EGR 53

From Duke Wiki

A required introductory course in the Pratt School of Engineering, EGR 53 is aimed at equipping first-year students with the problem-solving tools they'll need for subsequent courses in engineering. More than 300 first-year students take the course to learn the MATLAB programming language, learn basic computer and laboratory skills, while learning more about Pratt and whether they want to be engineers.

Students are introduced to the programming language MATLAB, a relatively simple language which allows users to go dispense with the baggage of other languages (C++, Java, etc) and start to solve problems in math, physics, and engineering immediately. Taking advantage of MATLAB's flexibility, students have been able to generate and measure electrical signals, play games, record and alter sounds, and calibrate measurement devices. They have written solutions to Sudoku number puzzles and generated complex, geometric patterns known as fractal trees.

EGR 53 is also a challenging course in problem-solving. Students are expected to leave the course with the ability to transform an open-ended challenge into a series of problems for which they can use a program like MATLAB, and the numerical techniques learned in the course, to generate and present data that will help them ascertain possible solutions to both the individual problems and the overall challenge.

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[edit] Professor

Michael Gustafson B.S.E. '93, M.S. '98, Ph.D. '99 began working as a lab teaching assistant for EGR53 in 1996, and was appointed assistant professor of the practice in electrical and computer engineering in 2005. His focus is on developing and improving the first- and second-year undergraduate curriculum, so that students are equipped with strong laboratory and computer skills. Gustafson's research interests include linear and nonlinear control systems.