The theme that unites the Level II studios in the fall semester is a focus upon the making of architecture and built form as a tectonic, technical and materially driven endeavor It is a design investigation that is rooted in a larger culture of materiality and the associated phenomena, but a study of the language and production of built form as an integrated response to the conceptual proposition of the project. The studio will look to works of architecture where the material tectonic and its resultant technology or fabrication become instrumental to the realization of the ideas, in whatever form they may take. This becomes the art of technology - suggesting a level of innovation and creative manipulation as part of the design process to transform material into a composition of beauty and poetry as well as environmental control. In this regard the studio will look to the works and design processes of a number of architects including Shigeru Ban, Peter Zumthor, Herzog and deMeuron, Kazuyo Sejima, Richard Horden, Rick Joy and Glenn Murcutt among others.

Have you ever wondered why it takes such a long period of time for NASA to build space exploration equipment? What is involved in manufacturing and building a rover for the Red Planet? During this lesson, students will discover the journey that a Mars rover embarks upon after being designed by engineers and before being prepared for launch. Students will investigate the fabrication techniques, tolerance concepts, assembly and field-testing associated with a Mars exploratory rover.

" This course will guide graduate students through the process of using rapid prototyping and CAD/CAM devices in a studio environment. The class has a theoretical focus on machine use within the process of design. Each student is expected to have completed one graduate level of design computing with a full understanding of solid modeling in CAD. Students are also expected to have completed at least one graduate design studio."

Examination and practice in the application of many mechanical design elements, including control components. Students working in groups design, fabricate, and test prototype devices in response to requests from industrial sponsors. Topics: typical machine elements, power transmission elements, motors and prime movers, control elements, material selection, and assembly techniques. This course provides an advanced treatment of machine elements such as bearings, springs, gears, cams, and mechanisms. Analysis of these elements includes extensive application of core engineering curriculum including solid mechanics and fluid dynamics. The course offers practice in skills needed for machine design such as estimation, drawing, and experimentation. Students work in small teams to design and build machines that address real-world challenges.

" This is an advanced course on modeling, design, integration and best practices for use of machine elements such as bearings, springs, gears, cams and mechanisms. Modeling and analysis of these elements is based upon extensive application of physics, mathematics and core mechanical engineering principles (solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, manufacturing, estimation, computer simulation, etc.). These principles are reinforced via (1) hands-on laboratory experiences wherein students conduct experiments and disassemble machines and (2) a substantial design project wherein students model, design, fabricate and characterize a mechanical system that is relevant to a real world application. Students master the materials via problems sets that are directly related to, and coordinated with, the deliverables of their project. Student assessment is based upon mastery of the course materials and the student's ability to synthesize, model and fabricate a mechanical device subject to engineering constraints (e.g. cost and time/schedule)."

Provides a hands-on introduction to the resources for designing and fabricating smart systems, including CAD/CAM/CAE; NC machining, 3-D printing, injection molding, laser cutting; PCB layout and fabrication; sensors and actuators; analog instrumentation; embedded digital processing; wired and wireless communications. Emphasis on learning how to use the tools as well as understand how they work.

Subject applies cognitive science and technology to the industrial design process. Introduces prototyping techniques and approaches for objective evaluation as part of the design process. Students practice evaluating products with mechanical and electronic aspects. Evaluation process is applied to creating functioning smart product prototypes. Project oriented subject that draws upon engineering, aesthetic, and creative skills. Subject is geared towards students interested in creating physical products which encompass electronics and computers in order to include them in smart scenarios. Students present readings, learn prototyping skills, create a product prototype, and complete a publication style paper.

This sophomore-level course is a project-oriented introduction to the principles and practice of engineering design. Design projects and exercises are chosen that relate to the built and natural environments. Emphasis is placed on achieving function and sustainability through choice of materials and processes, compatibility with natural cycles, and the use of active or adaptive systems. The course also encourages development of hands-on skills, teamwork, and communication; exercises and projects engage students in the building, implementation, and testing of their designs.

Introduces the theory and technology of integrated-circuit fabrication. Lectures and laboratory sessions on basic processing techniques such as diffusion, oxidation, epitaxy, photolithography, chemical vapor deposition, and plasma etching. Emphasis on the interrelationships between material properties, device structure, and the electrical behavior of devices. Provides background for thesis work in microelectronics or for 6.151.

Introduces the theory and technology of integrated-circuit fabrication. Lectures and laboratory sessions on basic processing techniques such as diffusion, oxidation, epitaxy, photolithography, chemical vapor deposition, and plasma etching. Emphasis on the interrelationships between material properties, device structure, and the electrical behavior of devices. Provides background for thesis work in microelectronics or for 6.151. This course introduces the theory and technology of micro/nano fabrication. Lectures and laboratory sessions focus on basic processing techniques such as diffusion, oxidation, photolithography, chemical vapor deposition, and more. Through team lab assignments, students are expected to gain an understanding of these processing techniques, and how they are applied in concert to device fabrication. Students enrolled in this course have a unique opportunity to fashion and test micro/nano-devices, using modern techniques and technology.

Covers modern tools and methods for product design and development. The cornerstone is a project in which teams of management, engineering, and industrial design students conceive, design, and prototype a physical product. Class sessions employ cases and hands-on exercises to reinforce the key ideas. Topics include: product planning, identifying customer needs, concept generation, product architecture, industrial design, concept design, and design-for-manufacturing.

"This class will be constructed as a lecture-discussion, the purpose being to engage important theoretical issues while simultaneously studying their continuing historical significance. To enhance discussion, three debates will be held in class. Each student will be required to participate in one of these debates. Each student will also be required to write three short papers. Class participation is essential and will be factored into the final grade.The course will portray the history of theory neither as the history of architectural theory exclusively, nor as a series of prepackaged static pronouncements, but as part of a broader set of issues with an active history that must be continually probed and queried. The sequence of topics will not be absolutely predetermined, but some of the primary issues that will be addressed are: pedagogy, professionalism, nature, modernity and the Enlightenment. Classroom discussions and debates are intended to demonstrate differences of opinion and enhance awareness of the consequences that these differences had in specific historical contexts."