Meakin Interdisciplinary Studies Center

230 Bechtel Engineering Center, 510-642-0906
Associate Dean David Dornfeld, IDS
dornfeld@coe.berkeley.edu
IDS Staff

• Mission
• Courses
• Committees

Mission

The Meakin Interdisciplinary Studies Center coordinates studies that involve various branches of engineering, the natural sciences and mathematics, the biological sciences and medicine, the social sciences, and the humanities.

1. to promote knowledge of the humanities and social sciences among students of the College of Engineering;
2. to provide students in the social sciences and humanities with a working knowledge of information technology and computing;
3. to sustain the interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in Engineering Science (i.e., Computational Engineering Science, Engineering Mathematics and Statistics, Engineering Physics, Environ- mental Engineering Science, and Engineering — Undeclared); and
4. to support interdisciplinary graduate programs and research.

IDS assists engineers in developing skills that go beyond their preparation in a field of engineering.

Courses

• Engineering 190 (interdepartmental course), Technical Communication
• Interdepartmental Studies 140, Technical Communication for Non-native Speakers of English

The center supports such college-wide offerings as Engineering 110, Venture Design: The Startup Company. The center also supports the technical communication component of departmental courses in the college. In addition, IDS coordinates the course, Interdepartmental Studies 110/110L, Introduction to Computers, which is offered to students outside the college.

At the graduate level, the Meakin Interdisciplinary Studies Center supports the activities of a number of interdepartmental committees and two graduate groups: The Graduate Group in Applied Science and Technology, and the Ocean Engineering Graduate Group; also the Management of Technology Program, a certificate program for graduate students in the College of Engineering and the Haas School of Business.

Committees

Interdisciplinary committees provide a wide range of interdepartmental activities, including special course offerings, group studies and seminars, and public lectures and conferences presented by faculty and visitors. The center publishes occasional reports of its offerings.