This course provides an introduction to the mechanics of solids with applications to science and engineering. We emphasize the three essential features of all mechanics analyses, namely: (a) the geometry of the motion and/or deformation of the structure, and conditions of geometric fit, (b) the forces on and within structures and assemblages; and (c) the physical aspects of the structural system (including material properties) which quantify relations between the forces and motions/deformation.

The main objective of 1.054/1.541 is to provide students with a rational basis of the design of reinforced concrete members and structures through advanced understanding of material and structural behavior. This course is offered to undergraduate (1.054) and graduate students (1.541). Topics covered include: Strength and Deformation of Concrete under Various States of Stress; Failure Criteria; Concrete Plasticity; Fracture Mechanics Concepts; Fundamental Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Structural Systems and their Members; Basis for Design and Code Constraints; High-performance Concrete Materials and their use in Innovative Design Solutions; Slabs: Yield Line Theory; Behavior Models and Nonlinear Analysis; and Complex Systems: Bridge Structures, Concrete Shells, and Containments.
Professor Oral Buyukozturk thanks Tzu-Yang Yu, a graduate student at MIT, for his valuable assistance in preparing course documents.

This course provides Mechanical Engineering students with an awareness of various responses exhibited by solid engineering materials when subjected to mechanical and thermal loadings; an introduction to the physical mechanisms associated with design-limiting behavior of engineering materials, especially stiffness, strength, toughness, and durability; an understanding of basic mechanical properties of engineering materials, testing procedures used to quantify these properties, and ways in which these properties characterize material response; quantitative skills to deal with materials-limiting problems in engineering design; and a basis for materials selection in mechanical design.

After conducting the associated activity, students are introduced to the material behavior of elastic solids. Engineering stress and strain are defined and their importance in designing devices and systems is explained. How engineers measure, calculate and interpret properties of elastic materials is addressed. Students calculate stress, strain and modulus of elasticity, and learn about the typical engineering stress-strain diagram (graph) of an elastic material.

1.033 provides an introduction to continuum mechanics and material modeling of engineering materials based on first energy principles: deformation and strain; momentum balance, stress and stress states; elasticity and elasticity bounds; plasticity and yield design. The overarching theme is a unified mechanistic language using thermodynamics, which allows understanding, modeling and design of a large range of engineering materials. This course is offered both to undergraduate (1.033) and graduate (1.57) students.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Researchers are using plant microbes as microsensors of plant health. In recent experiments, they irrigated tomato and lettuce with either fresh water or treated wastewater and used DNA analysis to examine how microbes in the plants’ roots responded. They found that microbes expressed genes associated with different forms of environmental stress such as high salt levels, high pH, and low oxygen. These stress signals can’t always be detected in plants alone making this genetic profiling of plant microbes a useful method for detecting hidden stressors..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Listen to this mindfulness activity to center yourself and to help relieve stress.

This course explores the social relevance of neuroscience, considering how emerging areas of brain research at once reflect and reshape social attitudes and agendas. Topics include brain imaging and popular media; neuroscience of empathy, trust, and moral reasoning; new fields of neuroeconomics and neuromarketing; ethical implications of neurotechnologies such as cognitive enhancement pharmaceuticals; neuroscience in the courtroom; and neuroscientific recasting of social problems such as addiction and violence. Guest lectures by neuroscientists, class discussion, and weekly readings in neuroscience, popular media, and science studies.

Topic 10: StressTextbook readings: pp. 493-494; pp. 504-510; pp. 523-528.Watch: The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from the series website.The Brain: Emotions, Stress, and Health (Module 21) Commentary from scientists, dramatic reenactments, and graphic illustrations show the consequences of prolonged stress on health. Animated diagrams show the brain releasing hormones, followed by a role-playing situation illustrating on-the-job stress that may set this process in motion. Researchers explain how low-level stress leads to the breakdown of frontal lobe functioning.Learning objectives:1.      Define stress and stressors, and also describe different types of stressors.2.      Differentiate between “problem-focused” coping and “emotion-focused” coping to regulate stress. 3.      Explain “perceived control” and “learned helplessness”, and their relation to stress.4.      Explain how “social support” and “relaxation response technique” can reduce stress.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Understand the physiological basis of stress and describe the general adaptation syndrome

After a brief history of plastics, students look more closely as some examples from the abundant types of plastics found in our day-to-day lives. They are introduced to the mechanical properties of plastics, including their stress-strain relationships, which determine their suitability for different industrial and product applications. These physical properties enable plastics to be fabricated into a wide range of products. Students learn about the different roles that plastics play in our lives, Young's modulus, and the effects that plastics have on our environment. Then students act as industrial engineers, conducting tests to compare different plastics and performing a cost-benefit analysis to determine which are the most cost-effective for a given application, based on their costs and measured physical properties.

This lesson culminates the unit with the Go Public phase of the legacy cycle. In the associated activity, students depict a tumor amidst healthy body tissue using a Microsoft Excel® graph. In addition, students design a brochure for both patients and doctors advertising a new form of painless yet reliable breast cancer detection. Together, the in-class activity and the take-home assignment function as an assessment of what students have learned throughout the unit.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Differentiate between stimulus-based and response-based definitions of stressDefine stress as a processDifferentiate between good stress and bad stressDescribe the early contributions of Walter Cannon and Hans Selye to the stress research fieldUnderstand the physiological basis of stress and describe the general adaptation syndrome

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Change, as they say, is good. But can repeated structural change be bad? New research says that for public organizations, that could be the case. A look at the structural reform history of public organizations in Belgium reveals that repetitive reorganization is linked to employee absenteeism—possibly due to stress and anxiety bred by a culture of constant change. Over the past decade, reforms in the public sector have become exceedingly common—whether through mergers or acquisitions, the adoption of new tasks, or changes in legal status. The trend, it appears, is a response to increasing demands on public sector performance. But while an organizational pivot can often be beneficial, repeated change could actually do more harm than good. Experts have warned [organizations swamped with repetitive structural reforms] that staff could suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety—a process dubbed “repetitive change injury”..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Rocks cover the earth's surface, including what is below or near human-made structures. With rocks everywhere, breaking rocks can be hazardous and potentially disastrous to people. Students are introduced to three types of material stress related to rocks: compressional, torsional and shear. They learn about rock types (sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic), and about the occurrence of stresses and weathering in nature, including physical, chemical and biological weathering.

Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. If you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. You can protect yourself — and improve how you think and feel — by learning how to recognize the signs and symptoms of chronic stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.

Students learn about STEM education through an engineering design challenge that focuses on improving building materials used in shantytowns. First, they consider the factors that lead to shantytown development. After researching the implications of living in shantytowns, students design, build and test cement-based concrete block composites made of discarded and/or recycled materials. The aim is to make a material that is resistant to degradation by chemicals or climate, can withstand natural disasters, and endure through human-made conditions (such as urban overcrowding or pollution). The composites must be made of materials that are inexpensive and readily available so that they are viable alternative in shantytown communities. Students assess the results both chemically and physically and then iterate their designs with the materials that proved to be strongest.