Many scientists and engineers seek to engage with policymakers and there is a clear need for them to do so. However, very few receive the training necessary to effectively impact public policy. This online module will provide an introduction to the policymaking process and practical tips for engaging with the policy community.
Preparing community members, renewable energy developers, municipal staff and a new generation of renewable energy practitioners to understand and build consensus around resolving opposition to renewable energy facilities across the United States.
An introduction to philosophy of mind, exploring consciousness, reality, AI, and more. The most in-depth philosophy course available online.
Learn about momentum and energy in this calculus-based physics course.
This is a class about awe-inspiring issues at the intersection between philosophy and mathematics.
Learn about rotational dynamics in this calculus-based physics course.
Examine the different facets of human development, including education, health, gender, the family, land relations, risk, public policy, and institutions. At the same time, discover modern empirical methods in economics while working with real data.
Learn how current applied economics uses data to tackle some of the toughest problems facing society. Taught by Nobel-prize winning MIT professors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo and based on their book Good Economics for Hard Times, the course specifically addresses today’s most pressing issues in the United States and other advanced economies.
We live in a multivariable world. Explore different types of integrals and learn how to apply them to solve real world problems. Part 2 of 3.
Learn how to solve and understand simple harmonic motion in this calculus-based physics class.
Master the calculus of curves and coordinate systems; approximate functions with polynomials and infinite series. Part 3 of 3.
Learn the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics! This course offers a sophisticated view of quantum mechanics and its proper mathematical foundation. Completing the course will give you the tools that you need to do research in quantum mechanics and to understand many current developments.
In this final part of 8.02, we will cover Faraday’s Law, Circuits with Inductors, Maxwell’s equations, and electromagnetic radiation. This introductory Electromagnetism physics course will require the use of calculus
Aprende cómo las evaluaciones de impacto ayudan a diseñar e implementar programas y políticas que realmente funcionan.
Explore realistic, contemporary examples of how computational methods apply to physics research. In this first module, you will analyze LIGO data, detect a gravitational wave signal, and fit this signal within a physical model, among other objectives, using Jupyter notebooks.
Learn how to ask and answer big questions. Pursue a verified certificate to have your work graded and commented upon by professional philosophers.
A rigorous introduction to ethics. We’ll think about well-being, objectivity, key historical figures and approaches, what we owe to others, and more.
A tour through the big questions of philosophy. Does God exist? Do we have free will? Is morality objective? What is knowledge? What is the meaning of life?
Learn how charges create and move in magnetic fields and how to analyze simple DC circuits. This introductory Electromagnetism physics course will require the use of calculus.
Learn how charges interact with each other and create electric fields and electric potential landscapes. This introductory Electromagnetism physics course requires the use of calculus.
This course provides realistic, contemporary examples of how computational methods apply to physics research. Topics include hypothesis testing, semi-parameteric methods, and deep learning. In the Final Project, you will analyze LHC data to measure properties of the W boson and Z boson.
Learn how COVID-19 has impacted the world’s most vulnerable populations, across the Global South, and understand the varied responses and governance issues in self-organized, self-built urban poor communities.
Learn about kinematics and dynamics in this calculus-based physics course.
Preparing city officials, agency staff and a new generation of cybersecurity consultants to understand, help prevent and manage cyberattacks on vulnerable communities across America.
Vibrations and Waves appear in many parts of physics, ranging from simple mechanical systems, to the light that we see, and even to the quantum realm. In this course we develop a fundamental grounding in this important topic, beginning with oscillations of simple systems of discrete masses, continuing with waves in continuous systems (like air and water), and exploring the wave behavior of light. We end with the uncertainty principle and the wave equation of quantum mechanics.
Discover the integral—what it is and how to compute it. See how to use calculus to model real world phenomena. Part 2 of 3.
In order to understand most phenomena in the world, we need to understand not just single equations, but systems of differential equations. In this course, we start with 2x2 systems.
Understand microeconomic research at every level, from theory to empirical testing. Then, apply this understanding to the public policies that affect the US and other similar industrialized nations.
This course equips students with the practical skills for running evaluations in the field. Students will learn the foundations of randomizations and research design, as well as practical tips and skills for collecting high quality, reliable data in the field.
Explore why and how political institutions affect economic development, and apply key theories and empirical techniques to real-world examples ranging from voting and corruption to the role of the media.
Use economic models to learn how prices and markets benefit society in the face of scarcity.
Learn methods for harnessing and analyzing data to answer questions of cultural, social, economic, and policy interest.
A course for those who are interested in the challenge posed by massive and persistent world poverty.
Discover the physical principles behind diodes, light-emitting devices, and memories.
Discover the structure of the materials that make up our modern world and learn how this underlying structure influences the properties and performance of these materials.
In 3.15x we will explore the electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of materials and learn how electronic devices are designed to exploit these properties.
Explore materials from the atomic to the continuum level, and apply your learning to mechanics and engineering problems.
We live in a multivariable world. Explore the derivative in higher dimensions and learn how to apply it to solve real world problems. Part 1 of 3.
An introduction to leading profound social, environmental and personal transformation
An overview of introductory microeconomics. Learn the key principles of economics and how to apply them to the real world - and the AP® exam!
Experience the iterative innovation process and learn how you can use this process to develop your own innovative ideas.
Learn why and when randomized evaluations can be used to rigorously evaluate the impact of social programs and how findings can inform the design of evidence-based policies and programs.
Explore the fundamental chemical concepts underlying the synthesis, properties, and design of a wide variety of organic materials important for engineering applications.
Explore the fundamental competition between energy and disorder that determines the state of materials at equilibrium.
An intensive review of undergraduate-level mathematics for prospective and beginning graduate students in science and engineering.
Course exploring ways in which worker representatives can negotiate with employers and vendors to shape new technology entering the workplace to benefit workers
Discover the derivative—what it is, how to compute it, and when to apply it in solving real world problems. Part 1 of 3.
Scientists and engineers understand the world through differential equations. You can too.
Learn how banks can use capital as a tool to promote social and environmental wellbeing.
Graduate-level introduction to mathematical modeling of heat and mass transfer (diffusion and convection), fluid dynamics, chemical reactions, and phase transformations.
Learn how performance of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice provides occasions for creative, thoughtful communication across personal, historical, and cultural boundaries on topics including language and theatricality, gender relations, and religious prejudice.
A short course that will teach you how to analyze qualitative data.
A short course that will teach you how to prepare for and conduct conversational interviews, that will produce rich qualitative data.
Learn about the scientific principles behind the airborne transmission of COVID-19, and how quantitative safety guideline may be derived to assess the risk of transmission.
8.EFTx is a graduate course on Effective Field Theory (EFT), which provides a fundamental framework to describe physical systems with quantum field theory. For residential students it is listed as 8.851.
Learn how to model the mechanical properties of honeycombs and foams and to apply the models to material selection in engineering design.