Online courses directory (2511)

This course considers the process of neurotransmission, especially chemicals used in the brain and elsewhere to carry signals from nerve terminals to the structures they innervate. We focus on monoamine transmitters (acetylcholine; serotonin; dopamine and norepinephrine); we also examine amino acid and peptide transmitters and neuromodulators like adenosine. Macromolecules that mediate neurotransmitter synthesis, release, inactivation and receptor-mediated actions are discussed, as well as factors that regulate their activity and the second-messenger systems and ion fluxes that they control. The involvement of particular neurotransmitters in human diseases is considered.

This class deals with the modeling and analysis of queueing systems, with applications in communications, manufacturing, computers, call centers, service industries and transportation. Topics include birth-death processes and simple Markovian queues, networks of queues and product form networks, single and multi-server queues, multi-class queueing networks, fluid models, adversarial queueing networks, heavy-traffic theory and diffusion approximations. The course will cover state of the art results which lead to research opportunities.

Examines role of European states in postwar period of rapid economic growth and current crisis. Includes analysis of different state traditions ("etatist," liberal, authoritarian); government's role in decline of some economies and rise of others; why and where Keynesianism, indicative planning, and state enterprises were introduced; alternative conceptions of contemporary economic problems (new international division of labor? too few producers? oil shock?); and of policies to deal with them (industrial policy? monetarism? protectionism?).

This course examines the interplay of art, science, and commerce shaping the production, marketing, distribution, and consumption of contemporary media. It combines perspectives on media industries and systems with an awareness of the creative process, the audience, and trends shaping content. There will be invited discussions with industry experts in various subject areas. Class projects will encourage students to think through the challenges of producing media in an industry context. CMS.610 is for undergraduate credit, whereas CMS.922 is for graduate credit. Though the requirements for graduates are more stringent, the course is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students.

This course is a core requirement for the Masters in Engineering program, designed to teach students about the roles of today's professional engineer and expose them to team-building skills through lectures, team workshops, and seminars. Topics include: written and oral communication, job placement skills, trends in the engineering and construction industry, risk analysis and risk management, managing public information, proposal preparation, project evaluation, project management, liability, professional ethics, and negotiation. The course draws on relevant large-scale projects to illustrate each component of the subject.

In this course students will learn about Noetherian rings and modules, Hilbert basis theorem, Cayley-Hamilton theorem, integral dependence, Noether normalization, the Nullstellensatz, localization, primary decomposition, DVRs, filtrations, length, Artin rings, Hilbert polynomials, tensor products, and dimension theory.

The course offers an introduction to quantitative analysis of geomorphic processes, and examines the interaction of climate, tectonics, and surface processes in the sculpting of Earth's surface.

This is the second term in a two-semester course on statistical mechanics. Basic principles are examined in this class, such as the laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of temperature, work, heat, and entropy. Topics from modern statistical mechanics are also explored, including the hydrodynamic limit and classical field theories.

The synapse is the fundamental element by which neurons transmit, receive and transform information in the brain. Synapses are functionally diverse, and a single neuron in the brain receives up to 10,000 synapses. Given the enormous complexity of the nervous system, how does a neuron integrate, encode and retrieve information? How is information processed beyond a single cell within the context of a neuronal circuit? Fundamental synaptic mechanisms underlie expression of higher-order brain functions, such as learning and memory, and cognition. Conversely, the disruption of synaptic processes contributes to the development of neurological disorders. In this course, students will learn to critically analyze the primary research literature to explore how synapses are studied and to understand how synapses integrate information to perform higher-order behavior.

This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Roles of neural plasticity in learning and memory and in development of invertebrates and mammals. An in-depth critical analysis of current literature of molecular, cellular, genetic, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies. Discussion of original papers supplemented by introductory lectures.

An advanced course covering anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and computational studies of the central nervous system relevant to speech and hearing. Students learn primarily by discussions of scientific papers on topics of current interest. Recent topics include cell types and neural circuits in the auditory brainstem, organization and processing in the auditory cortex, auditory reflexes and descending systems, functional imaging of the human auditory system, quantitative methods for relating neural responses to behavior, speech motor control, cortical representation of language, and auditory learning in songbirds.

This course deals with the application of structure and theory to the study of organic reaction mechanisms: Stereochemical features including conformation and stereoelectronic effects; reaction dynamics, isotope effects and molecular orbital theory applied to pericyclic and photochemical reactions; and special reactive intermediates including carbenes, carbanions, and free radicals.

This is a laboratory course supplemented by lectures that focus on selected analytical facilities that are commonly used to determine the mineralogy, elemental abundance and isotopic ratios of Sr and Pb in rocks, soils, sediments and water.

This course is an examination of the formal structural and textual variety in poetry. Students engage in extensive practice in the making of poems and the analysis of both students' manuscripts and 20th-century poetry. The course attempts to make relevant the traditional elements of poetry and their contemporary alternatives. There are weekly writing assignments, including some exercises in prosody.

This course is for upper-level graduate students who are planning careers in computational neuroscience. This course focuses on the problem of supervised learning from the perspective of modern statistical learning theory starting with the theory of multivariate function approximation from sparse data. It develops basic tools such as Regularization including Support Vector Machines for regression and classification. It derives generalization bounds using both stability and VC theory. It also discusses topics such as boosting and feature selection and examines applications in several areas: Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, Text Classification, and Bioinformatics. The final projects, hands-on applications, and exercises are designed to illustrate the rapidly increasing practical uses of the techniques described throughout the course.

This course covers lessons 22 through 27 of Japanese: The Spoken Language by Eleanor H. Jordan with Mari Noda. The goal of the course is to continue to build oral proficiency by expanding your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Class hours will be devoted to developing speaking skills in a variety of circumstances; making requests, invitations, apologies, suggestions, dealing with problems, expressing your opinions, etc. Grammatical and social appropriateness on your utterances will be stressed. Keep in mind that daily tape-work is essential.

This course explores organizational concepts and research methods that explain the performance and development of military organizations in peace and war. Classic studies are reviewed. Approaches to current policy problems based on theoretical insights into military organizations and practices are also considered. The class stresses development of new theory.

This course uses the tools of macroeconomics to study various macroeconomic policy problems in-depth. The problems range from economic growth in the long run, to government finances in the intermediate run, and economic stability in the short run. Many economic models used today are surveyed.

This course is offered to graduate students and addresses issues regarding ultrafast optics. Topics covered include: Generation, propagation and applications of ultrashort pulses (nano-, pico-, femto-, attosecond pulses); Linear and nonlinear pulse shaping processes: Optical solitons, Pulse compression; Laser principles: Single- and multi-mode laser dynamics, Q-switching, Active and passive mode-locking; Pulse characterization: Autocorrelation, FROG, SPIDER; Noise in mode-locked lasers and its limitations in measurements; Laser amplifiers, optical parametric amplifiers, and oscillators; Applications in research and industry: Pump-probe techniques, Optical imaging, Frequency metrology, Laser ablation, High harmonic generation.

This course is conducted as an artificial intelligence programming contest in Java. Students work in teams to program virtual robots to play Battlecode, a real-time strategy game. Optional lectures are provided on topics and programming practices relevant to the game, and students learn and improve their programming skills experientially. The competition culminates in a live Battlecode tournament.

This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month.