The “EN1” course (Applications in Engineering, taken in your first semester at Tufts) is an Introduction to Engineering Design. There are multiple sections available, offered by different instructors from a variety of different departments and disciplines, all customized to their personal interests and expertise.
Course Description:
Introduction of various concepts in engineering. Emphasis on project work, engineering ethics, and engineering design process. Discipline topic areas vary each term. Limited to first-year students.
See individual section descriptions below for more information!
– For many of the EN1 sections, there are a few reserved seats for A&S students who are interested in doing an internal transfer into SoE. If you have questions or need additional information, please reach out to the Liberal Arts to Engineering Internal Transfer Advisor.
– If you get on the waitlist for one EN1 section, you can still sign up for another (open) section, and be automatically swapped if you get off the waitlist. This is called a “Future Swap” (Add then Drop) and requires careful implementation in SIS. Follow these instructions to do this properly. Note that a mistake will lose your spot on the waitlist!
EN1 Sections for Fall 2025:
Section 01: Intro to Renewable Energy (John McElearney, ECE)
Section 02: Coffee Engineering (James Van Deventer, ChemE)
Section 03: Engineering for the Customer (TBD, Gordon Institute of Engineering Management)
Section 05: Critical Thinking in Engineering (and beyond) (Mark Kachanov, ME)
Section 06: Equitable and Inclusive Civil Infrastructure (Chelsea Andrews, CEE)
Section 08: Simple Robotics (Merredith Portsmore, CS)
Section 09: Game Design for Engineers (Greses Pérez, CEE)
Section 10: Engineering in the Kitchen (Steven Bell, ECE)
Section 14: Frontiers in Reproductive Health Engineering (Juan Gnecco, BME)
Section 15: Sci-Fi Bioengineering (Nisha Iyer, BME)
Section 17: Intro to Nanoscience (Paul Simmonds, ECE)
Section 19: Wind Energy: Extreme Engineering & Societal Impacts (Dan Kuchma, CEE)
Section 25: Future Patents: Sci-Fi Technologies (Aseema Mohanty and Thomas Vandervelde, ECE)
Section 26: Entrepreneurship in Engineering (Chris Swan, CEE)
Section 27: Engineering with Augmented Reality (Jordan Cox, ME)
Section 01: Intro to Renewable Energy
We will examine renewable energy generation technologies with a critical eye; including, the examination of the way the media portrays energy technologies. We will explore the renewable energy technology of today as well as future prospects. We will look at the natural resource requirements of energy systems as well as their environmental and economic impacts. While going off the grid sounds like a great idea, it is a complex problem to be solved. Solar and wind energy sources require a lot of land; additionally, they are not constant with time, and efficient energy storage technology does not exist. Labs will give the student a hands-on sense for the energy generation process and its complexity. (John McElearney, Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Section 02: Coffee Engineering
What agricultural commodity is produced at a scale of over 20 billion pounds per year globally? Coffee beans! This course provides an introduction to several (bio)chemical engineering concepts, including: mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams, driving forces for molecular motion, and some organic/physical chemistry, all discussed in the context of coffee production and brewing. Additional topics include: coffee economics, caffeine biology and metabolism, data representation/statistics, and pressure-driven flow. (James Van Deventer, Chemical and Biological Engineering)
Section 03: Engineering for the Customer
What do Starbucks, TikTok, and Amazon have in common? They deliver great customer experiences! Far from random, these experiences are carefully designed and engineered. Through team projects, class discussions, and industry guest speakers, we will analyze physical products, user interfaces, and service experiences. In addition, we will cultivate the essential leadership skills to bring everything together. By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the mindset and tools necessary to prioritize “The Customer” as you continue your academic journey at Tufts. (TBD, Gordon Institute of Engineering Management)
Section 05: Critical Thinking in Engineering (and beyond)
The ability to critically examine issues is important in engineering practice – particularly when controversial issues are involved (such as alternative energy sources, etc.). Its importance stretches beyond engineering: in a democratic society, the opinions of people affect the decision-making process, and these opinions should be based on critical examination of various claims and statements. The course will involve projects whereby students will be required to examine various issues, using internet sources, and make convincing brief presentations. (Mark Kachanov, Mechanical Engineering)
Section 06: Equitable and Inclusive Civil Infrastructure
This course introduces civil infrastructure; with a focus on transportation, water, energy, and waste management components. Both the technical and professional aspects of these components will be explored. In addition, the course focuses on concepts of equitable and inclusive development of infrastructure, whether in the creation of new or in the renovation of existing elements. (Chelsea Andrews, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Section 08: Simple Robotics
Introduction to robot construction, programming, event-based programming, artificial intelligence, and elementary controls. Basic principles of robotics for students with minimal or no prior programming or building background. Hands-on projects emphasizing engineering design using a LEGO-based Robotics platform. (Merredith Portsmore, Center for Engineering Education and Outreach)
Section 09: Game Design for Engineers
