FRS 001S - Sec. 001 - (1 unit) - CRN 93084 - W 5:10-7:00 pm - 203 Wellman

Inventions That Shaped the World

Instructor: Andrei Chakhovskoi, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering

Description: Imagine your average day without cars, airplanes, computers, telephones, bicycles, toothbrushes, TVs, DVDs, media players... Many of these devices have changed the world where we live, others dramatically transformed our daily life. We will explore some of the greatest ideas, devices and technologies that received broad attention in the media. We will consider a timeline of the world history through the scope of inventions made throughout hundreds of years of ancient and modern civilization. Special attention will be given to a concept of patents as the means to protect the inventor’s right and as a way to bring the ideas and inventions into the commercial world. Students will discuss the importance of certain inventions for the modern society and human life. Each student will choose one invention for more detailed study, which will be summarized in a form of a paper and a brief oral presentation (may be done individually or in small groups). Information will be presented through informal lectures, readings, and discussion.

Format: This one-unit seminar will meet for two hours each week for a total of 10 hours. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion, and student presentations. There is no dedicated textbook for the course, the students will be required to choose their own information source from a variety of media such as scientific magazines (e.g. Science, Nature), popular journals (Popular Mechanics, Popular Science), books (Inventing the Twentieth Century, A History of Great Inventions), and Internet search. Grading: Students will be required to prepare a short paper (5-6 pages, including graphics) on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor. During the last three weeks of the course the students will be required to make short individual or group presentations based on the content of their paper. The course grade will be based on the quality of their written (1/3) and oral (1/3) presentations and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (1/3).

About the Instructor: Professor Andrei G. Chakhovskoi is an Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interests include physics of semiconductors, microelectronics and electron beam devices. He also works as an Intellectual Property Officer at the Technology Transfer Center managing UC Davis inventions in the area of engineering and physical sciences. He has taught courses on semiconductor device physics, electrical circuits, computer applications and programming. He has also taught a freshman seminar on the history of science and technology.