This design-based subject provides a first course in energy and thermo-sciences with applications to sustainable energy-efficient architecture and building technology. No previous experience with subject matter is assumed. After taking this subject, students will understand introductory thermodynamics and heat transfer, know the leading order factors in building energy use, and have creatively employed their understanding of energy fundamentals and knowledge of building energy use in innovative building design projects. This year, the focus will be on design projects that will complement the new NSTAR/MIT campus efficiency program.

The studio will focus on the district of Gaoming, located in the northwest of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) - the fastest growing and most productive region of China. The District has recently completed a planning effort in which several design institutes and a Hong Kong planning firm prepared ideas for a new central area near the river. The class will complement these efforts by focusing on planning and design options on the waterfront of the proposed new district and ways of integrating water/hydrological factors into all aspects and land uses of a modern city (residential, commercial, industrial) - including watershed and natural ecosystem protection, economic and recreational activities, transportation, and tourism.

Course: Explores the structure, function and development of living systems from cells to ecosystems.

Lab 1: Lab Safety and the Scientific Method.
Lab 2: Scientific Measurements
Lab 3: Macromolecules and Nutrition
Lab 4: Enzymes.
Lab 5: Photosynthesis and Respiration
Lab 6: Microscopes and Cells
Lab 7: Microbes
Lab 8: Microbe Analysis
Lab 9: Analysis of DNA
Lab 10: Plant Diversity
Lab 11: Animal Diversity
Lab 12: Ecology
Lab 13: Senses

Introduces scientific, economic, and ecological issues underlying the threat of global climate change, and the institutions engaged in negotiating an international response. Develops an integrated approach to analysis of climate change processes, and assessment of proposed policy measures, drawing on research and model development within the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.

This course explores the values (aesthetic, moral, cultural, religious, prudential, political) expressed in the choices of food people eat. It analyzes the decisions individuals make about what to eat, how society should manage food production and consumption collectively, and how reflection on food choices might help resolve conflicts between different values.

This seminar will explore the difficulties of getting agreement on global definitions of sustainability; in particularly building international support for efforts to combat climate change created by greenhouse gas emissions as well as other international resource management efforts. We will focus on possible changes in the way global environmental agreements are formulated and implemented, especially on ways of shifting from the current "pollution control" approach to combating climate change to a more comprehensive strategy for taking advantage of sustainable development opportunities.

Introduction to Ecology is an open course remix of the OpenStax Biology open textbook. The remix includes a modular revision of parts of the text with supplemental questions added.

Focusing primarily on the period since 1500, explores the influence of climate, topography, plants, animals, and microorganisms on human history and the reciprocal influence of people on the environment. Topics include the European encounter with the Americas, the impact of modern technology, and the historical roots of the current environmental crisis.

This course describes biological changes that happen on a very large scale, across entire populations of organisms and over the course of millions of years, in the form of evolution and ecology. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Use their understanding of Mendelian genetics and patterns of inheritance to predict genotypes and phenotypes of offspring or work backwards to identify the genotypes and phenotypes of a parental generation; Distinguish between inheritance patterns that involve autosomal vs. sex-linked traits and identify the respective consequences of each type of inheritance; Identify what distinguishes DarwinĺÎĺĺÎĺs theory of evolution from other arguments that attempt to explain diversity across species and/or many generations; Identify which of many types of natural selection is acting on a particular population/species; Identify which of many types of sexual selection is acting on a particular population/species; Identify the factors that alter the frequencies of alleles in populations over time and describe the effects of these factors on populations; Recognize, read, and create phylogenies and cladograms, using them to explain evolutionary relationships; Determine the ecological interactions affecting a particular community and identify the effects of specific relationships (e.g. symbiosis, competition) on species within that community; Distinguish between world biomes in terms of their climate, nutrient cycles, energy flow, and inhabitants; Use their knowledge of nutrient cycles and energy flow to estimate the effect that changes in physical or biological factors would have on a particular ecosystem. (Biology 102; See also: Psychology 204)

This lab course supplements ĺÎĺĺĺŤIntroduction to Evolutionary Biology and EcologyĄ_ĺĺö. Although it does not replicate a true lab experience, it does encourage greater familiarity with scientific thinking and techniques, and will enable exploration of some key principles of evolutionary biology and ecology. This lab supplement focuses on visual understanding, application, and practical use of knowledge. In each unit, the student will work through tutorials related to important scientific concepts and then will be asked to think creatively about how that knowledge can be put to practical or experimental use. Upon successful completion of this lab supplement, the student will be able to: Display an understanding of Mendelian inheritance as applied to organisms in virtual experiments; Describe the process of natural selection and understand how it will alter populations over generations and under a variety of selection pressures; Understand how the process of speciation is affected by isolation and selection pressures; Understand predator-prey dynamics under a variety of ecological conditions; Distinguish between biomes in terms of their structure/climates as well as the types and diversity of organisms that inhabit them. (Biology 102 Laboratory)

