President Parrish noted that it was the first WPI faculty meeting that he had been able to attend and he stated that he was proud to be a member of the EE faculty himself. "You have a really neat program here. . .but I don't think that the faculty as a whole realizes how good a place this is. We have to learn to appreciate ourselves. . .to be proud of what we have here-a very creative and marvelous product. WPI has found its niche in the market and we have to work to make people aware of what we have to offer."
The changes to the curriculum included a change in the distribution requirements for the Department of Biology and Biotechnology, so that it now includes two advanced laboratory classes. Currently the advanced laboratory classes have not been approved by the faculty, but the department is preparing curricula for eight modular classes in a variety of areas. These changes will only apply to students who matriculate next year and after.
The Department of Biology and Biotechnology also dropped nine classes and added eleven. Dropped classes include: General Biology I and II, Environmental Biology, Physiology I and II, Cell Culture, Fermentation Biology, Protein Purification and Downstream Processing, and Recombinant DNA and Biochemistry. The courses which will replace them are: Introduction to Biological Macromolecules, Principles of Ecology, Microbial Physiology, Animal Physiology, Plant Physiology and Cell Culture, Anatomy, Cell Culture Theory and Applications, Virology, Separation of Biological Molecules, Immunology, and Recombinant DNA Principles and Applications. These changes were made to keep up with changes in the field and the department felt that they were either improving on the old courses or providing a greater breadth of topics for students.
The Department of Humanities and Arts formalized what had previously been offered as independent study projects. These Theatre ISP's will be given the designation "TH" and a project number and will be listed in the undergraduate catalog. They include: Theatre Production Practicum, Acting, Advanced Acting, Advanced Theatre Production Practicum, Directing, Advanced Directing, Dramaturgy, Theatre Technology Design, Advanced Theatre Technology Design, and Advanced Dramaturgy. These projects will count for one sixth of a unit and only two projects may be applied towards the Sufficiency. It is expected that the annual enrollment for these projects will be from one to fifteen students.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering deleted three classes (Signals and Systems, Signals and Communications, and Communications Laboratory). Three new classes were added to the curriculum to replace them, Continuous-Time Signal and System Analysis, Discrete-Time Signal and System Analysis, and Principles of Communication.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering removed two classes from the undergraduate catalog: Mechanical Properties of Materials and Mechanical Behavior and Modeling Properties of Engineering Materials (ME 3824/3524). This was done because another class, ME 3023 Mechanical Behavior and Modeling Properties of Engineering Materials, encompasses the same material as the other two, indeed ME 3824/3524 has the same course description. All changes in courses are for the '96-'97 academic year.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received approval to offer a degree in Electrical Engineering with Concentration in Computer Engineering. This involves taking six computer engineering related EE or CS courses and completing an MQP in the computer engineering area.
The Department of Chemical Engineering received approval to offer concentrations for Chemical Engineering majors in Biochemical, Biomedical, Environmental and Materials. These require two units of study in the concentration, including up to one unit from the IQP, portions of the Sufficiency or the Social Science requirement.
The Management Information Systems (MIS) Minor was also approved. This involves taking three management courses, two computer science courses and a capstone, project oriented, management course (Systems Analysis and Design).
The Minor in Law and Technology was approved and it requires two units of study. Two classes in legal fundamentals, two classes which integrate law and technology, one course in professional communication and one capstone course are required for the minor.
The Computer Science Department established a Minor in Computer Science. Again, two units of study are required, including at least one class from a list of courses "each of which provides an integrating capstone experience," any graduate-level CS course (except for CS 501, 505, 507, 552 or 590) and one-third of a unit of another activity, such as an ISP which is validated by a CS faculty member.
Concentration and minor programs will be available to undergraduates immediately. For more complete information about the minor program requirements, it is suggested that you talk to your academic advisor.
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