Catalog Description: Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.
Units: 1-2
Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor.
Formats:
Summer: 2.5-5.0 hours of seminar per week
Fall: 3.0-6.0 hours of seminar per week
Spring: 3.0-6.0 hours of seminar per week
Spring: 1.0-2.0 hours of seminar per week
Fall: 1.0-2.0 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 1.5-3.5 hours of seminar per week
Fall: 1.5-3.0 hours of seminar per week
Spring: 1.5-3.0 hours of seminar per week
Grading basis: completedNotation
Final exam status: Written final exam conducted during the scheduled final exam period
Department Notes: Advances of neural engineering, both physical and biological, are rapidly changing the way we see and interact with our brain. Modern imaging allows us to observe our brain in action noninvasively; brain stimulation allows us to modulate neuronal activities and behaviors; genetic editing allows us to modify the basic building blocks of the brain. While these technologies have brought enormous medical benefits and are improving our knowledge of the inner workings of the brain, they also raise many profound questions. The course will introduce modern neural engineering methods in a non-technical way. We will discuss their medical and scientific impact and their legal, ethical and societal implications. The course is open to all majors. There will be no equations to be solved. Only a curious mind is required. The seminar starts on 8/23 for half a semester. Open to both freshmen and sophomores.