Energy and Sustainability: Science, Engineering and Technology

Catalog description

Engineers will play an essential role in redesigning systems across scales to meet energy and sustainability goals in mitigating the global climate crisis. This is a foundational course that establishes and applies broad science and engineering principles to connect microscopic and macroscopic aspects of “energy” from fundamental considerations of heat capacity and electrochemistry to limiting conversion efficiencies of thermal engines and solar cells and planetary energy balances. We will explore technical aspects of device engineering, policy requirements for technology implementation, and societal implications of such implementations. Finally, we will analyze local systems and design and justify possible changes to improve their sustainability. Prerequisites: CBE 2300 Material and Energy Balances of Chemical Processes OR MEAM 2030 Thermodynamics OR MSE 2600 Energetics of Macro and Nano-scale Materials OR equivalent.