Engineering Decals

Email us technical@esc.berkeley.edu if you see a decal missing. This page will be updated at the start of each semester (if needed). As of 05/25/2020, there are 19 decal courses displayed on this page.

Course ID Course Name Term Offered Facilitator Email DeCal Website
Engin 98 The Insider's Guide to Berkeley Engineering FALL coords@e98.berkeley.edu https://e98.berkeley.edu/
Description: Engineering 98 is a student-run seminar (DeCal) designed and taught by Berkeley engineering upperclassmen. The course covers everything an incoming engineering student needs to know in a casual class setting. Our goal is to help every incoming engineer gain the wisdom of an upper-division student while making long-lasting connections with upperclassmen and fellow students.
EECS 98/198 Pioneers in Engineering Mentorship DeCal SPRING rcdecal@pioneers.berkeley.edu https://pioneers.berkeley.edu/get-involved/become-mentor
Description: Become a mentor for a high school robotics team! Pioneers in Engineering engages local underserved high schools in a semester-long robotics mentorship program that culminates in a program-wide competition. Through this hands-on experience, high school students gain more STEM exposure and receive personal mentorship from a college student. As a mentor, you will be directly working with high school students on a weekly basis through the process of designing and building a robot. You will learn everything you need through our DeCal, from how to guide a team to mechanical, electrical, and coding basics. All majors and backgrounds are welcome, no experience required!
CE98/198 Cal Concrete Canoe FALL/SPRING calconcretecanoe@gmail.com https://concretecanoe.berkeley.edu/calconcretecanoe@gmail.com
The Concrete Canoe team at UC Berkeley competes annually in the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) sponsored concrete canoe competition. Our team challenges students to apply the knowledge gained in class to a dynamic, hands-on project. We hope to provide a welcoming community in which student members can learn and grow, while working towards a competitive final product.
CS198-96 Intro to Neurotechnology SPRING dnavani@berkeley.edu neurotech.berkeley.edu
Description: An in-depth, hands-on course where you’ll learn neuroscience, brain imaging techniques, how to process and analyze various brain data using signal processing/machine learning/deep learning/computer vision, the use of neurotechnology in treating neurodegenerative diseases, and some ethics.
DES INV 98 Enable Tech: Assistive Technology Design SPRING koe@berkeley.edu,vidurm09@berkeley.edu,tbarzanian@berkeley.edu -
Description: This 1-unit DeCal teaches technical skills important to the design of assistive technology. Students will be walked through the design process and taught technical skills (such as 3D modelling, 3D printing, laser cutting, Arduino, and electronics) through the perspective of assistive technology design. The class will be held Thursdays 5-6:30pm consisting of a 1 hour lecture followed by 30 minutes of active work on a hands-on project. No prior experience or major is required for this course.
ChemE 98/198 Berkeley Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) FALL/SPRING beam.teach@gmail.com https://beam.berkeley.edu
Description: BEAM fuses science education with mentorship by leading weekly hands-on science and engineering lessons at local elementary and middle schools. We provide accessible science education to our local communities in hopes of inspiring students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM. This course will offer you the chance to teach alongside a small group (4-6 people) of fellow UC Berkeley students at one of our 18 schools. You will spend an hour a week engaging, mentoring, and inspiring your own classroom of students. DeCal meetings are held once a week on Monday evenings, where we will teach you the lesson material for that week. At the end of the semester, your group will design, test, and teach your own lesson on a scientific concept of your choosing.
CS 198-071 Going Down the EECS Stack FALL/SPRING decal@hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu https://hkn.mu/decalsp20
Description: With so many EE and CS classes at Berkeley, it is important that students know which classes best match their personal and career interests. This DeCal is offered to provide students with a broad survey of topics within EECS and a general sense of the courses and subfields within the major. We aim to cover each topic in totality, so no EE or CS experience is required.
BioE98 / 198 Explorations in Bioprinting FALL/SPRING calbioprinting@gmail.com https://bioprinting.berkeley.edu/
Description: 3D printing is a rapidly growing field, with applications to many different disciplines. This DeCal explores the application of 3D printing in the area of medicine, focusing on bioprinting. Bioprinting is the process of creating 3D cellular constructs using 3D printing technology. Through the course, you will be able to understand the theory and practice of 3D printing in tissue engineering through the use of hydrogels and mammalian cell lines. You will then utilize what you have learned to further develop the existing class bioprinter and work on other projects of your interest. The course will include 1 hour of lecture and 2 hours of hands-on lab per week.
Physics 98/198:002 Learn to Fly: Private Pilot Ground School FALL/SPRING jaxelrod@berkeley.edu -
Description: This course provides students with all necessary book knowledge to pass the FAA private pilot written exam in preparation for earning a US private pilot license. "Ground school" is the first step in the process of becoming an FAA-licensed private pilot; therefore, this DeCal is not designed to teach students how to control a physical aircraft, but rather to prepare a student for practical flight training and delve into the world of aviation.
MCB 98/198 Berkeley Scientific Journal FALL/SPRING bsj.berkeley@gmail.com https://bsj.berkeley.edu/
