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1 Simmons2 MacGregor3 Next House4 BC5 East Campus6 Baker7 McCormick8 Spanish House9 Random Hall10 Maseeh11 New House (Numbered Houses)12 Senior House

13 French House14 German House15 iHouse16 Chocolate City

D-LabDo you consider yourself a tinkerer, an inventor, a hacker, a creator of sorts?Or would you like to become one? Do you want to use your skills to solve real-world problems? This seminar is structured as a series of modules, each teaching d

ifferent aspects of creativity, problem solving and prototyping skills. Modulesinclude mapping MIT's creativity ecosystem, using the power of your imaginationto help you learn a new language, learning how to build (nearly) anything with (almost) nothing, devising a new microfluidic diagnostic to prevent the next disease outbreak, and designing and building a rainwater harvesting and storage system.

MAS.A19 Designing Consumer ElectronicsWhat makes well-designed products more attractive and pleasant to use than average or bad ones? We'll use case studies in consumer electronics to explore how technology, human factors, aesthetics, and marketing collide when we try to designproducts. As a final project, each student will propose and defend a concept for a new product, based on what we've learned.

Engineering, Art, and ScienceIn this hands-on seminar, you will learn many of the concepts of engineering design by actually proposing, designing, and building a number of interesting projects ranging anywhere from underwater vehicles to interactive art. By the end ofthe term you will be able to do basic electronic and mechanical fabrication. Wewill learn from our less than perfect first attempts and "fail our way to success." Our final project(s) might turn out to be a display for the MIT Museum, or The Strobe Alley Corridor Lab.

GPS: Where Are You?You will explore how to find locations using simple household items (simple, atleast by MIT standards). You will use hand held GPS units to hunt for candy arou

nd campus and have access to expensive units to write messages that can be can be seen from space. This seminar is followed by an optional UROP in the spring semester.

Hack Your Mind: Unlock Your PotentialInterested in hacking into your mind to understand how better to improve your potential and attention span? In this seminar we will explore the inner-workings of our minds, tapping into our own cognitive processes. By studying the neurological, cognitive and emotional interactions that occur as part of the brain-body connection, you will better understand how to improve your awareness and develop

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a portable tool kit of attention and mindfulness-building techniques to enhanceyour ability to learn and perform at MIT and beyond.

Metalsmithing and Physical MetallurgyPhysical metallurgy encompasses the relationships between the composition, structure, processing history and properties of metallic materials. In this seminar you'll be introduced to metallurgy in a particularly "physical" way. We will teach various metalsmithing techniques, which include enameling, hollowware, welding, soldering, and brazing using both traditional and modern methods.

Programming the UniverseIt has been known for more than a hundred years that every atom carries with itbits of information; and every time two atoms collide, those bits flip. The universe computes. In this seminar we will explore the implications of the computational universe. Topics include the origins of information, the nature of choice and free will, how the universe began and what will happen to it in the distant future, and how to build a quantum computer.

Prosody: The Music of LanguageSpoken language is characterized not only by the words and sentences it contains, but also by its prosody, that is, the variations in pitch, timing, amplitude and voice quality that signal how words are grouped into phrases and which wordsare more prominent. We will examine current theories of prosody and how it functions in typical healthy adults, and then examine how it develops in typically-de

veloping children and those who are not developing typically.

That's Just Semantics: The Search for MeaningIn this seminar, we will explore a central feature of human nature: we are meaning-seeking engines. We will talk about smoke signals, talking drums, alphabets,Universal Grammar, artificial languages, the problem of first contact, code breaking, Sherlock Holmes, the genetic code, multi-tasking, information overload, crowd intelligence, and much more. We will bring in ideas from information theory,cryptography, linguistics, logic, psychology, anthropology, computer science, philosophy, and literature.

Who Says Math Isn't Fun? Operations Research in Our Everyday LivesWho says that mathematics isn't fun or useful? We will explore a branch of mathe

matics called operations research (OR), which is defined as the science of decision making. The origins of operations research date back to World War II, when the development of new mathematical methods was instrumental in locating enemy submarines. Operations research has been used in finding lost treasures as well asin determining strategies for fighting AIDS. By examining interesting applications, we will take a close look at this fascinating field.

Tell us about who you are, your background, and your interests (e.g. where are you from, your interests and hobbies, what you do for fun outside of class, what

your advisor should know about you).

Over three years, I've gone from an ISTP to an ENTJ. I live in Naperville, IL, but I also come from Damascus, MD. My dad's family is Jewish and my mom's is Christian. My sister is six years younger than I am. I love xkcd, swing dancing, Shakespeare, music, sci-fi and fantasy books, and various British TV shows. I am acat person. I would be totally lost without my calendar. I hardly ever play video games. I once won a dollar by shooting it with a bow and arrow. I enjoy outdoor adventures (e.g. kayaking, rock climbing, hiking). I am proficient in Spanish.Someday, I hope to visit all seven continents.

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What fields/research areas inspire you or what types of problems do you enjoy solving? Why?

I love cryptography! Secret communications are absolutely fascinating to me. I enjoy both encrypting my own information and breaking others' ciphers. I like looking at these problems from mathematical, computer science, and purely logical perspectives. Defending information makes me feel powerful.

Data analysis also inspires me. I would love to try my hand at pulling answers from a vast database of information. I'm curious how much information we share even when we think we're being discreet.