TBA

Emphasis is on the construction of simple engineering models and the application of chemical principles to understand and address current environmental issues.

In this course we will investigate the ways that Earth and life interact with each other, focusing on the biogeochemical cycles of major elements, and the interplay between complex organisms and their ever-changing environment.

Auto is undergoing a technological revolution with the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and the development of autonomous vehicles.  Decarbonizing private transportation is essential to achieving climate goals, with transportation overall representing 28% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.  EV sales are now growing rapidly: in 2022, battery electric vehicles (EVs) represented about 22% of new vehicle sales in China, 15% in the EU and 5% in the U.S. Forecasts suggest EVs will represent close to 50% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. by 2030 and higher in China and Europe. The EV transition has far-reaching repercussions from emissions to macroeconomic impacts to national security and poses substantial challenges in the rapid development of new supply chains.  In this seminar, we will study the intersection of EVs, the energy transition, environmental science, policy, and economics. The current pace of change is dramatic but has roots going back 50 years to early U.S. environmental regulation and efforts to reduce dependency on Middle East oil; auto has been a critical element in trade policy back to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Policy is pivotal today, in the U.S. and overseas, in terms of determining the pace of EV adoption, how supply chains develop, and how fast they evolve.  The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) enables faster EV adoption through tax credits for EV production and purchases.  Technological progress, especially in battery technology, will be critical in the path forward.  We will analyze a range of EV issues including those highlighted above as well as charging, health impacts, equity, and international market differences. 

The course is meant for any student with basic math preparation, not assuming prior science courses. Topics include the greenhouse effect and the consequences of the rise of greenhouse gasses, including sea level rise, ocean acidification, heat waves, droughts, glacier melting, hurricanes, forest fires, and more.

The ocean is central to how our planet will respond to anthropogenic climate change, and understanding its chemistry unlocks a deeper look into that response.  This course is an introduction to that conversation, drawing from real world examples (marine CO2 uptake, coastal eutrophication, marine deoxygenation, the effects of mining, warming of the arctic, etc) and employs a variety of avenues for engagement. The class will include lectures, asynchronous video content, student-led modules, group work and discussions, all supported by a weekly section to dig deeper into key concepts.  Along the way, the class will cover basic chemical principles (thermodynamics, solubility, saturation, redox, etc.) and the cycling of key biogeochemical elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus) in and around the ocean.

Through lectures, discussions, readings, case studies, and design projects, the goal of this course is to understand the complexity of living systems to integrate it in landscape design.

This course examines the relationships of organisms to their environment at the individual, population, and community level.

The purpose of this course is to develop understanding and guide student research of human and environmental systems. In class we will explore agriculture, conflict, and human health. Study of each topic will involve introduction data, mathematical models, and analysis techniques that build toward addressing a major question at each interface: How does climate change influence agricultural systems? Has drought or other environmental factors caused conflict? And how does the environment shape health outcomes? These topics are diverse, but are addressed using common analytical frameworks.

Part 1: Intersection of environment/industry, including decarbonization of the materials industry. Chemistries for cement and steel production without carbon dioxide emission, the smelting industry for extraction of metals from ores, present-day and possible futures for chemistry of a hydrogen economy, and chemistry of emerging battery technologies.Part 2: Environmental processes of chemistry, such as alkalinity of ocean acidification, pH and pE as master variables for the chemistry of an ecosystem, drinking and wastewater treatment, and soil chemistry for agriculture.

This studio will explore the complex environmental and social interests of multiple forms of landscape labor—people at work in working landscapes—through the design of regional frameworks and localized sites in coastal Massachusetts.

Tropospheric and stratospheric gas and aerosol chemistry. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and mercury cycles. Implications for climate change, air quality, ecosystems.