UNION COLLEGE

Environmental Science, Policy, and Engineering Program (ESPE)

Science, Technology, and Society Program (STS)

Fall 2027

No Nonsense Sensors

ENS-234 / STS-234

Lectures: TTH 9:00-10:45AM, Olin 306.

Office hours: TTH 2:00-3:00 PM, or request an appointment at a time convenient to you.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Humans sense. They use their senses to monitor their surroundings. The basic five human senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and the sensory organs humans use to do these functions are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. Humans have had a long history of fascination with building devices that do sensory tasks. These are sensors, and unlike human senses, they are sleepless by design. The use of sensors has recently exploded. Sensor applications have penetrated many fields such as consumer products, healthcare, communications, transportation, industrial processes, sports, security, space, military, and the environment, to name a few. The presence of sensors is all around us in almost everything we use and come across in our daily life. Starting with smart phones, passing through sensor-activated lights in hallways, and ending with remotely sensed images that we receive from satellites orbiting Planet Earth from outer space. Sensors have invaded every aspect of human life and are predicted to be so pervasive in many extraordinary applications that will significantly enhance humans’ quality of life. This course is designed for students interested in learning more about sensors and their human applications in adding a level of convenience never thought possible before.

COURSE GRADE

• Term Test (6th week) = 25%
• Class Participation = 15%
• "Sensorama" paper = 15%
• Term Paper "Sensotopia" & Presentation =20%
• Final Examination = 25%

NOTES

• Attendance of exams is mandatory.
• If you must miss the midterm test due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control (a letter from the Dean of Students will be required in this case), your 25 points of the midterm test will be automatically transferred to the final exam, i.e., your final will be graded out of 50 points. No makeup for the midterm test will be allowed for any reason. If you miss the midterm without a supporting letter from the Dean of Students, there will be 5 points penalty, i.e, the maximum score you can earn in your final exam is 45/50.
• If you must miss the final exam due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control (a letter from the Dean of Students will be required in this case), your grade in the course will be prorated based on the components of your term work. No makeup for the final exam will be allowed for any reason.
• Students are randomly selected to participate in class discussion. If you are unprepared or absent without documentation (a formal note from a doctor, nurse, coach, dean of students, etc.), this will impact participation credit.
• Due date for assigned course work will be announced in class. Late submission is assessed at -1 point per day or part thereof.
• The academic performance of the students in this course will be held to the standards of Union College's Honor Code.
• Students with disabilities will be accommodated as per Union College's Policy.

TEXTBOOK

• Fraden, Jacob (2016). “Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications,” Springer, 5^th Edition. (ISBN-10: 9783319193021)

COURSE SYLLABUS

"SENSORAMA" and "SENSOTOPIA" papers

General

Sensors have invaded human life in a very dramatic way. There has been an explosion of sensor use in many fields. This paper is geared to the exploration of an area where sensors have fundamentally altered the way things are presently being done versus how they were done before the extensive use of sensors. Fields where sensors are presently making a strong presence are numerous. The following only lists a few of these areas: sports, manufacture, security, sorting, traffic monitoring, wearable devices, health monitoring, the environment, social interaction, facility performance monitoring, remote sensing, space exploration, communications, etc. In the writing of their paper, students are expected to research the impact of sensors on an area where “methods of the past” and “business as usual” are no longer the case. In short, this paper is expected to draw a sharp contrast between how certain things were done before the use of sensors and how they are presently being done with the aid of sensors.

Subject

• Each student is to choose the papers subject they like to research. Students in this course come from many departments, thus subjects that are closely or remotely related to a student's major are acceptable but the selected subjects must have a relationship with the course's major themes: sensors and their applications. Students may wish to address in their papers a case/problem of interest or work on a subject that has intrigued them but is not necessarily related to their major.
• All papers must be on different subjects. A given subject can only be used by one student. A student that was the first in selecting a given subject would be the only one entitled to it. The earlier you select your subjects, the wider the selection available to you.

Resources

• Students may collect the materials (technical and non-technical) for their chosen topics from one or more of the following sources (in no specific order): the Internet, publications, professional journals, magazines, textbooks, movies, documentaries, and all other credible sources including interviews with knowledgeable and experienced individuals.
• Students are required to cite in their paper all the sources they used in their research in the form of "References", "Bibliography", Works Cited", "Footnotes", or any standard method of citation. Internet sites are cited using the address (URL) of those sites. All other references are to be cited with the name of author, year, title of paper or book, page, and publisher.
• Students are responsible for checking the accuracy of materials obtained from Internet sources. Many Internet sources are not peer-reviewed and may lack credibility. Remember that in this day and age, any one can publish anything on the Internet. This does not qualify published materials to be worthy of an academic endeavor such as a term paper.

Submittals

1. The following is the timeline for paper assignment and submission, and page limit:

2. For each of their proposed topics, students are expected to provide the title of the paper and a few sentences describing its main thrust. The instructor will provide feedback and approve the proposed topics.

3. The papers should be a PDF or a Word document. Students may wish to supplement their text with proper photos, pictures, tables, graphs, charts, and figures. Supplementing materials must be referenced at least once in the text of the paper.

Paper Grading Criteria

Students taking this course will receive Engineering/Technology/Society (ETS) credit. Classroom presentations and discussion will promote critical thinking to enable students to evaluate evidence, results, and claims related to the natural sciences/engineering/technology and their impact on broader human or societal issues. In their written paper and in their oral presentation, students are expected to highlight and detail principles similar to those listed above. The grade in this term paper will be assigned based on the quality and depth of thought, organization, and relevance of content to the subject under consideration, understanding, clarity of presentation, and demonstration of ability to address questions with comprehension.

STUDENTS TAKE AWAY

• Students will develop an understanding of the role sensors presently play in detecting signals or actions that can be used to add a layer of convenience to human life.
• Students will learn that sensors are vigilant and sleepless by design. These properties make them suitable to continuously monitor phenomena that require non-stop observation.
• Students will appreciate the vital fact that sensors can produce an endless stream of data and information that can be used to improve our understanding of the interworking of systems to make design improvements.
• Students will comprehend how certain applications, such as autonomous vehicles, came to being and were made possible only because of the sophistication and precision of sensors available today.
• Students will get the opportunity to research in their term paper a sensor of interest and its human and/or industrial applications. The recent extraordinary applications of sensors are mind-boggling, and as oral presentation of the term paper is a required component in this course, sharing various sensor applications with all students in the class will open minds and eyes to the limitless possibilities that sensors offer.

SUGGESTED REFERENCES (possible sources for additional reading)

• McGrath, M.J., Scanaill, C.N., and Nafus D. (2014). “Sensor Technologies: Healthcare, Wellness and Environmental Applications (Expert's Voice in Networked Technologies),” 1st, Edition, Apress. (ISBN: 1430260130)

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