The Department of Applied Physical Sciences (APS) is developing a variety of courses that will integrate into our undergraduate academic programs and make engineering and making concepts accessible to all UNC students. Students will be able to minor in Applied Sciences and Engineering. An undergraduate major will be offered beginning Fall 2024.*

*The undergraduate division of the Applied Physical Sciences department timeline is tentative.

APPL 60 – First- Year Seminar: Tree. Timber. Totems.
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Trees, through their biology, meaning and uses, create an arc of understanding that spans what it means to be human. Ultimately, we will explore the meaning of trees and wood and why we seek happiness in nature, cherish wood and the creation of objects of wood. Tree: What is a tree from a biological perspective? How do they represent a complex community and play a vital role in life on the planet? Timber: What is the economy of wood internationally and in the state of NC? What are biophysical and material properties of trees that allow them to grow so large and be so useful to human society? Totem: Why do we respond emotionally to wood and choose it as a material in our lives and surroundings? How do we design and create objects of meaning from wood? We will walk in the woods, meet “wood people” from across the state and country and learn woodworking with projects of the students’ design and creation.

APPL 101 – Exploring Engineering
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Engineers help to design and build solutions to the world’s problems. This course will explore some of the fundamental skills and tools in engineering. You will get experience using engineering tools, and you will also develop a mindset so that you can “learn how to learn” because technology changes rapidly and the tools that you use today may be obsolete in 20 years. There will be an emphasis on developing strong professional skills, including work in a group setting and effectively communicating your efforts.

In addition, a goal of this class is to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset so that you will understand the bigger picture. For example, while it may be easy to develop an engineering solution to a problem, what are the economic and ethical considerations of various solutions? These concepts are important to help engineers build a better world.

This will be an “active learning” class in which we spend much of our class time working. For example, we will write computer programs to model and simulate real world systems. We will debate the ethical issues that are associated with engineering innovations. Students should be prepared to come to class and participate in these activities! It is helpful to have prior programming experience, this is not required.

APPL 110 – Design and Making for Engineers: Developing Your Person Design Potential
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Students work in flexible, interdisciplinary teams to assess opportunities, brainstorm, and prototype solutions. Students design their solutions to meet a set of specifications, while also considering the user’s needs. Design thinking and physical prototyping skills are developed through fast-paced, iterative exercises in a variety of contexts and environments.

APPL 112 – Practical Electronics for Everyone
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus.

Design and fabrication for practical electronics circuits, including interfacing with sensors and actuators. Previously offered as APPL 411.

APPL 113 – LabView for Data Acquisition
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus.

The basics of data acquisition and hardware interfacing using LabVIEW graphical programming. Previously offered as APPL 413.

APPL 114 – Arduino Bootcamp: A deep introduction for beginners
0.5 Credit. Sample Syllabus.

This course is for anyone – student, researcher, hobbyist, etc. – who has an interest in getting into the world of electronics and micro-controllers. No prior experience is required. By the end of this class, you will be able to create and program simple systems that allow coordination of real-world inputs (lights, sound, motion, etc.). You will also be able to demonstrate how these systems can be used to implement complex behavior in custom-designed systems.

APPL 115 – Raspberry Pi Bootcamp
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus.

Learn how to use the premier microcontroller platform known as the Raspberry Pi (RPi)! This course is for anyone with an interest in programming, microcontrollers, and basic electronics. Prior experience with simple analog electronics (circuit-building) and the Arduino platform is recommended. Permission of the instructor needed to enroll in this course.

APPL 116 – Electronics for Measurement, Control, and the Internet of Things- Class has not been scheduled
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

Prerequisite: APPL 112; permission from the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.

This course builds on APPL 112. Students will acquire signals from sensors and send them to an Arduino or other microcontroller. Students will also learn how to develop circuits that are part of the “Internet of Things” so that they can transmit sensor readings on the Internet. Most of the class time will be hands-on activities. Previously offered as APPL 414.

APPL 121 – 3D Printing Technology and Practice
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus.

3D Printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), is used broadly from manufacturing to medical research. AM will play an increasingly large role in virtually all areas of research, industry, and commerce with new technologies and significant improvements occurring continually. The course will delve into major existing and developing technologies. We will explore design elements for AM, motion control and imaging technologies, materials performance and selection, and the physics of parts production. Previously offered as APPL 418.

