adam j hartz

Lecturer
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

contact

MIT Building 38-591
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 324-4391
hz@mit.edu (PGP Public Key)

basics

i am a lecturer in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. my main interests lie in teaching engineering and computer programming, with an emphasis on problem solving and engineering design; in improving the way we teach these subjects; and in developing new means of leveraging modern technologies to improve face-time with students.

most of my work within the department has been with the development and instruction of 6.01 (an introduction to engineering from the perspective of EE and CS, with applications in robotics). in recent years, i have also been involved with development and instruction of 6.009 (fundamentals of programming) and with a redesign of 6.003 (signal processing). i also developed 6.145, an introductory programming course that typically runs over IAP.

i am also an academic advisor within the department, and i occasionally supervise m.eng or urop projects, typically related to education and/or educational technologies.

teaching

near future:

in fall 2018, i expect to be teaching 6.003 and 6.009. 6.01 and 6.145 (formerly 6.s080) will not be offered in the fall 2018 semester.

courses:

• 6.01 Intro to EECS via Robotics:
  • lecturer: FA13, SP14, FA14, FA15, SP16, FA16, SP17, FA17, SP18
  • lab instructor: FA12, SP13, SP15
  • instructor (g): SP12
  • teaching assistant: SP11, FA11
  • lab assistant: SP09, FA09, SP10, FA10
• 6.009 Fundamentals of Programming:
  • co-lecturer: SP17, FA17, SP18
• 6.145 A Brief Introduction to Programming In Python (formerly 6.s080):
  • lecturer: FA16, IAP17, SP17, SU17, IAP18, SU18
• 6.003 Signal Processing:
  • co-lecturer: SP18
  • course assistant (software development): FA11
  • course development teaching assistant: SU11
• 6.02 Digital Communication Systems:
  • course development ("lab czar"): FA12

awards:

• 2017 MIT EECS Oustanding Educator Award
• 2015 MIT HKN/EECS Best Instructor Award
• 2012 Carlton E. Tucker Award for Excellence in Teaching

students

current m.eng students:

• Jeremy Wright

former m.eng students:

• Samantha Briasco-Stewart (B.Sc. 2017, M.Eng 2018): Making Python Easier to Learn with Improved Syntax Error Reporting
• Anne Kelley (B.Sc. 2017, M.Eng 2018): A System for Classifying and Clarifying Python Syntax Errors for Educational Purposes
• Katy Kem (B.Sc 2016, M.Eng 2017): Laboratory Assignments for Teaching Introductory Signal Processing Concepts
• Jeremy Kaplan (B.Sc 2017, M.Eng 2017): An Interpreter for a Novice-Oriented Programming Language with Runtime Macros
• Rodrigo Gomes (B.Sc 2015, M.Eng 2016): The S4 Infrastructure Management System (co-supervised with Tomás Lozano-Pérez)
• Daniel Martelly (B.Sc 2014, M.Eng 2016): A System for Automatically Grading Graphs in an Educational Setting
• Michael Mekonnen (B.Sc 2013, M.Eng 2014): Automatic Protoboard Layout from Circuit Schematics (co-supervised with Dennis M. Freeman)

if you are a current student looking for a UROP or an M.Eng in the areas of education and/or educational technologies, feel free to reach out!

software

the following are a couple of software-related projects i have worked on (at least the ones that someone else might find useful):

• CAT-SOOP: a tool for automatic collection and assessment of online exercises, used in several courses at MIT and Olin College
• CornsnakeOS: a privacy-focused Android distribution based on the now-defunct CopperheadOS
• the tako shell: a command language and shell based on Python (a fork of xonsh, which I also worked on)
• hzeep: a nice terminal font
• minder: a simple text-based calendaring system

personal

i grew up in rural Illinois (in the country near Princeton). my parents are both retired math teachers, and they currently own Anne's Antiques. my elder brother also teaches math, at Hononegah High School in Rockton, IL.
 
i graduated from MIT with a b.sc in computer science and engineering in 2011, and with an m.eng in electrical engineering and computer science in 2012.
 
i now live in Lexington, MA with my trusty feline companion Stronger, whom i adopted from the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society in 2009. i keep myself occupied in my free time by playing and writing music, programming, reading, and playing video games.
 
i am a supporter of the Free Software movement, and i believe in the right to online privacy.

contact

the most reliable way to reach me is via email, at hz@mit.edu. i do not have a facebook, linkedin, google+, twitter, gmail, etc.
 
i appreciate it when e-mails are PGP encrypted with this public key (you can also download the key by running gpg --recv-keys 0xE179AD62 on a GNU/Linux system). if you do send me encrypted mail, please also include your public key so i can encrypt the response!