3.042, Materials Project Laboratory, is the capstone design subject for Course III juniors and seniors. This required subject is offered both fall and spring semesters and currently meets the Institute’s Communications Intensive subject requirement within the student’s major (CI-M). Enrollment is limited to 25 to allow students better access to equipment and teaching staff. Traditionally, 3.042 has been focused on materials processing, development, and prototyping, as a capstone to the previous lecture and laboratory subjects.
In this subject, student project teams design and fabricate a working prototype using materials processing technologies (e.g., Solidworks 3-D design software, computer numerical controlled mills, injection molding, thermoforming, investment casting, powder processing, three-dimensional printing, or physical vapor deposition) appropriate for the materials and device of interest. The subject aims to teach the use of fundamentals of materials science in a practical application, while understanding the balance of design, processing, performance, and cost. There is an emphasis on teamwork, project management, communication, and computer skills, with extensive hands-on work using student and MIT laboratory shops. The teams document and report their progress and final results.
The subject became a required part of the Course III curriculum in the early 1980s (it was originally known as 3.082); at that time, the curriculum was revised to reflect a broad approach to teaching and learning about materials and this subject added a processing component to the “science” and “engineering” subjects. Professors Yet-Ming Chiang, Gene Fitzgerald, Linn Hobbs, Ned Thomas, and Dave Roylance have been some of the many dedicated instructors. For several years, during the fall semester, 3.042 teams competed to build the most powerful solar cell, using organic or inorganic technologies.
In recent years, DMSE has hired lecturers and technical instructors who work closely with the teams, advising on equipment usage, experimental design, and feasibility. As a result, the projects are stronger and the students have a richer experience.