In this course we will explore topics from disciplines within the solid Earth sciences. In each lesson, we'll also touch on some ways the topic links to other scientific disciplines. Each unit is designed to present both the cutting-edge science as well as the background a secondary-school student (or her teacher) would need to place the research in context. Gaining an appreciation of how scientists choose the subjects they study is as fundamental to Earth science as the discovery of the facts themselves. You will learn appropriate state-of-the-art scientific content relevant to each topic by performing basic data analysis using publicly available data so that you will be able to use the data and lessons in any courses you teach.

This video describes the ecological footprint and its limitation. It goes into some depth on the computation on the footprint and what it means for the global population. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

The principles and practice of tissue engineering (and regenerative medicine) are taught by faculty of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The principles underlying strategies for employing selected cells, biomaterial scaffolds, soluble regulators or their genes, and mechanical loading and culture conditions, for the regeneration of tissues and organs in vitro and in vivo are addressed. Differentiated cell types and stem cells are compared and contrasted for this application, as are natural and synthetic scaffolds. Methodology for the preparation of cells and scaffolds in practice is described. The rationale for employing selected growth factors is covered and the techniques for incorporating their genes into the scaffolds are examined. Discussion also addresses the influence of environmental factors including mechanical loading and culture conditions (e.g., static versus dynamic). Methods for fabricating tissue-engineered products and devices for implantation are taught. Examples of tissue engineering-based procedures currently employed clinically are analyzed as case studies.

Explores the interaction of radiation with matter at the microscopic level from both the theoretical and experimental viewpoints. Emphasis on radiation effects in biological systems. Topics include energy deposition by various types of radiation, including the creation and behavior of secondary radiations; the effects of radiation on cells and on DNA; and experimental techniques used to measure these radiation effects. Cavity theory, microdosimetry and methods used to simulate radiation track structure are reviewed. Examples of current literature used to relate theory, modeling, and experimental methods. Requires a term paper and presentation. The central theme of this course is the interaction of radiation with biological material. The course is intended to provide a broad understanding of how different types of radiation deposit energy, including the creation and behavior of secondary radiations; of how radiation affects cells and why the different types of radiation have very different biological effects. Topics will include: the effects of radiation on biological systems including DNA damage; in vitro cell survival models; and in vivo mammalian systems. The course covers radiation therapy, radiation syndromes in humans and carcinogenesis. Environmental radiation sources on earth and in space, and aspects of radiation protection are also discussed. Examples from the current literature will be used to supplement lecture material.

Quantitative analysis of uncertainty and risk for engineering applications. Fundamentals of probability, random processes, statistics, and decision analysis. Random variables and vectors, uncertainty propagation, conditional distributions, and second-moment analysis. Introduction to system reliability. Bayesian analysis and risk-based decision. Estimation of distribution parameters, hypothesis testing, and simple and multiple linear regressions. Poisson and Markov processes. Emphasis on application to engineering problems.

Project Evaluation covers methodologies for evaluating civil engineering projects, which typically are large-scale and long-lived and involve many economic, financial, social and environmental factors. The course places an emphasis on dealing with uncertainty. Students learn basic techniques of engineering economics, including net present value analysis, life-cycle costing, benefit-cost analysis, and other approaches to project evaluation. Examples are drawn from both contemporary and historical projects in various fields, including transportation systems, urban development, energy and environmental projects, water resource management, telecommunications systems, and other elements of the public and private projects and programs.

A framework of public hygiene and epidemiology is given. Human pathology related to water and sanitation is dealt with, as well as the relation between health and society and environment.

This textbook is intended to support courses that bridge the divide between mathematics typically encountered in U.S. high school curricula and the practical problems that natural resource students might engage with in their disciplinary coursework and professional internships.

This text is an introduction to soil physical properties and processes. In this book, we will begin with consideration of soil patterns, structure, and texture across multiple spatial scales; then walk through the processes of the soil water balance and the surface energy balance, step-by-step. Along the way, we will address most of the soil physics topics included in the Soil Science Fundamentals Exam Performance Objectives defined by the Soil Science Society of America’s Council of Soil Science Examiners. Someone who learns the content in this book should be well-prepared for the soil physics portion of that professional examination.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Soil Patterns, Structure, and Texture
3. Soil Water Content and Potential
4. Soil Water Flow
5. Water Inputs
6. Infiltration
7. Runoff and Water Erosion
8. Redistribution and Drainage
9. Solute Transport and Groundwater Pollution
10. Evaporation and Wind Erosion
11. Transpiration and Root Water Uptake
12. Surface Energy Balance and Evapotranspiration
13. Soil Temperature

For the last century, precepts of scientific management and administrative rationality have concentrated power in the hands of technical specialists, which in recent decades has contributed to widespread disenfranchisement and discontent among stakeholders in natural resources cases. In this seminar we examine the limitations of scientific management as a model both for governance and for gathering and using information, and describe alternative methods for informing and organizing decision-making processes. We feature cases involving large carnivores in the West (mountain lions and grizzly bears), Northeast coastal fisheries, and adaptive management of the Colorado River. There will be nightly readings and a short written assignment.

