81 - 90 of 133 results for: CEE

Adaptation to climate change will not only require new infrastructure and policies, but it will also challenge our local, state and national governments to collaborate across jurisdictional lines in ways that include many different types of private and nonprofit organizations and individual actors. The course explores what it means for communities to be resilient and how they can reach that goal in an equitable and effective way. Using wildfires in California as a case study, the course assesses specific strategies, such as controlled burns and building codes, and a range of planning and policy measures that can be used to enhance climate resilience. In addition, it considers how climate change and development of forested exurban areas (among other factors) have influenced the size and severity of wildfires. The course also examines the obstacles communities face in selecting and implementing adaptation measures (e.g., resource constraints, incentives to develop in forested areas, inadequate policy enforcement, and weak inter-agency coordination). Officials from various Bay Area organizations contribute to aspects of the course; and students will present final papers to local government offcials. Limited enrollment. Students will be asked to prepare application essays on the first day of class. Course is intended for seniors and graduate students.

Sociotechnical systems associated with the human use of water as a resource and the hazards posed by too much or too little water. Relevant watershed hydrologic processes; the physical, institutional, and regulatory infrastructure supporting potable and non-potable water use and conservation. Depending on student interest, this might include: irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, rural and urban water supply systems, storm water management, flood-damage prevention and mitigation, drought mitigation, or riverine ecosystem renaturalization. Emphasis is on engineering design. Prerequisite: CEE 101B or equivalent.

Hydrological processes like precipitation, streamflow, and groundwater flow are highly variable over time and across locations. Quantifying the uncertainty in hydrological models and simulating future conditions is critical for informing the development and management of civil infrastructure systems. This course introduces students to statistical methods used in hydrology for data analysis, risk and uncertainty analysis, and simulation. Topics include: flood and drought frequency, time series analysis, rainfall-runoff modeling, and lake water quality. Methods include: applied probability theory, extreme value theory, parameter estimation, regression, time series analysis, transfer functions, Bayesian methods. Prerequisites: CEE 266A or equivalent and a class in probability and/or statistics.

Presentations on current research, practice and thinking in environmental engineering by visiting academics and practitioners.

Physical and chemical unit operations for water treatment, emphasizing process combinations for drinking water supply. Application of the principles of chemistry, rate processes, fluid dynamics, and process engineering to define and solve water treatment problems by flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection, oxidation, aeration, and adsorption. Investigative paper on water supply and treatment. Prerequisites: CEE 101B (or CEE 162A); CEE 270. Recommended: 273.

Stoichiometry, kinetics, and thermodynamics of microbial processes for the transformation of environmental contaminants. Design of dispersed growth and biofilm-based processes. Applications include treatment of municipal and industrial waste waters, detoxification of hazardous chemicals, and groundwater remediation. Prerequisites: 270; 177 or 274A or equivalents.

Coastal pollution and its effects on ecosystems and human health. The sources, fate, and transport of human pathogens and nutrients. Background on coastal ecosystems and coastal transport phenomena including tides, waves, and cross shelf transport. Introduction to time series analysis with MATLAB. Undergraduates require consent of instructor.

A series of seminar and lectures focused on power engineering. Renowned researchers from universities and national labs will deliver bi-weekly seminars on the state of the art of power system engineering. Seminar topics may include: power system analysis and simulation, control and stability, new market mechanisms, computation challenges and solutions, detection and estimation, and the role of communications in the grid. The instructors will cover relevant background materials in the in-between weeks. The seminars are planned to continue throughout the next academic year, so the course may be repeated for credit.

Freshwater is our most crucial natural resource, but it is facing mounting pressures from climate change and other factors. While public agencies traditionally dominated water management, private water companies are playing an increasingly important (and sometime controversial) role. In many cases, private companies are making critical contributions to meeting societal water needs (e.g., by developing new technologies and finding new ways to reduce water use). In other cases, however, the involvement of private companies has proven controversial (e.g., when private companies have taken over public water supply systems in developing countries such as Bolivia). This course will look at established and emerging businesses in the water sector and the legal, economic, and social issues generated by the private sector's involvement. These businesses include water technology companies (e.g., companies commercializing new desalination or water recycling technologies), venture capitalists, water funds (that directly buy and sell water rights), consulting firms, innovative agricultural companies, and large corporations (that increasingly are adopting corporate stewardship programs). The course will begin with two weeks of introduction to water and the private water sector. After that, each class will focus on a different water company. Company executives will attend each class session and discuss their business with the class. In most classes, we will examine (1) the viability and efficacy of the company's business plan, (2) the legal and/or social issues arising from the business' work, and (3) how the business might contribute to improved water management and policy. Each student will be expected to write (1) two short reflection papers on businesses that visit the class, and (2) a 10- to15-page paper at the conclusion of the class on an idea that the student has for a new water company, on an existing water company of the student's choice, or on a legal or policy initiative that can improve the role that business plays in improving water management (either in a particular sector or more generally). This course is open to graduate students from around the campus. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignments, Final Paper. Cross-listed with Civil & Environmental Engineering ( CEE 273B).