APPL 215 – Design and Fabrication of Fluids Monitoring Devices- Class has not been scheduled x
1 Credit. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

Review of fluid mechanics including the fundamentals of pressure/flow relationships, fluid properties, and flow regimes. Students will design and create physical prototypes that demonstrate specific concepts and measure defined parameters. Students will use the BeAM makerspace network to make things that illustrate fluid device design. Class time includes exercises to reinforce concepts and a guided design activity to create a physical device. Required preparation: BeAM orientation, laser training, 3D-printer training. Previously offered as APPL 475.

APPL 240 – Electronics from Sensors to Indicators: Circuits that Interact with the Physical World
4 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisite: PHYS 105, 115, 117, or 119

Engineers develop systems that interact with the physical world by taking measurements from sensors and activating indicators. To interface with these sensors and indicators, you need electrical circuits! In this class, you will learn the basics of circuit design and analysis to make measurements, such force, temperature, pH and heart rate, and acquire these signals to a computer. You will complete your measurement system by developing circuits to activate LEDs, motors, and other indicators.

APPL 260 – Materials Science and Engineering: Living in a Material World
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisites: CHEM 102, and PHYS 116 or PHYS 118; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.

This course will be an introduction to topics in materials science and with a strong focus on materials, processing and engineering and how design plays a pivotal role in materials selection. A central theme will be in-class demonstrations and hands-on experiments so you will experience first-hand why materials do what they do and how to select the appropriate material for the right application. It’s a materials world after all!

APPL 285 – Engineering Fundamentals of Force, Motion, and Energy
4 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisites: APPL 101, APPL 110, and PHYS 114 or 118; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites

We will go beyond the basics of introductory physics and learn the principles and methods that engineers use to understand, predict, and control the behavior of force, motion, and energy in the physical world. Topics covered will include engineering statics, dynamics, and fundamental fluid mechanics. As engineers, we must analyze and design processes that interact with and transform the physical world. This requires us to apply fundamental concepts to achieve predictable and safe results.

APPL 295 – Research in Applied Physical Sciences and Engineering
1-3 Credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

A research experience provides students with practical experience in a research lab, performing work that is relevant to their UNC education. The research internship will develop and enhance the students’ professional skill set and involve experiences that allow students to have responsibility for results that are of value to the research laboratory.

APPL 296 – Independent Study in Applied Physical Sciences and Engineering
1-3 Credits.Sample Syllabus.

Through independent study, students gain practical experience in an independent project either on campus or off campus, performing work that is relevant to their studies in Applied Physical Sciences. The independent study will develop and enhance the students’ professional skill set and involve experiences that enhance their entrepreneurial mindset. Students are mentored by a faculty member and others at UNC who have relevant expertise.

APPL 385 – Thermodynamics for Engineers
4 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisites: APPL 101, APPL 285, MATH 233, PHYS 118

Thermodynamics can be thought of as the study of energy. Virtually every application has some connection to thermodynamics, underscoring the significance of learning its basic principles in engineering education. The course will cover the basic concepts of thermodynamics, including the first and second laws of thermodynamics. These principles will be introduced and explored in a way that focuses on understanding the basic concepts through exploring different natural and industrial applications.

APPL 405 – Convergent Engineering: Team-Science Approaches to Discovery and Innovation- Class has not been scheduled
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

Students will participate in activities, group discussion, and problem-solving coaching to understand how chemistry, physics, materials science, and biology are applied to engineering. Topics are introduced through discussing relevant scientific literature, and guest lecturers and faculty discuss expertise in fields like mathematical modeling, mechanical engineering, or circuit design. Guest lecturers can provide new perspective on the problems, so students gain an interdisciplinary view of the subject.

APPL 430 – Optoelectronics from Materials to Devices
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisite: MATH 383

At the intersection between electrical engineering, optics, and computer science, this course explores how optoelectronic materials can be turned into optoelectronic devices to build high performance optical instruments. The course features many hands-on activities that include electronics, with the study of sensors operating under low light and high noise conditions, custom optical system design, imaging and holography systems, as well as computational imaging techniques using MATLAB (basic programming experience in any language is sufficient).

APPL 435 — Nanophotonics
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisite: PHYS 117 or 119

This course introduces the principles of nanophotonics – an emerging frontier at the nexus of nanotechnology and photonics that deals with light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. The course will cover the theoretical foundations of nanoscale materials and optics, fabrication and characterization of optical nanostructures, plasmonics, nanomanipulation by optical tweezers, electrodynamic simulations, nanoscale light emitters, and applications of nanophotonics.

