The Marquee Courses in Science and Technology
Note: Check Testudo for current course offerings.
AOSC 200 Weather and Climate — Robert D. Hudson, Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. CORE Requirement: Physical Science (Non-Lab). **Note this is a new course description for a course that has been previously offered.
The influence of weather and climate affect our daily activities, our leisure hours, transportation, commerce, agriculture, and nearly every aspect of our lives. In this class we will address fundamental issues such as the greenhouse effect, severe weather, global temperature patterns and air pollution. In particular we will address how these factors could be modified as a result of climate change. Instruction in the lectures will provide the basic knowledge needed to address these issues. In the discussion sections students will be divided into groups to address the implications of the issues on their daily and future lives.
Coursework includes readings, an energy audit, regular discussions, an online group research project, and visits to the US Congress.
For more information see AOSC 200 Weather and Climate syllabus (sample syllabus).
BSCI 120 The Insects: Pollinators in Crisis — David Hawthorne, Dept. of Entomology. CORE Requirement: Life Sciences (Non-Lab). **Note this is a new course description for a course that has been previously offered.
We are losing our pollinators to environmental stress and disease. Who cares? Anyone who likes to eat! Pollinators are required for growth of about 30% (the healthy 30%) of our food. In this course we will dissect the pollinator crisis, and in the process learn about insects, about the interaction of organisms in complex ecosystems, and about the human-nature interface. Students will work in groups that specialize in an aspect of pollinator biology and their challenges. Instruction in the lecture and discussion sections will target methods for collecting information, interpretation of scientific information and the professional presentation of findings.
For more information see BSCI 120 The Insects: Pollinators in Crisis syllabus (sample syllabus).
ENEE 132 Engineering Issues in Medicine — Wesley Lawson and Romel Gomez, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. CORE Requirement: Physical Sciences (Non-Lab)
Electronic and computer technologies have revolutionized medical diagnosis and treatment in the 21st century. CT machines, MRI, ultrasound imaging, pacemakers and defibrillators have become ubiquitous, and systems based on nanotechnology are coming into fruition. This course is intended to explain the rudimentary principles of how some of the most important medical devices work to save and enrich human lives. Mathematics, physics and engineering concepts will be introduced as needed and at the level suitable for non-science majors. A major component of the course will be a term paper, which examines a technology and its relations to ethical, legal and societal issues.
For more information see ENEE 132 (formerly EENE 189W) Engineering Issues in Medicine (sample syllabus).
ENMA 150 The Materials of Civilization — Robert Briber, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering. CORE Requirement: Physical Sciences (Non-Lab).
A general introductory course at the 100 level designed primarily for non-science and non-engineering majors. The discovery of new materials has shaped history and built civilizations. Materials have played such an important role that scholars have named periods of history after them, including the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. This course will cover the role of materials through history to the modern day and provide students with an understanding of the basic science that controls material properties and present insight into the future of technology based on modern breakthroughs in the materials that are driving the fields of nanotechnology, nano-medicine, microelectronics and biomaterials. There will be a number of guest lectures and hands-on demonstrations to learn about the range of modern materials including incredibly strong magnets, shape change materials, superabsorbent materials, how new materials are discovered, and superconductors. At the end of the course students will have a understanding of many of the issues in modern materials science and where the next great leaps in technology may come from and where they are needed for facing the technological issues of the modern world.
GEOL 124 Biogenesis: Making a Habitable Planet — James Farquhar, Dept. of Geology. CORE Requirement: Physical Sciences (Non-Lab).
This course will explore how life has shaped Earth's physical environments, both in the contemporary Earth and over the long course of Earth history. We will examine the building blocks of life, the evidence for the origin and diversification of life and its impact on Earth environments using the perspective and methods of the scientists who study this topic, and what those methods tell us about future interactions between life and the environment, both on Earth and in the Solar System.
For more information see GEOL 124 Biogenesis: Making a Habitable Planet (sample syllabus).
PHYS 105 Physics for Decision Makers: The Global Energy Crisis — J. Goodman, Dept. of Physics. CORE Requirement: Physical Sciences (Non-Lab).
Global warming, shrinking oil supplies, biofuels, nuclear power. What if you had to make decisions that could ultimately determine the survival of our planet? What would you need to know? This course is about the physics of energy and its production and consumption in society, but it's also about making *scientific* decisions about what's true -- is the planet really warming? It's science interacting with politics and economics in decisions about policies -- should we limit energy use? Invest in biofuels? Coursework includes readings, an energy audit, regular discussions, an online group research project, and visits to the US Congress.
For more information see PHYS 105 Physics for Decision Makers: The Global Energy Crisis (sample syllabus).