Description: Looking to write your own feature article, publish your research paper, sharpen graphic design skills, or interview Berkeley faculty? Join the Berkeley Scientific Journal (BSJ), the premier undergraduate research journal of the University of California, Berkeley! A new issue of BSJ is published every semester on Issuu (https://issuu.com/berkeleyscientific1), eScholarship (https://escholarship.org/uc/our_bsj), and our website.
CS 198 Web Design Decal SPRING heidid@berkeley.edu,haotiany@berkeley.edu,diana.d.fan@berkeley.edu https://wdd.io/
Description: The demand for learning web programming is at an all-time high, yet for most it's a question of “where do I start?” The answer is here. As great as online courses are, nothing beats an in-person class with passionate instructors and compelling assignments. No matter what your major is, by the end of the semester, you will have built a website using HTML 5, CSS 3, and Javascript. Along the way, you'll pick up web design philosophies and be able to recreate modern design trends with prototyping tools and learn about topics such as responsive design, layouts, and color and type. Overall, this course intends on providing students from all different backgrounds with educational resources for creating materials for the web.
Math 98/198 MUSA 74: Transition to Upper Division Mathematics SPRING musa74decal@gmail.com https://decal.berkeley.edu/courses/5076
Description: MUSA 74 is a 2-unit DeCal which is intended for students who have no familiarity with writing proofs, and aren't sure if they're prepared enough for upper-division classes. In particular, we strongly recommend that the class is taken alongside Math 53, 54, or 55. We officially assume no prerequisites other than a little calculus (at the level of Math 1A), though we will also appeal to Math 53, 54, and 55 for a few examples. In order to ease the transition, we plan to focus on more of the abstract concepts found in calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. We will delve into these concepts further by focusing on the proofs that arise when constructing these ideas. By the time you complete this course, you will be comfortable with writing proofs at the level required by the core upper-division sequence of Math 110, Math 113, Math 104, and Math 185. Course Structure: Monday 10am-11:30am Lecture (must attend), 11:30am-12pm Optional Homework Review Friday 10am-11am Discussion (must attend), 11am-12pm Optional Homework Party
Math 198 Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos SPRING jonaskat87@berkeley.edu,nlducberkeley@gmail.com,huwsl@berkeley.edu,kyler@berkeley.edu https://decal.berkeley.edu/courses/5073
Description: This course is an open invitation to students throughout the fields of science and engineering, from mathematics to biology to physics to mechanical engineering to economics, etc. to gain an introduction to the field of nonlinear dynamics. Nonlinear dynamics is the vibrant study of often very complicated systems where the change of the output does not depend proportionally on the input, along with its numerous applications throughout many fields. These applications include real-world systems that one can observe directly, such as predator-prey systems, planetary motion, fluids, earthquakes, buildings, electronics, collective behavior, crystallization, and chemical processes, as well as more abstract systems, such as in iterated maps, neural networks, quantum mechanics, and solid-state physics. Students who take this course will gain a general understanding of the purpose and significance behind nonlinear analyses of physical and abstract systems, as well as learn about an assortment of analytical and computational tools and techniques used for understanding these systems. Emphasis will be placed on applications of these techniques to systems found throughout many subjects. Hence, hopefully, the knowledge gained from this class will not only be of use throughout one's coursework, but also in one's current or future research and practice.
Physics 98 Beginner's Guide to the Universe FALL/SPRING ucb.beginners.guide@gmail.com https://decal.berkeley.edu/courses/5070
Description: Physics, broadly the study of motion and interaction in nature, captivates as much as it bemuses. As a centuries old “hot topic,” physics today is filled with thriving research in quantum information, cosmology, planetary astrophysics, nonlinear dynamics, and countless others subfields. Yet the subject is often cloaked with inaccessible jargon, with the big picture ideas obscured behind seemingly insurmountable prerequisites and confounding pseudoscience. In this class, we will qualitatively summarize the broad and vibrant landscape of physics as it is today
CS198-001 iOS DeCal SPRING rpimentel20@berkeley.edu,nyerasi@berkeley.edu,wxiong@berkeley.edu https://iosdev.berkeley.edu
Description: The iOS DeCal is a fun, fast-paced course designed as an introduction to application programming for iOS devices (primarily using Swift). Each week, we'll have two mandatory class meetings-- one lecture and one lab. During lab, students will work together on a mini-assignment relating to the content taught during that week's lecture. By the end of the semester, students will have gained concrete experience using countless Apple frameworks, application types, and 3rd party libraries, and will have fully developed an application of their own design.
EE198 Hands-On PCB Engineering (HOPE) FALL/SPRING ieee-hope@lists.berkeley.edu https://ieee.berkeley.edu/hope/pcb.html
Description: EE 198: Hands-On PCB Engineering is an introductory course to printed circuit board (PCB) design and layout practices and concerns. It is intended for students with some experience with circuits who are interested in learning about and gaining or improving PCB design and assembly skills, and particularly those who are part of or intend to join engineering student organizations with working knowledge in PCB design. Students will learn effective system, schematic, and layout design through hands-on applications and will be exposed to various advanced concerns such as DFx, grounding, decoupling, EMC/EMI, and thermal management. The course culminates in a final project in which students will design, assemble, and test their own PCB.
