Students create a concept design of their very own net-zero energy classroom by pasting renewable energy and energy-efficiency items into and around a pretend classroom on a sheet of paper. They will learn how these items (such as solar panels, efficient lights, computers, energy meters, etc.) interact to create a learning environment that produces as much energy as it uses.

Choice of material has implications throughout the life-cycle of a product, influencing many aspects of economic and environmental performance. This course will provide a survey of methods for evaluating those implications. Lectures will cover topics in material choice concepts, fundamentals of engineering economics, manufacturing economics modeling methods, and life-cycle environmental evaluation.

Treatment of electromechanical transducers, rotating and linear electric machines. Lumped-parameter electromechanics of interaction. Development of device characteristics: energy conversion density, efficiency; and of system interaction characteristics: regulation, stability, controllability, and response. Use of electric machines in drive systems. Problems taken from current research. Alternate years. 6.685 explores concepts in electromechanics, using electric machinery as examples. It teaches an understanding of principles and analysis of electromechanical systems. By the end of the course, students are capable of doing electromechanical design of the major classes of rotating and linear electric machines, and have an understanding of the principles of the energy conversion parts of Mechatronics. In addition to design, students learn how to estimate the dynamic parameters of electric machines and understand what the implications of those parameters are on the performance of systems incorporating those machines.

This board game is used to introduce the concepts of energy use in our lives and the very real impact that personal choices can have on our energy consumption, energy bills and fuel supply. The game begins as each student selects cards that define their mode of transportation and home design. The players roll dice and move around the board, landing on "choice" or "situation" blocks and selecting cards that describe consumer choices and real life events that impact their energy consumption and annual energy bills. As the players pass gasoline stations or energy bill gates, they must pay annual expenses as defined by their original cards, with amounts altered by the choices they've made along the way. Gasoline cards are collected to represent their total consumption. Too many gas guzzling vehicles can result in total depletion of their gasoline supply -- at which point everyone must walk or ride the bus. At the end of the game, the players count their remaining dollars to determine the winner. Discussion questions probe the students to interpret what choices they made and situations they encounter have the most impact on their energy consumption and energy bills. All game board, card and money files are available on-line free of charge.

Students are introduced to the idea that energy use impacts the environment and our wallets. They discuss different types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, as well as the impacts of energy consumption. Through a series of activities, students understand how they use energy and how it is transformed from one type to another. They learn innovative ways engineers conserve energy and how energy can be conserved in their homes.

We all know that it takes energy to provide us with the basics of shelter: heating, cooling, lighting, electricity, sanitation and cooking. To create energy-efficient housing that is practical for people to use every day requires combining many smaller systems that each perform a function well, and making smart decisions about the sources of power we use. Through four lessons on the topics of heat transfer, circuits, daylighting and electricity from renewable energy sources, students learn about the science, math and engineering that go into designing energy-efficient components of smart housing that is environmentally friendly. Through numerous design/build/analyze activities, students create a solar water heater, swamp cooler, thermostat, model house, model greenhouse, and wind and water turbine prototypes. Students should concurrently be taking Algebra 1 in order to complete the worksheet calculations.

The students participate in many demonstrations during the first day of this lesson to learn basic concepts related to the forms and states of energy. This knowledge is then applied the second day as they assess various everyday objects to determine what forms of energy are transformed to accomplish the object's intended task. The students use block diagrams to illustrate the form and state of energy flowing into and out of the process.

This six-day lesson provides students with an introduction to the importance of energy in their lives and the need to consider how and why we consume the energy we do. The lesson includes activities to engage students in general energy issues, including playing an award-winning Energy Choices board game, and an optional graphing activity that provides experience with MS Excel graphing and perspectives on how we use energy and how much energy we use.

The Energy Systems and Solutions Unit brings students through the exploration of science and engineering concepts as they relate to energy issues in everyday life. Issues surrounding energy production and energy consumption provide a relevant theme for learning basic science, math and engineering concepts, and also provide a convenient platform for introducing current scientific and technological developments into the curriculum. Energy-related issues touch on the lives of each and every student. This project-based curriculum follows an engineering problem solving approach; students simultaneously learn and use scientific and mathematical content and processes as they solve an energy-related problem that is meaningful to them. By challenging them with a problem to solve, students are engaged in scientific and engineering processes, thereby reinforcing subject matter retention and targeting a wide range of learning styles in the classroom. The Energy Systems and Solutions Unit can be broken into three main sections. The first section includes various activities designed to help students understand the problem at hand -- namely, the issues surrounding our energy situation - so that they can realize the importance of what they will be studying and the significance of their proposed solutions. An understanding of the problem will form the basis for the student learning that takes place in the second section, which includes basic energy concepts (forms, states, conversions, efficiency, etc.), content that is required by state and federal science educational standards, but they will learn these concepts by participating in a variety of engaging activities that intend to show the relevance of the science material to the real world as well as to the solution of their assigned problem. Finally, in the last section of the unit students apply the concepts they have learned as they complete a culminating project that requires students to consider what action they can take to reduce our dependence of fossil fuels or otherwise provide a positive solution for our current energy crisis.

