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MSE1022H – Special Topics in Materials Science I: Quantum Transport
Instructor: Prof. Harry Ruda
LEC: Mondays 10 am – 12 pm
Course Description:
The course is concerned with quantum transport and focuses on semiconductor nanostructures. Applications of this concepts are relevant to next generation electronics and quantum computing. The course will provide an introduction to important relevant concepts in solid state physics as well as to the fabrication of such nanostructures. The course will cover structures for electron transmission, tunnelling, and interference. Students will be responsible for preparing a critical review on the current relevant literature, presented as a term paper and a class presentation.
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MSE1023H – Special Topics in Materials Science II: Bio-inspired materials and design
Instructor: Prof. B. Hatton
LEC: Wednesdays 1 – 3 pm
Course Description:
Biological materials and systems provide a vast resource for those in applied science and design to find new, innovative solutions to technical problems associated with materials science and design in general. There is a growing list of successful applications; self-healing and -cleaning materials, sustainable product packaging, gecko-inspired adhesives, soft robotics, medical prosthetic devices, energy efficient buildings, smart and adaptive materials/structures, and fracture resistant composites.
This interdisciplinary course will focus on materials design primarily, over length scales from bonding, crystal structures and nanoparticles (10^-10 to 10^-7 m), to microstructure (10^-6 to 10^-4 m), mesostructure (10^-4 to 10^-3 m), and macroscale (mm, cm, m). But also on ‘continuum’ (mechanical engineering) scale design of products and devices, architectural designs for buildings, and system/network optimization. Topics and mechanisms may include solid state mechanical properties, optical properties, thermal heat conduction, mass transport, surface wetting and adhesion, and bio-medical mechanisms. While the interdisciplinary range of this course may be high, we invite students from a wide range of backgrounds, and will provide resources for reviewing basic theory.
The course will focus on; (1) reviewing the scientific understanding of certain important biological materials and mechanisms, (2) developing a process to define the translation of these mechanisms to engineering design (bio-inspired design), and (3) reviewing case studies from the scientific literature and technological history of successful bio-inspired design.
Students will also propose, collaborate on, and present original bioinspired design projects (including some potential for prototype fabrication). In addition to lectures on bio-inspired design, and the challenges of applying biological mechanisms (scaling, robustness, multiple functions), guest speakers will be contributing to the course.