Geography 198 Disaster Management in the 21st Century DeCal SPRING cameronwhiteside@berkeley.edu,zweiner@berkeley.edu,jacob.dadmun@berkeley.edu https://decal.berkeley.edu/courses/5093
Description: Over the course of the semester, we will review discuss a wide variety of topics related to disaster management, including topics that will be chosen by the class. Our goal is to help you appreciate the complexity of disasters as phenomena and become familiar with disaster management as a professional discipline. As we go through the course, we hope that you will think critically and question the status quo. This is a blended course. Much of the course material, including the mini-lectures, is available online. This will allow us to use our class time for field trips, group discussions, and other interactive learning activities. Please note that class sessions will not start until February 12th.
ARCH 98 SEC 002 (33335) Sustainable Buildings and Urbanism FALL/SPRING vbartoszewi@berkeley.edu -
Description: More than 50% of the world population now lives in cities, and we spend 90% of our lives indoors. With climate change already knocking on our door, it is integral for us to create sustainable solutions in our urban spaces. We need to start imagining the future we are pushing towards and asking questions about how we can achieve vibrant communities that are regenerative, economically-responsible, and socially-just: Who would our streets be built for? Where would our food be grown? What would we call “waste”? This course will focus on providing a broad overview of green architecture and urban development, engaging with the technical, politico-economic, and socio-cultural aspects of the subjects. Also, a goal of this class is to equip students to earn their LEED Green Associate accreditation through providing the tools to study for the exam. Students will be able to explain and understand the fundamental aspects of the LEED rating system, present their understanding of course topics to others, relate knowledge from outside sources to in-class subjects, and differentiate between solutions that are “good” or “less bad” for the environment. We will have weekly, one-hour lectures and homework assignments designed to facilitate conversation and help you study for the LEED GA exam.
CE 98/198 Cal Environmental Team FALL/SPRING calenviroteam@gmail.com -
Description: Come learn about water treatment! We are an engineering team that learns to treat wastewater for potable reuse using household chemical and physical filtration media!
ESPM 98 Personal Growth SPRING growupdecal@berkeley.edu -
Description: Growing up doesn’t seem very fun, at first blush. Paying bills and taxes? Figuring out how to take care of your own mental health? Making sure your diet isn’t 99% boba? These aren’t always easy-peasy. But growing up doesn’t have to be so hard, especially if you’ve got the right knowledge and skills. This class will provide you with these and help you grow in multiple capacities: getting things done, getting budgets right, getting your apartment spanking clean, getting what emotional intelligence really means, and more. Some details on class format and assignments: weekly class meetings will feature guest speakers and include in-class discussion. There will also be weekly reading assignments made available on bCourses. During the second half of the semester, students will tackle their own personal growth initiatives and write a final reflection on the experience. TLDR; Adulthood can be stressful (and water can be wet). But adulthood can also be a time to grow in maturity and capacity, and we want to help you achieve the latter.
Math 198 Math for Machine Learning SPRING seanvernon@berkeley.edu,npark@berkeley.edu ocf.berkeley.edu/~seanvernon/decal
Description: This DeCal is intended for any student interested in the mathematics behind machine learning models, and particularly those who meet the math prerequisites for CS 189 but want to become more comfortable with the material and its applications to machine learning. The course assumes general knowledge in linear algebra, vector calculus, optimization problems, and statistics; however, students do not need to feel like experts in any of these fields to take this course. We will give general descriptions of things like vector spaces and random variables, but will not cover all of the important results from these fields. Rather, we will focus on the results which have the most direct applications to machine learning, and will go over some of these applications so they are more familiar when encountered in CS189.
TBD Linux System Administration Decal FALL (Remotely) TBD https://decal.ocf.berkeley.edul
Description: This course will cover the basics of administering a Linux-based server environment in the manner of the EECS Instructional Servers (hivexx.cs.b.e) and the Open Computing Facility (tsunami.ocf.b.e, etc.). By the end of this course, we expect you to be completely comfortable using GNU/Linux, understand in a broad sense how the system’s various parts work together, e.g. init, filesystems, services, daemons, etc., understand basic networking, have a good sense about maintaining system security, understand system administration essentials in general and have a practical taste of what sysadmins do in industry.


About DeCal (formerly Democratic Education at Cal)

The DeCal Program (or just DeCal) is an aggregate of student-run courses at the University of California, Berkeley – here, students create and facilitate their own classes on a variety of subjects, many of which are not addressed in the traditional curriculum. All of these courses are PNP and are usually taken for units as the subject matter.

For more information about other DeCals, please check out https://decal.berkeley.edu