To become: Engineering for Sustainability
Instructors:
Oliver J. Hao
1145 Martin Hall
Office phone: 301-405-1961
Email: / Alba Torrents
1153 Martin Hall
Office phone: 301-405-1979
Email:
Course Description:
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) amended its Code of Ethics in 1996 to include as one of its Fundamental Canons that "Engineers…shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties." ASCE, in its Policy Statement on the Role of the Engineering in Sustainable Development defines sustainable development as "the challenge of meeting human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste management while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base essential for future development." Because engineers "provide the bridge between science and society," ASCE notes that engineers have a key role to play "in planning, designing, building, and ensuring a sustainable future."
In this class, a problem-based approach will be used to examine fundamentally-based analyses and approaches for engineering a sustainable society, with a focus on sustainable use of energy and materials, sustainable infrastructure solutions, atmospheric sustainability and sustainable water supply, and human population growth and resource consumption and its implications for sustainability.
Examination of fundamental and applied aspects of chemistry, biology, and geochemistry. Fundamental principles will be coupled with analytical and computational skills essential for addressing crucial processes on human impact on the environment and urban infrastructure. Applications to the development of new materials and technologies will be covered in case studies. Students should come out with an appreciation of how understanding the fundamental concepts could facilitate the development of technologies to mitigate human impact on the environment.
Prerequisites: Permission of Department; CHEM 135 Chemistry for Engineers
Course Goals:
1. To provide a bridge for students to move from the fundamentals studied in first- and second-year math and basic science courses to introductory and upper level engineering courses, which apply those fundamentals.
2. To enhance awareness and to inform engineering decision making related to societal issues, such as energy sources and environmental quality.
3. To build an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of sustainable design.
4. To provide students with an understanding of the basic principles and skills related to chemistry and biology (including ecology) that are expected to be common knowledge for an engineer and are necessary for problem solving in the various specialty areas of civil engineering.
5. To provide students with sufficient skills and background knowledge in the basic sciences that they can pursue further study and work.
Text:
Reading assignments will be provided throughout the course. It is recommended that students have access to a General Chemistry book.
On-Line Biology Book: http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
Course Requirements and Grading Policy:
Grading: / Dr. Torrents / Dr. HaoHomework Problems / 0 / 0 pts
2 Midterm Exams (@ 100 each) / 100 pts / 100 pts
Quizzes / 50 pts / 50 pts
Final Exam / 200 pts
500 pts
Total
Homework:
Homework assignments will be available at http://umd.blackboard.com/. The goal of the homework assignments is to encourage you to apply the learned material (e.g., methods, concepts, principles) in problem solving and design and give your practice. You may discuss the homework assignments with other students and are encouraged to work together to understand the concepts and their applications. If you do not understand the material or do not know how to approach the problems, you are encouraged to make use of office hours. The final product will not be collected, nor graded. Solutions to the homework assignments will be placed on the course web page on http://umd.blackboard.com/. You are expected to complete homework on a weekly basis and you are expected to understand the material covered in the homework. You will be tested in weekly/biweekly quizzes that will be prepared to test your conceptual understanding of class and homework material. If you do the homework and review them by checking the solutions once available, quizzes and exams will be trivial!!.
Quizzes:
Several short (e.g., 10-15 minute) quizzes will be given throughout the semester (approximately 12 total). The quizzes may or may not be announced in advance. Quizzes will be closed-book and consist of short-answer questions (e.g., definitions, fill-in-the-blank, matching, multiple choice, and problem solving approach), discussion questions, and simple calculations. The goal of these quizzes is to test your knowledge and comprehension of common terms, specific facts, methods and procedures, basic concepts and principles, etc. You may not offer, solicit, or accept any assistance to or from another student.
Exams:
Exams are announced in advance and held during normally scheduled class periods.
Exams will be closed-book and will consist of more involved problems than covered in the quizzes. The goal of exams is part is to test your ability to apply the learned material (e.g., methods, concepts, principles) in problem solving and design. The final exam will be comprehensive and held during the university scheduled time period.
Course Outline /Lectures / Subject / Materials
1 / Introduction: Engineering Challenges for the 21st Century
What do we mean by Sustainable Engineering? / www.EngineeringChallenges.org
View the video
ASCE Report Card
Sustainable use of Materials (5)
1 / Real Cost of Materials: Life Cycle Analysis
1 / Materials and their thermal properties
1 / Materials and their chemical properties
1 / Corrosion
1 / Other Redox Examples
Problem solving strategies / Questions/review Assignments’ 1,2,3
Sustainable Waste Management: From waste to products (2 guess lectures may be allocated at different times)
1 / Special lecture such as:
Green Roofs
Biosolids
Fly Ash
From waste to Energy
1
Atmospheric Sustainability (4)
1 / Carbon Footprint / Global Warming
Stoichiometry
Carbon Neutral
Reading: Biofuels
1 / Energetic content of fuels and their impact / Thermodynamics
1 / Coal Burning: Acid Rain / Acid-base Chemistry
Reading: Impacts of acid rain
1 / Ecological/infrastructure impacts of acid rain / Solubility equilibrium
1 / March 10 / Class discussion / Review
Sustainable Water : ENCE 310
1 / Mid-term EXAM
1
CHANGE OF INSTRUCTORS
Course Outline (continued) /Lectures / Subject / Chapter
Biology Fundamentals (10)
1 / Some Basic Concepts in Biology; Ecosystem structure / Handouts
1 / Population Dynamics / Handouts
1 / Human Influences on Ecosystem / Handouts
1 / Microbiology / Handouts
1 / Environmental Microbiology
1. Growth / Handouts
1 / 2. Metabolism / Handouts
1 / 3. Decontamination / Handouts
1 / Life Cycle / Handouts
1 / Applications / Handouts
1 / Applications / Handouts
1 / Review-Discussion
1 / EXAM 2
Geology Fundamentals (2)
1 / Soil Composition and Physical Characteristics / Handouts
1 / Chemical and Biochemical Processes / Handouts
1 / Overview/Discussion
Final Exam: 8:00-10:00 am
Reminders on Key Campus Policies:
Academic Integrity
"The University is one of a small number of universities with a student-administered Honor Code and an Honor Pledge, available on the web at http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html The Code prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. Compliance with the Code is administered by a Student Honor Council, which strives to promote a “community of trust” on the College Park campus. Allegations of academic dishonesty can be reported directly to the Honor Council (314-9154) by any member of the campus community. For additional information, see the Office of Student Conduct website (http://www.jpo.umd.edu/)."
The University of Maryland Honor Pledge reads:
"I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination."
Unless you are specifically advised to the contrary, the Pledge statement should be handwritten and signed on the front cover of all papers, projects, or other academic assignments submitted for evaluation in this course. Students who fail to write and sign the Pledge will be asked to confer with the instructor.
Accommodations for Students With Disabilities:
The University is required to provide appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities should inform me of their needs at the beginning of the semester so that I can contact the appropriate individuals who will work to determine and implement appropriate academic accommodations.
Policy on Religious Holidays:
The University System of Maryland policy on religious observances provides that "students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs; students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious observances." However, "it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance. Notice should be provided as soon as possible but no later than the end of the schedule adjustment period." Prior notification is especially important with respect to the final exam.