University of Edinburgh

Design is often regarded as the central creative activity of engineering. This course enhances the skills of analysis and synthesis required to develop solutions to open-ended problems. This course teaches techniques for the effective evaluation and communication of design ideas. To support this the students also acquire a knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes selection along with the most common component/system failure modes.

This course provides an introduction to programming creative audio applications. The focus is on developing competencies in professional level tools and practices. Students learn to code in C++ within the JUCE environment, a helpful framework for producing standalone audio applications for different devices and operating systems, and for producing VST plugins, audio units, and related technologies.

The study of the structure and function of eukaryotic cells at the molecular level has been one of the major growth areas in biology over the past decade. Our understanding of many complex processes such as cell division, differentiation, movement and cell-cell interactions has been greatly extended by use of a combination of biochemical, molecular genetic and immunological methods. This course takes as its starting point the material covered in several of the first-half 3rd year courses and 1st and 2nd year courses, and applies that knowledge to a detailed study of five major topics in molecular cell biology: the cytoskeleton, signal transduction, cell cycle, membrane trafficking and nuclear domains. As the pace of research in these areas is very rapid, the course concentrates on techniques and experimental designs used to dissect and analyze these complex processes, and it looks at current ideas about how they occur. An important element in the course is the opportunity for students to develop the skills of an active learner through taking part in the courses exercises. 

This course introduces students to the history of the city in which they are studying. It highlights both the way in which the built environment and physical layout of the city has been shaped by historical processes, and how extant buildings, monuments, and objects can be used to illuminate the concerns and ambitions of those societies that have occupied the area from the early-medieval period onwards. Students analyze primary sources, textual and visual, that foster understanding of the way in which the city has developed through time. The course gives students an enhanced understanding of the cultural, political, social, and institutional history of the city and the university.