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Computer-Aided Engineering

Applications to Biological Processes

FAQ

How large a group?	Your group needs to have 4 people. We cannot have more than 4 in a group that makes it difficult to coordinate within the group as well as makes it harder to distinguish contributions from each member. Less than 4 will make too many projects for us to be able to give the attention they need (this is the only reason the course enrollment is limited).
Any guidelines for choosing a project?	You are free to choose a problem— just be realistic. Choose a problem (involving preferably heat and/or mass transfer) whose physics is not overly complicated, considering the one semester duration. Yes, it can be difficult to guess if a problem is actually quite complex. The TA and I will try to help you in this regard. The goal of the project is to provide hands-on learning of simulation-based design. Choose a problem that is both computational and incorporates design. Look in the list of past projects and literature. It would be nice to come up with a topic that has not been covered earlier, but this is by no means a requirement. If you choose a topic from the past, you will have to show what’s new in yours.
Why the detailed timeline?	Our purpose is to maintain steady progress in order to avoid the rush during the last few weeks of the semester. Unexpected situations in the past have included—computer breakdowns for extended periods, confusions in software use due to a new version or its unclear guidelines, need to come up with a new problem since the old one was too complicated to implement, and so on.
Where do I find data?	This will be a difficult step. Some suggestions are given in lectures and in Chapter 9. I do have a collection of data. You can expect to spend significant effort on this process.
Computers availability?	Please schedule your computer time carefully. During the middle of the day and toward the end of semester, access to computer can become difficult for problems that need long run times.
When and where are the reports due?	Unless noted otherwise, all reports are due at 5:00 p.m. and uploaded to Box.com.
What do I include in the final report?	See detailed writing instructions.