CHME 5179 — Complex Fluids and Everyday Materials
4 semester hoursGraduateLectureusually offered: springtypical days: T/FBostonTraditional
Introduces intra- and intermolecular forces and moves on to material deformation in response to external stress, including polymeric elasticity. Covers topics in colloidal science and biological physics: the microscopic origins of suspension stability and biological self-assembly. Additional topics include “molecular gastronomy,” personal care and cleaning products, active materials, and experimental techniques. Studies of complex fluids and soft materials are highly interdisciplinary. Many everyday materials are combinations of the three phases of matter—solid, liquid, and gas—with unique material properties. “Complex fluids” and “soft matter” refer to suspensions, emulsions, foams, and gels, which include personal care items, household cleaners, and even food. Nearly all biological material can be described as a soft material.
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2024 | 1 | 26 | 32 | 81% | 6.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 18 | 30 | 60% | 12.0 |
| Spring 2026 | 1 | 11 | 30 | 37% | 19.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 0% · T 80% · W 0% · Th 0% · F 80%
Common patterns: TF (80% of sections), S (20% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Spring
- Sara Hashmi (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (CHME course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All CHME courses · Plan it at numap.app