The great 2015 MAS111: Introduction to Research in Media Arts and Sciences scavenger hunt

Fridays, 3-5pm, E15-341

V. Michael Bove, Jr., E15-448, x3-0334, vmb (at) media (dot) mit (dot) edu

Patsy Baudoin, 14S-230, x3-4979, patsy (at) mit (dot) edu

This syllabus will be updated from time to time throughout the term so please check back regularly!

6 February: Research

A brief overview of the semester
What is research, and what kind do we do at the Media Lab?
How to design an experiment
How and why to keep a lab notebook
Resource: Instructions on keeping a lab notebook (from Course 2)
Assignment for next class: Find a popular-press article or blog discussion of some science or engineering result or design achievement, and also find the researchers'/designers' own write-up of the results. In your opinion, did the press understand and correctly report the most significant aspects of the work? Write one page explaining your thoughts.

13 February: IP

Understanding intellectual property, copyright, patents (Kate Darling)
Assignment for next class: Patent search -- find a patent that is relevant to your research and write a brief summary of it. For extra fun, find a seemingly silly, useless, or inexplicable patent and share it with class next week.
Handout: Kate Darling's IP Presentation
Handout: Example patent
Resource: Patents Research Guide (MIT Libraries)
Resource: US Patent and Trademark Office General Information Concerning Patents
Resource: US Patent Database
Resource: PAIR: Patent Application Information Retrieval
Resource: Google Patent Search
Resource: World Intellectual Property Organization
Resource: About Creative Commons
Resource: choosealicense.com

20 February: Resources

What kinds of resources exist and how to find them
Please bring your laptop (or tablet) to class this week!
Assignment for next class: Literature search -- find a new paper/reference/informational resource (that you didn't have already) related to your project and write a brief summary of it. Also tell how you found it.
Resources (MIT):MIT Libraries (in particular check out the "Search" tab), MIT Libraries Research Guide for MAS.111
Resources (external):IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, Google Scholar, DBLP, Zotero, Britney Spears' Guide to Semiconductor Physics

27 February: Ethics in research

Research involving human subjects (Dr. Leigh Firn, Chair of COUHES)
Resource: MIT COUHES Web site
Assignment for next class: Find out about a human-subjects study (on the MIT campus or some other local institution). Who is doing it, what is the topic and what is being done to the subjects, what (if any) compensation is offered?
Resource: Ethical Expectations for UROP at MIT
Resource: IEEE Code of Ethics
Resource: ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
Resource: AIGA Standards of Professional Practice for Designers
Resource: The Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science

6 March: What's "peer review," anyway? And what about non-peer-reviewed publications (like the Web)?

How to read/write a research paper
Kinds of conferences and journals
CFP's and review processes
Open-access publishing
Assignment for next class: Conference search -- find out from your UROP supervisor or colleagues which conference or meeting is a typical place for research like that done by your group to be presented. Look up the conference on-line and write a brief summary of it.
Resource: IEEE Conference Search
Resource: ACM Conference Calendar
Resource: NASA document on how to do technical presentations
Resource: How to review a technical paper

13 March: Staying safe

Health and safety considerations and regulations (MIT Environment, Health and Safety)
Resource: MIT Office of Sustainability
Handout: EHS Presentation on Chemical Safety
Resource: Sample MSDS
Assignment for next class (3 parts):
1. Please pick your favorite chemical (!) or one used in your lab, find a Material Safety Data Sheet on the Web, and write a brief summary of any health or safety concerns.
2. Propose how you might use social media or some other communications means to convey to the MIT student community the culture of safety and environmental responsibility that was discussed in class today.
3. Select one of the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Winners from recent years and describe briefly the process or technology. Which of the 12 Green Chemistry Principles is involved?

20 March

27 March

3 April: The Art of the Demo

10 April: Presenting

17 April

25 April

1 May

8 May