Electronics and Signal Processing for Experimental Rigs

Semester: Spring
|
Year offered: 2024

To register for this course, please complete this form by Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Course description

Biomedical researchers often build and use experimental rigs consisting of several interconnected electronic instruments. These rigs are typically used to make high-quality recordings of weak biological signals. The goal of this course is to demystify the rig: What does each instrument do? How should they be connected? How does one troubleshoot noise, or adjust settings in a principled way?
 
The course will focus on fundamental concepts in electronics and signal processing, covering both theory and practice. It does not require any prior electronics knowledge. Topics include: signal impedance, capacitance, amplifiers and opAmp circuits, mitigating noise, digitization, sampling rates, and aliasing. These topics should be broadly applicable to experimental biologists who use a rig to generate or record small, precise signals in the presence of noise. We will rely on hands-on assignments to reinforce the lecture content and build intuitive understanding.

Course objectives

After completing this nanocourse, students should feel more confident using the instruments on their rig and have a better sense for how signals flow between them. 
They should feel comfortable selecting appropriate settings for: 

  • filters 
  • amplification
  • digitization (e.g., sampling rates) 
  • minimizing noise and maximizing signal quality.

Session dates, times, and location

The course consists of three sessions, each with a one-hour lecture followed by a self-paced electronics assignment. (All materials for these assignments will be provided.) All classes will be held in WAB 236.

Fri. April 26 (2:30–4:30pm):  Basic Electronics
Fri. May 3 (2:30–4:30pm):  Noise and OpAmps
Fri. May 10 (2:30–4:30pm):  Digitization and Aliasing


Milestone credit 

In order to receive a Milestone, students must attend all [3] sessions and submit the associated engineering assignments on time.
More information about Milestone Credit can be found HERE.

Course Team

Course directors/instructors
Ofer Mazor: Ofer_Mazor@hms.harvard.edu
Pavel Gorelik: Pavel_Gorelik@hms.harvard.edu
Navid Mousavi: seyednavid_mousavi@g.harvard.edu

Curriculum Fellow
Nicolette Frazer, Curriculum Fellow in Neurobiology: nicolette_frazer@hms.harvard.edu


Enrollment limit

This course will be capped at ~15 students. Students will be randomly chosen from the registration form. All are welcome (RAs, grad students, postdocs, etc.)


Registration link & deadline

Registration deadline: Wednesday, April 10, 2024
CLICK HERE to register, or paste the URL into your browser: https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8jMeosRIjibwgsK