Program of Study
A concentrator in this program must satisfy both program and departmental requirements. The program for each student is worked out by the student and his or her departmental adviser. The program requirements are as follows:
1. All students must take six courses, including two core courses and four elective courses. The two core courses must be taken by choosing one from Introduction to Energy Technology category (A1) and the other one from Introduction to Climate Change and Geo-environmental Science category (A2), respectively. Depending on the student’s interest and background, the four elective courses should be taken with at least one from a different energy subject area listed below (B1 and B2). To qualify for the certificate, a minimum grade average of B- in the six program courses, independent work, and senior thesis is required. In some cases, an elective course that fulfills this certificate program requirement can also meet a regular departmental requirement.
A. Core Courses (One from each category – A1 and A2)
A1. Introduction to Energy Technology
Students who have completed Thermodynamics (MAE 221 or CHE 246) are encouraged to take MAE 328. Students who do not have a Thermodynamics background should choose MAE 228.
MAE 228 Energy Solutions for the 21st Century
MAE 328 Energy for a Greenhouse-Constrained World
A2. Introduction to Climate Change and Geo- environmental Science
CEE 303/ENV 303/URB 303 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
ENV/GEO 339 Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Policy, and Implications
ENV/EEB 417 A,B Ecosystems and Global Change
GEO 399/ENV 399 Environmental Decision Making
WWS 334/ENV 334 Global Environmental Issues
B. Elective Courses and Subject Areas (Four courses with least one from a different subject area B1 and B2)
B1. Energy Science and Technology (Fossil energy, non-fossil and renewable energy, energy conversion and storage systems and technologies)
AST 309 / MAE 309 / PHY 309 Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World: Fission and Fusion by Alexander Glaser and Robert J. Goldston
CEE 477 Engineering Design for Sustainable Development By Robert H. Harris
CHE 341 Mass, Momentum and Energy Transfer or MAE 423 Heat Transfer
CHE 342 Fluid Mechanics or MAE 335 Fluid Dynamics or CEE 306 Hydrology
CHE 421 Catalytic Chemistry
CHE 441 Chemical Reaction Engineering
ELE/MAE/ENV 431 Solar Energy Conversion
ELE 441/442 Solid State Physics I, II
ENV 525 Production of Renewable Fuels & Energy
MAE 426 Rockets and Airbreathing Propulsion
MAE 427 Energy Conversion and the Environment: Transportation Applications
MAE 436: Special Topics in MAE: Direct Energy Conversion (by Dick Miles, MAE, to be offered in spring of 2010)
MAE 531 Combustion Science and Technology
MAE 570 Advanced Topics in Materials and Mechanical Systems II: Materials for Energy Storage and Conservation
B2. Environmental Science and Geoscience (Earth science, climate, environment, ecosystems, policy and economic assessments of carbon capture and storage technology)
CHE 333 Oil to Ozone
CEE 424/GEO 424 Introductory Technology Seismology and Oil Exploration
CEE 471 Introduction to Water Pollution
CEE 599 Special Topics in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources - Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration by Michael A. Celia and Catherine A. Peters
CEE 599 ENV 531 / CEE 583 / GEO 531 Topics in Energy and the Environment - Introduction to Petroleum Engineering by Kate H. Baker
ENV 201 Fundamentals of Environmental Studies: Population, Land Use, Biodiversity, and Energy
ENV/GEO 339 Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Policy, and Implications
ENV/EEB 417 A, B Ecosystems and Global Change
GEO 235 The Physical Earth
GEO 322 Biogeochemical Cycles and Global Energies
GEO/ENV 399 Environmental Decision Making
GEO 427 Introduction to Atmospheric Science Atmospheric Composition and Thermodynamics
MAE 425/GEO 425 Introduction to Physical Oceanography
NES 368/POL 437 Oil Politics in the Middle East (Social Analysis Area)
2. A senior independent work project or thesis whose topic is relevant to the program and acceptable to the Program Committee must be completed and presented to the committee. A minimum grade of B- for the project or thesis is required to qualify for the certificate.
3. Close collaboration with faculty is expected. Program students are expected to demonstrate strong academic performance. Program courses may not be taken on a pass/D/fail basis unless that is the only grading alternative for the course.
4. Program students must fill out the Student Profile form at the beginning of each year in which they are members of the program. This is especially important during the senior year to assure that requirements for the certificate will be met by the end of the year.
Seminars on Energy and the Environment
Seminars on energy and environment are announced to all students registered in this program. Advanced students are encouraged to attend regularly scheduled departmental and PEI seminars to further enrich their understanding of the field.
Undergraduate Independent Research Projects
Undergraduate projects usually are undertaken for Independent Work or Senior Thesis credit, and opportunities exist for summer and work-study projects. These projects typically last for one or two academic terms, although they may extend over greater periods of time. Students work closely with faculty and staff members in academic departments and university associated laboratories such as PPPL, and they have access to sophisticated computers and experimental facilities while conducting their independent research.
Undergraduate Off-Campus Experiences and Internship
Students are encouraged to expand their experience through site visits and to summer internships with companies, government agencies, and university laboratories (e.g. PPPL). The core laboratory course will provide several off-campus site visit experiences to power generation stations, fusion laboratory, and fuel refinery stations.