Syllabus: Fall 2012

Instructor

Benoit Cushman-Roisin
134 Cummings Hall
Telephone: 1-603-646-3248
Email: Benoit.Cushman.Roisin@dartmouth.edu

Teaching Assistants

Kevin Dahms, Jen Dyment, Sarah Laird and Robbie Moss

Course description

A survey of the sources, measurement techniques, and treatment technologies relating to environmental pollution resulting from human activities. The course is technology-focused but also touches on topics related to the implementation of technology in the real world such as public perception, policy and legislation, and choosing between technological alternatives. Topics include water pollution, air pollution, solid waste, fate and transport of pollutants in the environment, and pollution prevention. Consideration of each area includes general background and key concepts, detailed design examples, and case studies/current topics. The course includes guest lectures and three field trips, including a visit to the local wastewater treatment plant.

Web address

http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/~d30345d/courses/engs37.html

Textbook (recommended)

Environmental Engineering Science
by William W. Nazaroff and Lisa Alvarez-Cohen
John Wiley & Sons © 2001 (hardbound or paperback)

Course Objectives

Knowledge of the main forms of air, water and land pollution,
Ability to perform a mass balance for an open system,
Ability to design scrubbers, cyclones and electrostatic precipitators, and ability to select the technology appropriate to the application,
Understanding how a wastewater treatment plant works,
Knowledge of methods of pollution prevention inside a manufacturing plant,
A basic understanding of risk assessment,
Knowledge of what an environmental engineer is and does.

Course Format

Lectures by instructor (Zaleski B01, MacLean Hall, MWF, 11:15-12:20)
Three lectures replaced by local field trips (mandatory attendance)
Three guest lectures (see schedule below)
Weekly graded homeworks (Friday to Friday)
One thinking question appended at end of each homework
No use of X-hour (unless something happens)
TAs will run review sessions (to be scheduled, likely in the evening)
Take-home mid-term examination (2+ days, open books)
Final Examination (several days, open books)

Office hours

Mondays and Wednesdays, from 2 to 4pm.
Cummings Room 134 (Professor's office)

Grading

35% Homeworks
15% Extra thinking questions at end of homeworks
25% Mid-term exam
25% Final exam

Academic Honor Code

As always, students are expected to observe all aspects of the Academic Honor Principle, as defined in Organization, Regulations and Courses. In this course, collaboration is allowed during homework preparation, although students have to turn in their individual answers. No collaboration whatsoever is allowed during the mid-term and final examinations. During those assignments, questions can only be directed to the instructor or the TAs.

Dartmouth College policy requires that any apparent violation of the Honor Code be reported to the Committee on Standards. The professor does not have another choice, regardless of how he/she may feel.

Note on laptop use in class

Use of laptop computers is forbidden during class. The only granted exception is to students with documented writing disabilities who need a computer for note taking.

Note on email communications

Email communications with the instructor are most welcome at any time as long as they deal with questions on the materials taught in class or absences from class. Students are asked to refrain from using email to set up appointments. To see the instructor, students are asked to drop by his office (any time is a good time as long as the professor is in!) or use the office hours listed above.

Note to students with disabilities

Students with any type of disability are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss their needs and what accommodations are necessary. Such contact should be made at the beginning of the term or, in the case of a new condition, as soon as it occurs.

Scheduling

Week of	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
10 Sept.	Environmental Engineering as a course, a field and a profession	-	Definitions Units Stoichiometry	-	Mass balance (part 1)
17 Sept.	Mass balance (part 2)	-	Environmental chemistry (part 1)	-	Environmental chemistry (part 2)
24 Sept.	Dr. Chris Polashenski Global scalability of energy issues	-	Transport and settling	-	Risk assessment
1 Oct.	Issues in water quality	-	Water treatment: Overview	-	Settling tanks
8 Oct.	Wastewater treatment plants (part 1)	-	Wastewater treatment plants (part 2)	-	Wastewater treatment plants (part 3)
15 Oct.	Anaerobic digestion & Energy considerations	Mid-term exam assigned (at 10am)	Issues in air quality	Mid-term exam due (at 5pm)	Dust control: Cyclones
22 Oct.	Electrostatic precipitators	-	Wet scrubbers (part 1)	-	Wet scrubbers (part 2) (homecoming)
29 Oct.	Field trip 1 (*)	-	Field trip 2 (*)	-	Field trip 3 (*)
5 Nov.	Green design	-	Prof. Rich Kremer Environmental audacity and tragedy	-	Dr. Marta Ceroni Wetlands: natural and constructed
12 Nov.	Life cycle assessments	-	-	-	Final exam assigned (at 10am)
19 Nov.	-	-	Final exam due (at 5pm)	-	-

(*) Students gathered in three groups (Groups 1, 2 & 3) take turn participating in three different field trips: Visit of the local wastewater treatment plant, campus tour of energy-efficient buildings, and tour of the Dartmouth Organic Farm.