2009 Courses & Clusters

Cluster 1 - Computers in Everyday Life

Instructor:
Ryan Kastner, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UCSD
Rajesh Gupta, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UCSD
Choon Kim, Senior Development Engineer, Computer Science and Engineering, UCSD

Description:
Did you know that your cell phone as at least two computers more powerful than the desktop machines of only a decade ago? A typical car has over forty computing machines? There are billions of "embedded computers" that are controlling machines, analyzing signals, collecting data as we go about in our daily lives. How do such machines interact with life and its processes? If you have ever wondered how does information travel from real life to computers, what happens to it and how does it get back, this course is a gentle introduction to the technology behind embedded computing systems: the hardware, the interfaces and the software. We will learn by doing experiments on microcontroller devices featuring sensor interfaces such as touch, temperature and motion detection. The course is structured into three interwoven threads: electronics and microcomputer basics, components of embedded systems and programming for embedded systems. You will learn how to program microcontrollers to control basic functions of an embedded system. You will work in teams with the goal of creating applications of embedded systems as final projects to be presented at the end of the course.

Prerequisite:
Algebra II, Basic programming experience.

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