Permaculture Design is a method of land planning that can be applied at scales from the home garden to city block to village to farm. It is an ethically based whole-systems design approach that uses concepts, principles, and methods derived from ecosystems, indigenous technologies, and other time-tested practices to create sustainable human settlements and institutions. Although rooted in horticulture and agriculture, Permaculture design is interdisciplinary, touching on a wide range of subjects including regional planning, ecology, animal husbandry, appropriate technology, architecture, social justice, and international development.

This open text book is derived from the content of the Massive Open Online Course “Intro to Permaculture”. The original course also included interactive mapping and design tools that accompanied this content. The course and book provide a general overview of the Permaculture design system. The book can be downloaded as a print version. However, there are many accompanying videos and content pages that are linked to throughout the text, so it is best viewed online where the links can be accessed.

Oceanography will present the ocean in an historical and geographical context.We will examine physical and exploration ocean science in a holistic manner. Origins and evolution of the oceans will be examined scientifically, philosophically and historically. We will integrate spatial and temporal aspects of marine environments.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world. OCW is a publication of MIT course materials both from the undergraduate and graduate levels. It does not require any registration, is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity, and does not provide access to MIT faculty. The course sites often contain lecture notes, problem sets, readings, assignments, exams, study materials, and other resources. Open courseware is available on a variety of subjects, including Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, and can be used for self-study or curriculum development.

Genetically modified foods have caused a lot of controversy among environmentalists. Some worry that these so-called "Frankenfoods" might disrupt the ecosystems they grow in, or even threaten human health. But others praise their potential to offset other environmental problems. For example, in this Science Update, you'll hear how genetically engineered tomatoes may be able to resist parasitic worms without the use of toxic pesticides.

Welcome to the OER Activity Pool for a General Biology II laboratory Due to COVID, the nature of the labs has shifted from face-to-face to a virtual/online format. The instructors have pivoted and began to develop virtual lab modules. Over the next year, they will continue to update and develop both face-to-face and virtual labs.Two faculty members have worked to create a repository of materials that can be used in place of a textbook, photo atlas, and lab manual. The faculty members are working on the exercises to create alternative laboratory exercises for each content piece.  The content is constantly being updated to reflect revisions based on student feedback and student data analysis. The objectives for each exercise align with the majority of the publisher's Student Learning Objectives. The material is organized by content (subject matter) in modules. Each Module will contain 1) the different versions of the exercises 2) Teacher Material and 3) Student Material

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

Plant water relations are presented in this learning activity to help participants understand the components of water potential, explain how water moves through plants, provide examples of plant adaptations to water stress, and have a general understanding of how water potential can be measured.

Population ecology is the subfield of ecology that identifies those ecological factors--in the community or in the ecosystem--that regulate a population's size. The student will learn about intrinsic population growth and discover how such growth can be quantified, along with the factors that inhibit growth. Also, the student will apply his or her understanding of population ecology to determine a population's current status and construct a management plan to maintain population size. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: explain how population ecology is used to address problems in evolution, conservation, epidemiology, and resource management; describe the interactions among and between the biotic and abiotic components of a healthy ecosystem and explain how these components are interdependent; identify factors that threaten the maintenance of biodiversity in ecosystems and the population measures used to sustain ecosystem biodiversity; use mathematical models and equations to describe population growth and interaction between populations; identify density-dependent and density-independent factors that affect population growth and regulation; employ the principles and techniques of population dynamics and ecology to analyze population viability and develop a resource management plan by using data gathered from a sample population. (Biology 313)

This textbook is designed specifically for Kansas State's Biology 198 Class. The course is taught using the studio approach and based on active learning. The studio manual contains all of the learning objectives for each class period and is the record of all student activities. Hence, this textbook is more of a reference tool while the studio manual is the learning tool.

This textbook is designed specifically for Kansas State's Biology 198 Class. The course is taught using the studio approach and based on active learning. The studio manual contains all of the learning objectives for each class period and is the record of all student activities. Hence, this textbook is more of a reference tool while the studio manual is the learning tool.