Explore the intersections of game design, engineering education, and real-world problems in the local community. In partnership with local schools, students will work in teams to design and build educational games that address engineering challenges in the community. Along the way, students will gain experience in engineering design, game design, iterative prototyping, makerspace tools and technologies (in on-campus fabrication spaces), and collaborative co-design. No prior experience required—just curiosity, creativity, and a desire to make an impact. (Greses Pérez, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Section 10: Engineering in the Kitchen
In this course, we will explore engineering through the lens of food and kitchen gadgets. During the semester, we will disassemble every electrified food-preparation device we can get our hands on, learn how they work, and use our newfound skills to build a few of our own. Along the way, you’ll analyze and design basic electrical circuits, program microcontrollers to take measurements and respond to them, log data to answer questions about cooking, and connect the Things you build to the Internet. We’ll also explore some of the complex social and ethical issues at the intersection of technology and food: does a cloud-connected refrigerator make us more efficient, or more lazy, or does it just result in more e-waste? And what responsibility do engineers have when working with something so deeply human as food? (Steven Bell, Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Section 14: Frontiers in Reproductive Health Engineering
Reproductive tissues are some of the most dynamic, multifactorial, and complex systems of the human body and, as such, remain some of the most poorly understood. Frontiers in Reproductive Health Engineering is an introductory course that explores how big picture themes in the discipline of biomedical engineering (BME) can help to demystify, destigmatize and advance the way we understand women’s reproductive health and its diseases. The goal of the course is to expose first year students to both the basic principles of engineering and the fundamentals of the reproductive biology through a series of didactic lectures, group discussions, demos and invited guest speakers that span the current state of technology, the existing needs, and the future of reproductive health. (Juan Gnecco, Biomedical Engineering)
Section 15: Sci-Fi Bioengineering
Where does science fiction meet biological reality? Using classic and contemporary sci-fi films as a framework for inspiration and discussion, this course will survey the practicalities of once imaginary technologies including gene editing, chimeric animal research, artificial organs, rapid vaccines, neural interfaces, and more. As we dissect fact from fiction, students will grapple with global and interstellar bioengineering challenges, regulations, and ethics as they exist now and may exist in the near future. (Nisha Iyer, Biomedical Engineering)
Section 17: Intro to Nanoscience
In the Introduction to Nanoscience course we explore what happens when we make things incredibly small. We will see that as we as approach length scales of a few tens of nanometers, the properties and behavior of objects fundamentally changes as we enter the strange but powerful quantum world. We will investigate the foundations of nanoscience through the lens of both naturally occurring and artificially designed nanomaterials, looking at their applications in modern technology. We will collaboratively investigate nanoscale phenomena and their impact on engineering solutions. Course content will explore the world of nanotechnology from a multidisciplinary perspective and discover its potential to revolutionize society by offering future solutions to big engineering problems. (Paul Simmonds, Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Section 19: Wind Energy: Extreme Engineering & Societal Impacts
The wind energy resource is enormous, and it could power a fully electrified world many times over. The costs of wind energy have fallen to be less than the costs from petroleum-based energy sources. The reduction in costs is primarily due to the growing size of wind turbines which in offshore wind farms can have 500 ton generators and 120m long blades supported on 200m tall towers/foundations. This course will provide a first look at the physics, engineering challenges, and societal impact of wind energy. Topics in physics will include aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, mechanics, and hurricanes. Topics in engineering will include structural design, fabrication, installation, and infrastructure (ports, vessels, electrical grid). Topics on Societal Impacts will include climate change, economics, and energy policy, as well as energy justice and environmental impacts. (Dan Kuchma, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Section 25: Future Patents: Sci-Fi Technologies
Description coming… (Aseema Mohanty and Thomas Vandervelde, Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Section 26: Entrepreneurship in Engineering
Description coming… (Chris Swan, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Section 27: Engineering with Augmented Reality
In this course, students will explore exciting new methods of engineering design that cloud architecture enables. Students will be introduced to AGILE product development, team-based collaborative design, LIDAR scanning techniques, and the use of Augmented Reality to design next generation products. Students will also hear from industry experts about the new developments in product design being used by start-ups, mid-range engineering firms and large aerospace companies around the world. Multiple projects will be a part of this learning experience that will help students acquire basic skills in next generation product design. (Jordan Cox, Mechanical Engineering)
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