MAE 124/ESYS 103: The Human Earth
(Introduction to Environmental Engineering)
Spring 2006
- Time and Place:
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:50, WLH 2204
- Fridays, 9-9:50, HSS 1330
- Instructor: Sarah Gille
- Office hours on upper campus: Tuesday, Thursday, Fridays, 8:15
until 15 minutes before class. 473 EBU2. phone: 858-822-4915. I'm also
available before and after class and by e-mail.
- Office at Scripps: Nierenberg Hall 348. phone: 822-4425. (Let me know that you're coming before stopping by.)
- Questions for Sarah? Send me e-mail: sgille@ucsd.edu.
- TA: Geoff Rapoport
- Questions for Geoff? E-mail: grapopor@ucsd.edu.
- Midterm Exam: Thursday, May 11
- Final Exam: Thursday, June 15, 8-11 am.
- Please note that university policy does not allow you to reschedule
exams for personal reasons.
- Detailed schedule, reading and homework
assignments
- Special events pertinent to this class
- Internship Opportunities
- Term Papers, Final Exams, and Quizzes can be picked up during regular office hours from
Janet Meade, EBU II 573. Janet can be reached at 858-534-0233. She
works from about 7:15 to 3:45 (with a lunch break during the noon hour.)
The natural environment, consisting of the earth, the atmosphere, and
both fresh water and sea water, is a finite resource of crucial
importance to human existence. Human (economic) activity inevitably
involves interactions with the natural environment. For our way of
life to be sustainable, it is vital both to understand this
interaction,
and to ensure that economic activity does not affect the environment
so strongly that future generations will be unable to meet their own
needs for a high quality of life.
This course aims to introduce and discuss the important issues
involved in the interaction between human activity and the environment.
Particular attention is paid to the role of the engineering process and
technological advances in sustainable development. In particular, the
course aims to show that it is essential to understand, quantify and
embed the environmental dimension (in its broadest sense) at every
stage of consideration of industrial and economic activity.
Inevitably, this requires discussion of
- industry and engineering;
- economics and the effects of governmental interventions in the
market;
- energy;
- pollution and waste products;
which will constitute the central thrusts of this course. Emphasis
will be placed not on detailed technical and scientific analysis, but
rather on broader discussion and appreciation of the underlying
fundamental issues. Lectures, homework and exams will be structured
accordingly.
Specifically, by the end of the course, you should understand, and be
able to discuss clearly:
- the major environmental problems that need to be addressed to
ensure sustainable development;
- the central roles played by market forces, technological
innovation and governmental intervention;
- engineering and design approaches to take into account, and
minimize the environmental impacts of industrial activity;
- environmental aspects of specific industrial sectors, such
as
- energy;
- transport;
- land and water use;
- and the built environment.
Text:
Dorf, Richard C. "Technology, humans and society: Toward a sustainable
world." (2001) Academic Press.
Fundamentally, the course consists of three parts.
- The first part of the course (presented in approximately 2
weeks) introduces, and defines
the basic concepts of sustainable economic activity, and highlights the
interconnected roles within sustainability of the market, government,
and technology.
It also mentions the core future environmental problems associated with
population trends, environmental degradation and global warming.
- The second part of the course (presented in approximately 2
weeks) addresses the engineering concepts associated with the
environment. It will describe how science, technological innovation and
design, when
applied correctly and in a supportive governmental and regulatory
framework, can achieve the goal of sustainable economic activity.
- The third, and main part of the course (presented in
approximately
6 weeks) considers the environmental implications of particular
industrial sectors, discussing in detail energy, transport, land and
water use, and the built environment. Worldwide, American, and
specifically Californian issues will be discussed, illustrating the
hierarchy and interplay between global and local environmental issues.
Here's a tentative schedule (subject to timing changes):
- Fundamentals of sustainable economic activity (Lectures 1-4):
- Definitions of sustainability;
- Quality of life;
- Concept of the triple bottom line/3Es of Economic
growth/Environmental quality/social Equity;
- Different kinds of capital;
- The roles of the market, government and industry;
- Visions of future problems of population growth, global
warming,
and economic development.
- Engineering and design for sustainability (Lectures 5-8)
- Design for environment;
- Embedding environmental concerns in engineering practice;
- The role of technological innovation;
- Eco-efficiency through cleaner processes, cleaner products
and
sustainable resource use;
- Appropriate and intermediate technology in development;
- Life cycle assessment as a paradigm;
- Internal and external costs;
- The role of government to address market imperfections;
- The conflict between local and global interests.
- Environmental issues in industrial sectors
- Energy (Lectures 9-12)
- Different types of energy;
- Renewable and non-renewable sources;
- Regulation and subsidy;
- Problem of global warming;
- Kyoto protocol;
- Electricity crisis.
- Transport (Lectures 13-16)
- Different types of transport, and the influence of the
automobile;
- Internalizing costs;
- Fuel cells.
- Built environment (Lectures 17-18)
- Energy consumption for heating/cooling and lighting;
- Design for local environment;
- Smart materials and control.
- Land and water use (Lectures 19-20)
- Agriculture/fisheries;
- Role of biotechnology;
- Productivity growth;
- Pollution and degradation;
- Trans-national interactions;
- Future trends.
Grading Policy
Additional information for Paper 1
Additional information for Paper 2
PDF version of
Midterm from Spring 2001
PDF version of
Midterm from Spring 2002
PDF version of
Midterm from Spring 2003 (Also used in Spring 2005.)
PDF version of
Midterm from Spring 2004
PDF version of
Midterm from Spring 2006
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2001
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2002
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2003
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2004
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2005
PDF version of Final
from Spring 2006
Over time, homework questions, and other resources will be
posted
here. You will
need a (free) Adobe Acrobat reader to view the homework files, which
may be
downloaded from here.
Please check back frequently, as much of the assigned work will expect
significant research on environmental issues, some of which will be
facilitated by suggested links and resources posted here.
Basics