printer friendly pageOSPFLOR 80: Geomaterials of the Human Past and Future
Sustainable development has spurred a growing interest in the intersections of geoscience and engineering, the human past and future. If, on the one hand, Earth's dynamics has set in motion an industrious factory floor for processes and materials, on the other hand, civilizations of all times have selected Earth materials for technology development and progress in manufacturing structural, architectural, and pigmenting materials. This course is intended for sophomores, juniors, and seniors of both STEM and Humanities majors, and has as objective to introduce students to the concept of rocks and geomaterials (i.e., inorganic raw materials derived from the Earth's crust after appropriate processing), the sought properties, and how their use impact sustainability. The course will also highlight two of the most iconic materials from the past that stand for timelessness, the Maya blue and Roman marine concrete, and look at future materials that advance the conversation on building a sustainable future ¿ from decarbonizing concrete to cathode minerals for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| UG Reqs: WAY-SMA
OSPFLOR 80F: Global Florence: The City and the World
Renaissance Florence was a city connected to many different parts of the world. It was said that everywhere one went, you would meet a Florentine. Global knowledge came to Florence and was made there. An entire continent was named after a Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci. This seminar explores the world of Florentine merchants and travelers, ca 1300-1600. It looks at the emergence of the long-distance networks connecting Florence to different parts of the Europe and the Mediterranean and their reinvention in the age of commercial and political empires that reached further into Asia, Africa, and the Americas. We will look at artifacts and do site visits to help us find the global in Florence.
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