CMU Microprocessor course

Description

This course is designed to provide students with the ability to use computer programming (LANGUAGE) and hardware to measure environmental conditions.  Students practice writing programs and building hardware to solve different scenario-based problems.  At the end of the course, students use newly acquired skills to monitor and report environmental conditions in different locations.  (WHAT ELSE STANDS OUT? OR IS EXCITING? ADD SOMETHING ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING? HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS RESEARCH SOUND EXCITING AND NOVEL TO STUDENTS?)

Objectives

There are 2 main goals of the course.  First, to give students the ability to create electronic devices that interact with the real world and solve practical problems.  Second, that students feel empowered to build and maintain and open source software platform that addresses an authentic real world problem.  

Students leave the course as members of the Maker movement (SHOULD WE DEFINE MAKER MOVEMENT OR ADD A CITATION?).  They demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills in a real world context.  

Course Outline

The course is composed of 2 components

1.  Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Students learn how to prototype interactive objects using the Raspberry Pi and Arduino, and learn how to work from the large library of tutorials created by the Maker movement.  Once they are proficient in these skills, students propose and then create their own interactive electronic devices.  This portion of the class will require students to identify the skills they need to build the devices they imagine, and then access the resources necessary to complete such a task

2.  Ushahidi & the Environment

Students implement and maintain an instance of Ushahidi and work with the local environmental groups (HAVE WE IDENTIFIED ANY PARTNERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE?).  Students create a platform for the group to monitor and catalog environmental conditions around the country.  Students respond to group wants, implement a solution, and provide ongoing support to the group.  They also train the group in using the system and collect data with the group.

Schedule