Global Arc

The class has pedagogical objectives related to the spatial relations of dimensions and time (sustainability and society). It develops the students' skills in drawing, model making, writing, oral communication, and advanced engineering analysis. The course is focused on a study of one theme that changes every year. Within each theme engineering calculations of designs will be made through advanced analyses. The social context will be studied, a site visit will be made during break week, models of a few significant works will be created and placed on display as part of a small exhibition. Prerequisites: CEE205 and CEE312

The aim of this course is to track and understand the structural and architectural engineering leadership of Italy in the context of social-political-economic circumstances. The course studies various structures of Italy in three distinct time frames: creativity in structural and architectural engineering during the classical and medieval period, vaulted reinforced concrete structures of the 1900s, and modern times of lightweight structures and advanced technologies. In all parts of the course, calculations are made to examine the structural integrity. Construction methods are discussed and an evaluation of elegance is made.

Most critical infrastructures have rigid operating parameters and tend to be vulnerable to small, unforeseen natural and man-made disasters. The need to maintain efficient functioning of the system and to explore the system at some "equilibrium" state is of utmost importance to planners, designers and engineers. This course will discuss the characteristics of resilient systems and ways to measure and monitor the resilience of critical infrastructures, including organizational resilience. The course will also introduce the concept of sustainability and will attempt to connect sustainability and resilience in a unified framework.

Introduction of wind effects on the built environment. The nature of wind storms, tropical cyclones and climate change, prediction of design wind speeds and structural safety, strong wind characteristics and turbulence, basic bluff-body aerodynamics, resonant dynamic response and effective static load distributions, wind tunnel experiments, tall buildings, low-rise buildings, windborne debris, wind loading codes and standards, wind-induced storm surge, wind and surge damage.Prerequisites: undergraduate level basic courses in Probability and Statistics and in Differential Equations .

Topics in the design and analysis of steel structures are covered such as geometric properties and stresses of built-up shapes, columns, beams, and tension members. Prerequisites: CEE205 and CEE312.

An introduction to the science of water quality management and pollution control in natural systems; fundamentals of biological and chemical transformations in natural waters; identification of sources of pollution; water and wastewater treatment methods; fundamentals of water quality modeling. Two lectures, field trips. Open to juniors and seniors, and graduate students only. Prerequisites: Student should have some background in chemistry and an interest in water pollution problems.

The structure and evolution of precipitation systems are examined, including the dynamical and microphysical processes that control the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation. The fundamentals of remote sensing of aerosols, clouds and precipitation are introduced. Related topics in hydrology and hydraulics are covered. Two lectures. Not Open to First Year Undergraduates.

This course examines how cities modify their environment, with a focus on the grand urban challenges of the 21st century related to climate, water, and pollution. It starts with an introduction to the challenge of urbanization and how the population and size of cities can be quantified and modeled. We then examine heat, air and water flow in cities, focusing on how they induce urban heat islands, exacerbate floods, modify power consumption, and reduce thermal comfort. We conclude the course with an examination of how buildings and cities can be designed to be more sustainable and sensitive to their climate. Not open to freshmen. Two lectures.

This course is a mixture of lectures, readings, and individual student work focused on urban challenges in the 21st century, particularly the ones related to energy, water and climate. The first lecture of the week will be dedicated to the discussion of a paper, while the second lecture will introduce the students to mathematical and physical laws and concepts that will be needed for the upcoming paper to be read and discussed. Two students will present and lead the discussion of each paper. Then, each student will perform a final project consisting of a literature review and a research component to advance their independent work skills.

This course will focus on the sustainable design of urban water infrastructure. Students will learn the principals of biological wastewater modelling and use software packages and other design tools for design and upgrading existing water/wastewater treatment systems, including new processes that incorporate energy and resource recovery. The projects are considered from concept development to detailed design with special considerations on sustainability and resilience. Prerequisite: CEE 207 and CEE471 or equivalent with instructor's permission. Open to Seniors and Graduate students only.