2011-2012 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

EESC V1201y Environmental risks and
disasters
3 pts. Lect: 3. Not offered in 2011–2012.
Prerequisites: high school science and math.
An introduction to risks and hazards in the
environment. Different types of hazards are
analyzed and compared: natural disasters, such
as tornados, earthquakes, and meteorite impacts;
acute and chronic health effects caused by
exposure to radiation and toxic substances such
as radon, asbestos, and arsenic; long-term societal
effects due to environmental change, such as sea
level rise and global warming. Emphasizes the
basic physical principles controlling the hazardous
phenomena and develops simple quantitative
methods for making scientifically reasoned
assessments of the threats (to health and
wealth) posed by various events, processes, and
exposures. Discusses methods of risk mitigation
and sociological, psychological, and economic
aspects of risk control and management.
EESC V1600x Earth resources and
sustainable development
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professor Kelemen.
Prerequisites: none. High school chemistry
recommended. Survey of the origin and extent
of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial
materials, that are non-renewable, finite
resources, and the environmental consequences
of their extraction and use, using the textbook
Earth Resources and the Environment, by James
Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This
course provides an overview but includes focus
on topics of current societal relevance, including
estimated reserves and extraction costs for
fossil fuels, geological storage of CO 2 , sources
and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels,
sources and future for luxury goods such as gold
and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in
consumer electronics (e.g., “Coltan,” mostly from
Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such
as superconducting magnets and rechargeable
batteries (e.g., heavy rare earth elements, mostly
from China). Guest lectures from economists,
commodity traders and resource geologists will
provide “real world” input.
EESC W3018y Weapons of mass destruction
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professor Richards.
Prerequisites: high school science and math.
A review of the history and environmental
consequences of nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons of mass destruction (WMD); of how
these weapons work, what they cost, how they
have spread, how they might be used, how they
are currently controlled by international treaties
and domestic legislation, and what issues of policy
and technology arise in current debates on WMD.
What aspects of the manufacture of WMD are
easily addressed, and what aspects are technically
challenging It may be expected that current
events/headlines will be discussed in class.
EESC W4001x Advanced general geology
4 pts. Lect: 3. Lab: 1. Professors Anders and
Scholz.
Prerequisites: one semester of college-level
calculus, physics, and chemistry. A concentrated
introduction to the solid Earth, its interior, and
near-surface geology. Intended for students with
good backgrounds in the physical sciences but
none in geology. Laboratory and field trips.
EESC W4008x Introduction to atmospheric
science
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professor Del Genio.
Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general
physics, or the instructor’s permission. Basic
physical processes controlling atmospheric
structure: thermodynamics; radiation physics
and radiative transfer; principles of atmospheric
dynamics; cloud processes; applications to Earth’s
atmospheric general circulation, climatic variations,
and the atmospheres of the other planets.
EESC W4009x. Chemical geology
4 pts. Offered in alternate years. Not offered in
2011–2012.
Prerequisite: physical chemistry or the instructor’s
permission. Thermodynamics as applied to earth
systems.
EESC W4050x Global assessment and
monitoring using remote sensing
3 pts. Offered in alternate years. Professor Small.
Prerequisite: instructor’s permission.
Recommended preparation: some collegelevel
physics or math. Enrollment limited to 24
students. General introduction to fundamentals of
remote sensing and image processing. Example
applications in the Earth and environmental
sciences are explored through the analysis of
remote sensing imagery in a state-of-the-art
visualization laboratory. Lab required.
EESC W4076y Geologic mapping
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professors Anders and Walker.
Fieldwork on weekends in April and for two weeks
in mid-May, immediately following the end of
examinations. Estimated expenses: $250. The
principles and practices of deciphering geologic
history through the observation of rocks in the
field, mapmaking, construction of geological crosssections,
and short written reports.
EESC W4085x Geodynamics
3 pts. Lect: 3. Offered in alternate years. Not
offered in 2011–2012.
Prerequisites: calculus, differential equations,
introductory physics. An introduction to how the
Earth and planets work. The focus is on physical
processes that control plate tectonics and the
evolution of planetary interiors and surfaces;
analytical descriptions of these processes; weekly
physical model demonstrations.
EESC W4113 Introduction to mineralogy
4 pts. Offered in alternate years.
Prerequisites: introductory geology or the
equivalent, elementary college physics and
chemistry, or the instructor’s permission.
Elementary crystallography and crystal structures,
optical properties of minerals, mineral associations,
economic minerals. Laboratory: identification
of minerals in hand specimens and use of the
petrographic microscope.
EESC W4230y Crustal deformation
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professors Anders and Scholz.
Prerequisites: introductory geology and one year of
calculus. Recommended preparation: higher levels
of mathematics. Introduction to the deformation
processes in the Earth’s crust. Fundamental
theories of stress and strain; rock behavior
in both brittle and ductile fields; earthquake
processes; ductile deformation; large-scale crustal
contractional and extensional events.
EESC W4300x The earth’s deep interior
3 pts. Lect: 3. Not offered in 2011–2012.
Prerequisites: calculus, differential equations,
one year of college physics, and EESC W4950
or its equivalent. An introduction to properties
of the Earth’s mantle, fluid outer core, and solid
inner core. Current knowledge of these features is
explored, using observations of seismology, heat
flow, gravity, and geomagnetism, plus information
on the Earth’s bulk composition.
EESC W4600x Earth resources and
sustainable development
3 pts. Lect: 3. Professor Kelemen.
Prerequisites: none. High school chemistry
recommended. Survey of the origin and extent
of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial
materials, that are nonrenewable, finite resources,
and the environmental consequences of their
extraction and use, using the textbook Earth
Resources and the Environment, by James
Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This
course provides an overview, but includes focus
on topics of current societal relevance, including
estimated reserves and extraction costs for
fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources
and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels,
sources and future for luxury goods such as gold
and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in
consumer electronics (e.g., “Coltan,” mostly from
Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such
as superconducting magnets and rechargeable
batteries (e.g., heavy rare earth elements, mostly
from China). Guest lectures from economists,
commodity traders and resource geologists will
provide “real world” input. Required recitation
session.
EESC W4701 Introduction to igneous
petrology
4 pts. Offered in alternate years.
Prerequisite: introductory geology or the
equivalent. Recommended preparation: EESC
W4113 and knowledge of chemistry. Students not
enrolled in terrestrial geology may elect to write
a substantial term paper in lieu of the laboratory
course. Compositional characteristics of igneous
and metamorphic rocks and how they can be
used as tools to investigate earth processes.
Development of igneous and metamorphic rocks in
a plate-tectonic framework.
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engineering 2011–2012