APPL 462 – Engineering Materials: Properties, Selection and Design
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisite: CHEM 102; or PHYS 116 or PHYS 118

This course will cover both fundamental and applied aspects of modern materials science. We will discuss how to select materials based on their properties and how they can be processed into products that you encounter in everyday life. A strong focus will be on the relationship between processing, structure (development), and properties of solid materials, such as metals, ceramics, and polymers.

APPL 463 – Bioelectronic Materials
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

Prerequisite: BMME 209 or APPL 260 or CHEM 102 and PHYS 115 or PHYS 119 and permission of the instructor.

Developing electronic systems that can seamlessly integrate with biological systems represents a pivotal foundation for building a smart healthcare platform, advanced clinical technology, and beyond. Through multiple hands-on projects, this course will explore and discuss: 1) electronic materials, mechanisms, and designs at the biotic-abiotic interface, 2) their impacts for a wide range of applications ranging from medicine, robotics, to human augmentation, and 3) the associated ethics that aim to harmonize the development pathways.

APPL 465 – Engineering of Soft Materials: SpongeBob SquarePants and Other Squishy Things
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus.

What kind of material is Sponge Bob made of? What about the slime of his pet snail, Gary? We are taught that there are three states of matter: solid, gas, and liquid. However, in our daily lives we encounter materials that challenge this simple description such as foams, pastes, gels, soap, and rubber, as well as our skin, hair, nails, and cells. These are Soft Materials and, in this course, we will learn about their special properties and how to describe them mathematically. This class is an active one, everyone participates and everyone learns from and helps one another. We will use various in-class activities to make the class more engaging. We will discuss, take quizzes, and do presentations. We will also evaluate each other’s homework. Be prepared to come to class and participate in these activities! The technical material that you will learn will provide you with a valuable skillset. In addition, a goal of this class is to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset so that you will understand the bigger picture; draw connections between the material in this class and what you have learned in other classes; recognize opportunities; and learn from mistakes to create value for yourself and others.

APPL 467 – Materials Design for Biomedicine
3 credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

Prerequisite: CHEM 102

The 21st century has already been marked with substantial discoveries in the interface of materials science, biology, and medicine that have a profound effect on our future. The course will focus on all classes of biological materials such as: biologically derived materials, natural and synthetic biomaterials, and bioinspired materials. In addition, the course will highlight the use of nanoscale materials and techniques to rapidly advance our understanding of human biology and the practice of medicine.

APPL 493 – Internship in Applied Physical Sciences
3 credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

An ideal internship provides students with practical experience in an organization outside of UNC, doing work that is relevant to their UNC education. The internship should develop and enhance the students’ professional skill sets and involve experiences that allow students to have responsibility for results that are of value to the organization.

APPL 495 – Mentored Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering
3 Credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

An ideal research experience provides students with practical experience in a research lab, performing work that is relevant to their UNC education. The research internship should develop and enhance the student’s professional skill sets and involve experiences that allow students to have responsibility for results that are of value to the research laboratory.

Research interns are mentored by a faculty member and other members of their lab. The implementation, and evaluation of the internship are a collaborative effort between the student and their research mentor. If the research mentor is not a member of the APS faculty, then the students should also have an APS faculty advisor. Oversight is also provided by the APS Research and Internship Coordinator and/or Director of Undergraduate Studies (the same person may be serving both of these roles). Internships are typically 150 hours in duration (10 hours per week during an academic semester). However, internship time frames can be flexible to match the needs and interest of the student with the opportunities offered by the research lab.

APPL 496 – Independent Study in Applied Sciences and Engineering
1-3 Credits. Sample Syllabus Coming Soon.

Through independent study, students gain practical experience in an independent project either on campus or off campus, performing work that is relevant to their studies in Applied Physical Sciences. The independent study will develop and enhance the students¿ professional skill set and involve experiences that enhance their entrepreneurial mindset.

Students are mentored by a faculty member and others at UNC who have relevant expertise. The implementation and evaluation of the independent study is a collaborative effort between the student and their mentor. If the mentor is not a member of the APS faculty, then the students should also have an APS faculty advisor. Oversight is also provided by the APS Research and Internship Coordinator and/or Director of Undergraduate Studies (the same person may be serving both of these roles). Independent study projects are typically 150 hours in duration (10 hours per week during an academic semester). However, time frames can be flexible to match the needs and interest of the student.

***Department Consent Required