Mon Mar 29 15:42:04 2010
| Effective Term: |
New:
1105 - Summer 2010 Old: 1099 - Fall 2009 |
|---|---|
| Component 2: |
New:
Old: LAB (no final exam) |
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Auto-Enroll Course: |
New:
No Old: Yes |
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Graded Component: |
New:
LEC Old: LAB |
| Editor Comments: |
New:
Removed the Lab Component. The instructor removed the lab this Spring Semester 2010, the course could not be changed for Spring Semester 2010 as students had already registered. Old: <no text provided> |
| Proposal Changes: |
New:
Removed the Lab Component. The instructor removed the lab this Spring Semester 2010, the course could not be changed for Spring Semester 2010 as students had already registered. Old: <no text provided> |
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Provisional Syllabus: |
Please
provide a provisional syllabus for new courses and courses in which
changes in content and/or description and/or credits are proposed that
include the following information: course goals and description;
format/structure of the course (proposed number of instructor contact
hours per week, student workload effort per week, etc.); topics to be
covered; scope and nature of assigned readings (texts, authors,
frequency, amount per week); required course assignments; nature of any
student projects; and how students will be evaluated. The University policy on credits is found under Section 4A of "Standards for Semester Conversion" at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semestercon.html . Provisional course syllabus information will be retained in this system until new syllabus information is entered with the next major course modification, This provisional course syllabus information may not correspond to the course as offered in a particular semester. New: Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE) Course Title: BBE 4523/5523 Ecological Engineering Design (3 cr; SP- EEB 3001 or EEB 4014 (recommended), CE 3502; upper div IT or grad IT major; A-F only; 3 lect per week). Course Description: Application of the principles of ecological engineering to design of remediation systems for problems associated with environmental degradation. Much of the course is driven by analysis of case studies of the construction of artificial ecosystems or restoration of natural ecosystems. Applications include wetland restoration, constructed wetlands, biological engineering for slope stability, stream restoration, waste treatment using biological systems, restoration of ecological service functions of watersheds. BBE 4523/5523 differential: Although the credit level is the same for both registrations, BBE 5523 is intended for graduate students and a higher level of work will be required of students (graduate or undergraduate) registered in BBE 5523. The extra level of effort will be manifested as: 1) higher levels of mathematical analysis in appropriate applications; 2) writing a critique of an assigned article on ecological processes and/or ecological engineering; 3) higher level of analysis in the assigned design problem; 4) perhaps an extra question on each exam. Instructor: Professor John L. Nieber, Room 203, BAE Building, 5-6724, nieber@umn.edu. Course Outcome Objectives: Students completing this course should be able to: 1. Describe the basic principles of ecology and the framework of complex ecosystems. Should be able to describe thermodynamic principles as they apply, and also how to quantify energy fluxes in ecosystems. 2. Construct algorithms for quantifying functions (storage, transformation, flux, adaptation) in complex biological systems. 3. Apply the principles of ecology and engineering to the design of artificial ecosystems and the restoration of natural ecosystems. 4. Apply economics (market and engineering) to cost/benefit analysis of ecosystem restoration. Text: No text required at present. The instructor is figuring out what might be a good text but that will occur for next year. Reference Materials: 1. Kangas, P.C., Ecological Engineering, Principles and Practice, Lewis Publishers, 2004 2. Mitsch, W.J. and S.E. Jorgenson, Ecological Engineering and Restoration Ecology, 2003 3. Mitsch, W.J. and S.E. Jorgenson, Ecological Engineering; an Introduction to Ecotechnology, John Wiley, 1989 4. van Andel, J. and J. Aronson, Restoration Ecology, Blackwell Publishing, 2006 5. Schulte, P.C., R.A. Frosch, and P.G. Risser (eds), Engineering within Ecological Constraints, National Academy Press, 1996 6. Walker, B. and D. Salt, Resilience Thinking; Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World, Island Press, 2006 7. Gunderson, L.H. and L. Pritchard, Resilience and the Behavior of Large-Scale Systems, Island Press, 2002 8. Selected articles from refereed journals such as Ecological Engineering. Semester Topics Covered: 1. Review of ecological principles; application to ecological engineering practice 2. Getting engineers to think in terms of ecological systems 3. Modeling complex systems 4. Treatment wetlands 5. Soil bioengineering a. Slope stabilization b. Bioremediation of contaminated soils 6. Restoration of watershed ecosystem functions a. Natural wetlands b. Streams c. Ground water recharge 7. Control of exotic species 8. Quantifying economic benefits of ecosystem construction/restoration 9. Ecological engineering treatment of the solid waste problem a. The consumer waste conundrum b. Solid waste systems as ecosystems c. Industrial ecology Quality Control: It is required that all materials turned in for credit by the student have to be of presentable quality. This means that the material presented has to be of a quality such that the instructor can decipher it easily. Any presentation requiring extra deciphering work will be returned to the student for correction. Also, material must be handed in on time to receive credit. Late papers will not be accepted for credit unless prior permission for lateness is granted by the instructor. The student can use the following guidelines in preparation of assignments. Homework assignments: 1. All work done in pencil with legible printing. 2. Clearly defined problem statement. 3. Clearly defined solution steps and solution results. Design project report format: 1. Table of contents. 2. Abstract, conclusion, and summary statements. 3. Clear statements of problem and problem solution. 4. All text material and tables prepared with a typewriter or word processor. Equations can be written by hand. All figures drawn clearly with adequate captions and legends. Computer output and other materials to be placed in appendices must be indexed. Evaluation: The final grade for this course will be based on the following weighting of course components. Category Final Grade Homework 20 Design Project 30 Midterm Exam 25 Final Exam 25 Statement on Academic Honesty: The following statement is from the IT Student Guide; "The Institute of Technology expects the highest standards of honesty and integrity in the academic performance of its students. Any act of scholastic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offense, which may result in expulsion. The Institute of Technology defines scholastic dishonesty as submission of false records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing; altering, forging or misusing an academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with another to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement. Aiding and abetting an act of scholastic dishonesty is also considered a serious offense". This statement will be held to in BBE 4523/5523 as the definition for academic honesty. If at any time you have a question about what might constitutes an academically dishonest act, please feel free to contact me. Old: <no text provided> |