Topic outline

  • General

    Welcome to MEC-E1001 Mechanical Engineering in Society! 

    This course for all master's level mechanical engineers has been redesigned for 2020-2021 - and then redesigned again to accommodate for campus restrictions as we tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. We are doing a blended course, with an emphasis on e-learning: combining a series of 10-minute videos from mechanical engineering staff to explore the field, individual and small group assignments, virtual workshops on Friday mornings 9-11AM and some in-person small group teaching. (Note the different schedule for the orientation week, though!) Small group in-person sessions in Period II will be organized at the Design Factory, Betonimiehenkuja 5C in Otaniemi. 

    After this course, you will

    1. be aware of the breadth and impact of the mechanical engineering field, both in academia and in industry
    2. know how your field connects to a variety of economic, environmental, and societal issues
    3. be able to articulate how your own unique professional profile equips you to contribute productively
    4. value the importance of collaborating effectively and of communicating your ideas clearly

    The course is also integrated with LC-0400 Communication skills: integrated speech communication course L, providing students with 5+1 (MEC-E1001 + LC-0400) study credits upon completion.


    Schedule

    Period I:
    Week 1: Orientation week 1.9. & 2.9. (two live online teaching sessions and individual assignments)
    Week 2: Sustainability (live online teaching and individual assignments)
    Week 3: Conceptual reverse engineering (live online teaching, individual assignment and group assignment)
    Week 4: Ideation (groupwork live session and individual assignments)
    Weeks 5&6: Presenting your work (live online small group teaching by Language Center and individual assignments)
    Week 7&8: Testing ideas (groupwork, individual assignments and exam week break)

    Period II:
    Week 9: Low fidelity prototyping (live online teaching, individual assignment and group assignment)
    Weeks 10-11: Prototyping workshops (face-to-face small group teaching, group assignment and individual assignment)
    Week 12: Professional capabilities (live online teaching and individual assignments)
    Week 13: Career panel (live online teaching and individual assignments)
    Week 14: Language Centre workshop I (small group teaching by Language Center and individual assignment)
    Week 15: Language Centre workshop II (small group teaching by Language Center and individual assignment)

    Final individual assignment, due 24.1.2021

    Attendance to the live online sessions (when they are organized) is mandatory - participation counts towards the grade of the course. Up to two absences can be made up for by a replacement task, so contact Senni Kirjavainen (senni.kirjavainen@aalto.fi) if you know you will need to miss a session.

    Contact

    If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the teaching team, prof. Tua Björklund (tua.bjorklund@aalto.fi), MA Senni Kirjavainen (senni.kirjavainen@aalto.fi) or MSc Floris van der Marel (floris.vandermarel@aalto.fi). Note that as of December 2020, Dr Sine Celik is starting her professorship at TU Delft, and is replaced by Floris in the teaching team for the remaining semester.

    We'll be sharing course content highlights at @meinsociety.

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