Prof. Hunter loves teaching and is the instructor for undergraduate and graduate courses in instrumentation and measurement in Mechanical Engineering. He has been the recipient of several teaching awards at MIT including the Keenan Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education, the Amar Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Den Hartog Distinguished Educator Award for his efforts.
2.671
2.671 Measurement and Instrumentation is an undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering. During the fall term, the course is instructed by Professor Ian Hunter. The course covers experimental techniques for observation and measurement of physical variables such as force, strain, temperature, flowrate, and acceleration. Emphasis is made on principles of transduction, measurement circuitry, MEMS sensors, Fourier transforms, linear and non-linear function fitting, uncertainty analysis, probability density functions and statistics, system identification, electrical impedance analysis and transfer functions, computer-aided experimentation, and technical reporting. The course includes a lab component involving oscilloscopes, electronic circuits including operational amplifiers, thermocouples, strain gauges, digital recorders, lasers, etc.
A key component of the course is the Go Forth and Measure project, in which students develop their own experiments based on their interests. The project includes both written papers culminates with a poster session.
The class web page is located here.
2.131
The MIT Mechanical Engineering Graduate class 2.131, instructed by Professor Ian Hunter, provides training in advanced instrumentation and measurement techniques. Topics include system level design, fabrication and evaluation with emphasis on systems involving concepts and technology from mechanics, optics, electronics, chemistry and biology. Simulation, modeling and design software are also covered. Students learn to use of a wide range of instruments/techniques (e.g., scanning electron microscope, dynamic signal/system analyzer, impedance analyzer, laser interferometer) and fabrication/machining methods (e.g., laser micro-machining, stereo lithography, computer controlled turning and machining centers). Additionally, theory and practice of both linear and nonlinear system identification techniques are demonstrated.
