Bioinspired Communication & Ethics

MAE 600 - Graduate Course at Syracuse University

This graduate-level course trains students from diverse academic backgrounds in interdisciplinary research, with examples from biological and bioinspired systems.

📌 Course Information

Instructor: Teng Zhang
Office: Link Hall 214
Email: tzhang48@syr.edu
Credits: 3

🌐 Course Platforms

Primary Course Site: Blackboard (for announcements, assignments, and submissions)
Open Repository: GitHub Course Materials
Public Course Website: tengzhang48.github.io/Bioinspired-Communication-Ethics

🔷 Part of EMIRGE-Bio NRT Program

This course is part of the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program,
Emergent Intelligence Research for Graduate Excellence in Biological and Bio-Inspired Systems (EMIRGE-Bio).

The EMIRGE-Bio program trains students to:

Communicate their knowledge and value expertise in others on diverse teams
Recognize and analyze emergent behavior in biological and bio-inspired systems
Design and evaluate intelligent responses that allow such systems to sense, actuate, and learn

Learn more at:
https://bioinspired.syr.edu/emirge-bio/

🔐 Blackboard Access Instructions

To access course materials on Blackboard:

Download an authenticator app (Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, or Authy) on your phone
Open the app and scan the QR code or copy the key when prompted on Blackboard

🎯 Course Highlights

This course emphasizes teamwork, scientific communication, and ethical research practices through four integrated modules:

🧩 Module 1: Foundations

Team-building with CATME, literature review best practices, and 2-minute pitch exercises

📝 Module 2: Scientific Literature Review

Transparent peer review process, manuscript analysis, and ethical review practices

💡 Module 3: Proposal Preparation

NSF-style grant proposal development, presentations, and mock panel review

⚖️ Module 4: Ethics (with Prof. Sarah Reckess, JD)

Ethical case studies, dual-use research discussions, and AI ethics considerations