Fundamentals of thermodynamics, chemistry, flow and transport processes as applied to energy systems. Analysis of energy conversion in thermomechanical, thermochemical, electrochemical, and photoelectric processes in existing and future power and transportation systems, with emphasis on efficiency, environmental impact and performance. Systems utilizing fossil fuels, hydrogen, nuclear and renewable resources, over a range of sizes and scales are discussed. Applications include fuel reforming, hydrogen and synthetic fuel production, fuel cells and batteries, combustion, hybrids, catalysis, supercritical and combined cycles, photovoltaics, etc. Different forms of energy storage and transmission. Optimal source utilization and fuel-life cycle analysis.

Students explore heat transfer and energy efficiency using the context of energy efficient houses. They gain a solid understanding of the three types of heat transfer: radiation, convection and conduction, which are explained in detail and related to the real world. They learn about the many ways solar energy is used as a renewable energy source to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses and operating costs. Students also explore ways in which a device can capitalize on the methods of heat transfer to produce a beneficial result. They are given the tools to calculate the heat transferred between a system and its surroundings.

Students complete three different activities to evaluate the energy consumption in a household and explore potential ways to reduce that consumption. The focus is on conservation and energy efficient electrical devices and appliances. The lesson reinforces the relationship between power and energy and associated measurements and calculations required to evaluate energy consumption. The lesson provides the students with more concrete information for completing their culminating unit assignment.

Fundamentals of how the design and operation of internal combustion engines affect their performance, operation, fuel requirements, and environmental impact. Study of fluid flow, thermodynamics, combustion, heat transfer and friction phenomena, and fuel properties, relevant to engine power, efficiency, and emissions. Examination of design features and operating characteristics of different types of internal combustion engines: spark-ignition, diesel, stratified-charge, and mixed-cycle engines. Engine Laboratory project. For graduate and senior undergraduate students.

" This course studies the fundamentals of how the design and operation of internal combustion engines affect their performance, operation, fuel requirements, and environmental impact. Topics include fluid flow, thermodynamics, combustion, heat transfer and friction phenomena, and fuel properties, with reference to engine power, efficiency, and emissions. Students examine the design features and operating characteristics of different types of internal combustion engines: spark-ignition, diesel, stratified-charge, and mixed-cycle engines. Class includes lab project in the Engine Laboratory."

This module introduces estimation theory and its terminology, including bias, consistency, and efficiency. In searching for methods of extracting information from noisy observations, this chapter describes estimation theory, which has the goal of extracting from noise-corrupted observations the values of disturbance parameters (noise variance, for example), signal parameters (amplitude or propagation direction), or signal waveforms. Estimation theory assumes that the observations contain an information-bearing quantity, thereby tacitly assuming that detection-based preprocessing has been performed (in other words, do I have something in the observations worth estimating?). Conversely, detection theory often requires estimation of unknown parameters: Signal presence is assumed, parameter estimates are incorporated into the detection statistic, and consistency of observations and assumptions tested. Consequently, detection and estimation theory form a symbiotic relationship, each requiring the other to yield high-quality signal processing algorithms.

My goal is to provide an accessible book that reflects this theme of choice and conveys a sense of the breadth and power of basic economic analysis. It assumes no prior knowledge of economics and can be read and appreciated by anyone. While some parts of the book cover conventional material, others do not. I've ignored many traditional topics and substituted ones that apply economics in unusual and often provocative ways. The chapters are not meant to be definitive, they are meant to raise questions. If they do not make you think or ruffle an occasional feather, I have failed.
Most chapters use a story-telling approach that has served me well in the classroom. I am accustomed to a tough audience. Every semester I stare into the fresh faces of college students who would rather be at the beach, students who challenge me to make them care. I use stories to grab their attention, to show how economics affects their everyday life, and to give them a new and deeper appreciation of what drives their behavior.

Neoclassical analysis of the labor market and its institutions. A systematic development of the theory of labor supply, labor demand, and human capital theory. Topics discussed also include theories of wage and employment determination, turnover, search, unemployment, equalizing differences, and union behavior. Particular emphasis on the interaction of theoretical and empirical modeling. The aim of this course is to acquaint students with traditional topics in labor economics and to encourage the development of independent research interests. This course is taught in two parts: Fall term and then in the subsequent Fall term.

Students measure the light output and temperature (as a measure of heat output) for three types of light bulbs to identify why some light bulbs are more efficient (more light with less energy) than others.

Describes the Noisy Channel Coding Theorem.