The Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a special term at MIT that runs from early January until the end of the month. IAP provides members of the MIT community (students, faculty, staff, and alums) with a unique opportunity to organize, sponsor and participate in a wide variety of activities, including how-to sessions, forums, athletic endeavors, lecture series, films, tours, recitals and contests.
MIT.nano is offering the following courses during IAP 2022:
Hands-on Fabrication on Zoom
Instructor: Jorg Scholvin, Assistant Director of User Services, Fab.nano
Monday, January 24, 2021
4:00 PM – 6:30 PM EST
Virtual; register here.
Learn about micro-fabrication techniques, and join us via Zoom for a live fabrication demo inside the MIT.nano cleanrooms! Learn about thin-film deposition, lithography and etching processes at the micro- and nano-scale—and how to combine these techniques to build a semiconductor device (such as you might find in your computers or phones). For our demo, we’ll start by taking a screenshot in Zoom and then use the MIT.nano tools to turn it into a diffraction grating on a silicon wafer! At the end of the session, we’ll place the wafer inside the window of the fab, so you can come by and see it (safely from outside the building), whenever you’re back on campus.
No enrollment limit, and open to all members of the MIT community.
Interested undergraduates can also check out the 6.152J lab for a hands-on lab using MIT.nano this spring (you’ll be the one actually using the equipment in the lab—to design, build and test your own device ideas). Read about the Fall 2019 course at MIT News.
A practical introduction to biomechanics
Hosted by the MIT.nano Immersion Lab
Instructor: Praneeth Namburi, Postdoctoral Associate
January 25, 2022
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Virtual; register here.
Most of us learn to breathe and walk and move at a time that we can’t recall much from and use these skills throughout our lives without really knowing how exactly they work, and how to improve them. Several scientists and artists have spent their lives deciphering how these processes work. Their insights can help you perfect your craft if you are an athlete, martial artist, performance artist, or even interested in improving your health and well-being.
In this course, you will see how motion capture and physiological recordings can be applied to understand more deeply how our body achieves tasks that seem intuitive and easy to us, and how these tools can be used in research, education, and athletic and artistic improvement.
Originally scheduled to be in-person, this course will now take place virtually on January 25 (Tuesday) from 10 am to 12 pm.
This course is sponsored by the MIT.nano Immersion Lab, which provides space, tools, and a platform to connect scientists and engineers with artists, musicians, and performers through creative projects that bridge multiple disciplines. It also showcases the capabilities of the MIT Clinical Research Center, which supports human research and medical innovation.
Registration deadline: January 21, 2022.
Launch into IAP with MIT.nano
Monday, January 3, 2022
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
>>Join via Zoom.
Join MIT.nano IAP instructors to learn about MIT.nano's offerings during IAP. Ask questions about the classes and workshops, meet MIT.nano staff and fellow MIT community members, and find out what exciting things MIT.nano will offer in-person and virtually during IAP 2022.
This info session will take place virtually and no pre-registration is required.
nanoStories: Workshop on science communication at the nanoscale
Instructors: Prof. Vladimir Bulovic, Director of MIT.nano; Dr. Annie Wang, Research Scientist; and Samantha Farrell, Administrative Assistant; and special guest speakers from MIT.nano, the MIT News Office, PBS Nova, and TedX Boston.
Tuesday & Thursday starting January 4 and ending January 20 (Jan. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20).
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Virtual; registration is closed.
Designed for students with an interest in science communication and STEAM outreach. Guided by instructors, in each two-hour class students will explore a new topic, jointly developing an instructional narrative to be told in text, video, and/or interactive multimedia. Outside of MIT labs, nanoscience and nanotechnology appear mysterious. Help us demystify them! The content of the classes will reflect research/exploratory interests of participants.
Registration deadline: January 3, 2022. Open to MIT community, limited to 60 participants. To receive course credit (optional), register for 6.S090 (U, 6-units).
Introduction to Blender: Modeling, materials, and simulations
Hosted by the MIT.nano Immersion Lab
Instructor: Talis Reks, AR/VR/Gaming/Big Data IT Technologist
January 19, 2022
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Virtual; registration is closed.
Introduction to Blender: Modeling, materials, and simulations is an introductory class that provides a basic overview of the Blender software. During this two hour session, we will introduce 3D modeling, materials, and simulations in Blender and help you kickstart your own 3D creations. This session is designed to give you the resources and skills to create your own 3D models that can be applied to game design, architecture, simulations, animations and more. (beginners)
Registration deadline: January 8, 2022