CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
A NOT-SO-SHOCKING COLLECTION OF COURSES
BY VALERIA VELASQUEZ ’23
EE 193-03 Special Topics: Wearable System Design Interested in engineering design that combines a variety of disciplines, such as human-centric design, computer science, and material science? Want to learn about the method behind the innovative technology geared toward the healthcare field? This course teaches students about wearable system design, which refers to creating wearable devices that integrate computing with the human experience. Important considerations in this field include balancing excellent design with battery management and ensuring that all parts of a complex system–sensors, data processing, and form–work together seamlessly. This course will focus on designing health monitoring applications and will challenge students to prototype for realworld clinical challenges. EE 193-01 Special Topics: Nanophotonics Technology is getting tinier and tinier. In fact, nanophotonic devices, which can trap bend or otherwise alter light, are now being printed on millimeter-sized chips the size of a grain of sand! In this course, engineering students examine the key components behind the cutting-edge field of nanophotonics, reviewing electricity fundamentals, optical channels in structures that guide waves, and optical circuit systems. In addition, students will explore the applications of nanophotonics in a variety of areas, such as biomedical interfaces and AR/VR technology.
EE 127 Information Theory In simple terms, information theory is the study of how information can be transmitted, compressed, and represented securely. Information theory is vital to transferring data across the internet and in cellphones, cryptography contexts, and signal processing. This course on information theory will explore the laws that govern the representation and transmission of data, the limitations of data compression, and provide a broad overview of different techniques for lossless data compression, including Huffman coding and Lempel-Ziv coding. EE 114 Physics of Solar Cells Solar energy is on the path to becoming the energy of the future: but how does this renewable and sustainable process work exactly? This course focuses on solar cells, the fundamental unit of solar energy systems. A solar cell, or a photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that transforms light energy into electricity through a physical and chemical process called the photovoltaic effect. This course will study the physics of semiconductors used in photovoltaic devices (think solar panels, solar-powered streetlights, and solar-powered cars), the design and attributes of various kinds of solar cells, and strategies for boosting their efficiency. With an understanding of solar cells, engineering students can approach problem-solving in a way that promotes the advancement of renewable energy and the of developing novel, earth-conscious technology.
PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Each year, we like to highlight a department’s courses that strike us. Maybe they excite our intellectual curiosity, or illuminate something we’d never considered before, or help us better understand something we thought we knew. Below are a collection of scintillating choices from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering that will hopefully do the same for you!
