability and healthcare, among others.

This course provides students with a basic technical understanding of the science and technology relevant to current and emerging national and global security issues. Topics covered in this course include nuclear weapons, biotechnology and biosecurity, delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction, cyberwarfare, global surveillance, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence. Throughout the semester, students work in small teams on in-depth case studies exploring a current or emerging global-security issue and combining both technical and policy analysis.