This is a review of an OER biology textbook.This resource was reviewed by Dr. Achim D. Herrmann (Department of Geology and Geophysics, LSU).This resource is available here: https://louis.oercommons.org/courseware/6 

This course examines joint fact-finding within the context of adaptive and ecosystem-based management. Challenges and obstacles to collaborative approaches for deciding environmental and natural resource policy and the institutional changes within federal agencies necessary to utilize joint fact-finding as a means to link science and societal decisions are discussed and reviewed with scientists and managers. Senior-level federal policymakers participate

Required for all Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences majors in the Environmental Science track, this course is an introduction to current research in the field. Stresses integration of central scientific concepts in environmental policy making and the chemistry, biology, and geology environmental science tracks. Revisits selected core themes for students who have already acquired a basic understanding of environmental science concepts. The topic for this term is geoengineering.

This course will use a complex systems theory perspective to investigate how coupled human-environment systems interact to either increase or decrease their risk of collapse. This complex systems approach works across many disciplines, so that human-environment linkages can be understood from sociological, environmental science, and economic viewpoints.

Soil and Water Conservation: An Annotated Bibliography highlights freely-available online content related to soil and water conservation. This textbook is designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on soil and water conservation, as well as conservation practitioners. The textbook is also focused on conservation within the US, due to the unique history and policies that influence conservation in the US. The first goal for this textbook is to create an up-to-date resource for soil and water conservation students and practitioners. The second goal is to familiarize students with credible, technical resources in soil and water conservation. The third goal is to reduce the cost and increase the accessibility of textbooks for students. Cited resources include extension bulletins, government reports, technical bulletins, and more. Annotations for each citation describe the resource, provide a short summary of the resource and its contents, and include any additional contextual information when needed. This book is intended to be an extensive resource for conservation practices and information, but not an exhaustive resource. Thus, some conservation practices were omitted.

Photovoltaic systems are often placed into a microgrid, a local electricity distribution system that is operated in a controlled way and includes both electricity users and renewable electricity generation. This course deals with DC and AC microgrids and covers a wide range of topics, from basic definitions, through modelling and control of AC and DC microgrids to the application of adaptive protection in microgrids. You will master various concepts related to microgrid technology and implementation, such as smart grid and virtual power plant, types of distribution network, markets, control strategies and components. Among the components special attention is given to operation and control of power electronics interfaces.

You will familiarize yourself with the advantages and challenges of DC microgrids (which are still in an early stage). You will have the opportunity to master the topic of microgrids through an exercise in which you will evaluate selected pilot sites where microgrids were deployed. The evaluation will take the form of a simulation assignment and include a peer review of the results.

Are you interested in Solar Energy? Solar Resource Assessment and Economics explores the methods, economic criteria, and meteorological background for assessing the solar resource with respect to project development of solar energy conversion systems for stakeholders in a given locale. It provides students with an in-depth exploration of the physical qualities of the solar resource, estimation of the fractional contributions of irradiance to total demand, and economic assessment of the solar resource. The course utilizes real data sets and resources to provide students context for the drivers, frameworks, and requirements of solar energy evaluation.

1.050 is a sophomore-level engineering mechanics course, commonly labeled "Statics and Strength of Materials" or "Solid Mechanics I." This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and methods of structural mechanics. Topics covered include: static equilibrium, force resultants, support conditions, analysis of determinate planar structures (beams, trusses, frames), stresses and strains in structural elements, states of stress (shear, bending, torsion), statically indeterminate systems, displacements and deformations, introduction to matrix methods, elastic stability, and approximate methods. Design exercises are used to encourage creative student initiative and systems thinking.

Introduces students to basic properties of structural materials and behavior of simple structural elements and systems through a series of experiments. Students learn experimental technique, data collection, reduction and analysis, and presentation of results.

A spatial database is the backbone of a successful organization or website that depends upon maintaining and using data pertinent to locations on Earth. In GEOG 868, Spatial Database Management, capabilities specific to Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are combined to teach students to create, maintain, and query spatial databases in both desktop and enterprise environments. Learn the basics of Standard Query Language (SQL) and database design/normalization, the specifics of managing spatial data in an open-source technologies context (Postgres/PostGIS) and in the context of the Esri geodatabase. Along the way, you will become familiar with spatial functions and versioning, the latter in a server environment hosted by Amazon Web Services.