Research paper (optional)
A student may turn in a research paper to replace his or her lowest test score. The paper should be approximately 5-7 pages long (single space, typed, including illustrations) and relate to new MEMS applications or research. The paper should be targeted to an audience of educated engineers with no particular background in MEMS. The paper should be written as though it would appear in a semi-technical magazine such as IEEE Spectrum, Time Magazine, LA Times, Science Section, or Discover.

The instructor will assign a grade to the paper of 0, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 depending on the quality of the paper. Papers judged below 70 will not be scored. The intructor's assessment of the paper will be the final grade for the paper, and the score will not be open to renegotiation. Write clearly and be sure you know what the point of each paragraph is. Do not make big vague statements that you can't support. For example, don't say "Nanotubes are going to change the world." Instead, describe specific ways that nanotubes are having an impact. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and readability will affect the final grade, so take care to do a good job and use your spell checker. My apologies in advance, but I cannot lower the writing standards for non-native speakers. Padding, fluff and inaccurate writing will lead to a low grade, so please do a good job and write a good paper.

The due date for electronic submission of the papers is Midnight, Saturday before the final exam. They must be emailed to the instructor by that time. I accept Word and PDF documents only (PDF preferred).

Topics
You may write a paper on any MEMS topic: applications, research, history, markets. If you are not sure, then contact me and let me know your proposed title. Here are some possibilities: History of MEMS, Deep Etching Techniques, Wafer Bonding, Metal MEMS, techniques and applications, Polymer MEMS, techniques and applications, New materials for MEMS, MEMS Packaging technology, MEMS markets and trends, MEMS and Biotechnology, Electroplating techniques for MEMS applications, EFAB technology, Accelerometer applications, MEMS in Japan, MEMS in Europe, MEMS in China, Microassembly techniques, RF MEMS, Optical MEMS, The future of MEMS in optical telecom, Surgical MEMS, MEMS in space, MEMS metrology.

Do not pick too broad a topic--it is best to focus on a narrow topic and do a good job. For example, "Biomedical MEMS" is too broad. However, a discussion of a specific biomedical MEMS technology, or a discussion of problems with getting MEMS accepted in the biomedical market would be good topics. Be careful not to just regurgitate my lectures (this is a copmmon mistake).

Plagiarism
Plagiarized work will not be accepted! Due to the unfortunate incidents of plagiarism in the past, I am particularly sensitive to work that is not original. Be sure to use your own words, and reference work that is not your own. You will have to take a brief "paper-check" quiz during the final exam turning in the paper to verify that you understood what you wrote. The quiz will consist of five questions taken directly from your paper. If you wrote and understand the material in the paper, the quiz will be quick and easy. Incorrect answers will result in points taken off from the reserch paper (-5 points per incorrect answer). If I determine that the paper is not your original work, it will be assigned a zero, regardless of your performance on the small "paper-check" quiz. If you get a zero, consider yourself lucky--other professors flunk students who plagiarize work.

Some students claim "I didn't know what plagiarism is". This is a class for college seniors -- you should know by now! If you don't know, find out: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml.

Paper review
The papers are critiqued by two reviewers. The reviewers first answer the following five questions by providing a number from 1-5. 1=Definite NO, 2=Not really, 3=So-so, 4=Mostly yes, 5=Definite YES.

1. Is this paper interesting?
2. Is this paper understandable?
3. Does this paper read as though it were written by a well-educated engineer?
4. Did you learn anything from this paper?
5. Would you recommend this paper to a colleague?

In addition, the reviewer will provide a short critique of the paper, about 1-3 paragraphs and a recommended grade. Reviewers will critique for content and readability. The reviewer will be an engineering graduate but may not be familiar with MEMS.

All final grades are assigned by the instructor only.