1 - 8 of 8 results for: CEE 1: Introduction to Environmental Systems Engineering

Field trips visiting environmental systems installations in Northern California, including coastal, freshwater, and urban infrastructure. Requirements: Several campus meetings, and field trips. Enrollment limited; priority given to undergraduates who have declared Environmental Systems Engineering major, and undeclared Fr/Sophs.

Transformation of the energy economy depends on developing reliable and robust sources of alternative and renewable energy. This seminar introduces the theory, design, and application of wind energy technologies. The study of wind energy spans across a wide range of fields. To successfully deploy wind energy and other alternative technologies, we will need to converge across many knowledge domains, including civil, environmental, electrical, and mechanical engineering in addition to social science and public policy, among many others. Through this interdisciplinary course, we will learn about modern wind energy and its origins. We will explore the many facets of wind energy, including the characteristics of regional wind; aerodynamics, mechanics, and structural dynamics of wind turbine design; wind turbine control and integration with electrical systems; and environmental and economic aspects and impacts. Although this seminar seeks to explain wind energy, the topics covered can be applied to many other problems in engineering. This course will provide an introduction on how to find solutions to multi-disciplinary problems. True innovation lies on the border between fields. In this course, we will explore how to make these solutions a reality.

Introduction to environmental quality and the technical background necessary for understanding environmental issues, controlling environmental degradation, and preserving air and water quality. Material balance concepts for tracking substances in the environmental and engineering systems.

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).

Introduction to microbial metabolic pathways and to the pathway logic with a special focus on microbial bioenergy systems. The first part of the course emphasizes the metabolic and biochemical principles of pathways, whereas the second part is more specifically directed toward using this knowledge to understand existing systems and to design innovative microbial bioenergy systems for biofuel, biorefinery, and environmental applications. There also is an emphasis on the implications of rerouting of energy and reducing equivalents for the fitness and ecology of the organism. Prerequisites: CHEMENG 174 or 181 and organic chemistry, or equivalents.

Environmental policy formation is a complex process involving a large number of actors making value laden interpretations of scientifically complex phenomena. This course explores the origins of this complexity and its implications for the future of environmental decision making and policy-directed environmental engineering. We will begin by asking what good environmental policy looks like, including how we set policy for groups of individuals with diverse preferences, how we value preferences across space and time, and how we account for the deep uncertainty that permeates environmental systems. We then turn to how environmental policies are actually developed, exploring the technical, cognitive, organizational, and systemic barriers to implementing ¿good¿ policy. Finally, will explore the role of scientific evidence in shaping environmental policy and the mechanisms by which policy shapes engineering and science research. Students will gain familiarity with the existing theories, methods, and strategies used to set environmental policy; critically examine the embedded assumptions and inherent shortcomings of these approaches; and practice their thoughtful and ethical application to timely environmental challenges. Course Structure: This course combines a lecture-based introduction to critical material with extensive in-class discussion of daily readings from the policy analysis canon. As such, it is designed for PhD and Masters students across the university with an interest in exploring the effective role of science in setting public policy and comfort in reading primary literature. Upper level undergraduates are welcome with instructor consent. Assessment elements will include class participation, responses on 4 to 5 written assignments, and a take-home final. Occasional Friday recitation sessions will provide guidance on the application of policy analysis methods,

Introduction to environmental quality and the technical background necessary for understanding environmental issues, controlling environmental degradation, and preserving air and water quality. Material balance concepts for tracking substances in the environmental and engineering systems.