The Energy Sciences minor will require three core courses:
ENSC 110: Energy in Perspective
The course will focus on energy flows at the surface of the earth and how humans have harnessed these sources throughout history, from primitive societies to our current global society. A broad multidisciplinary perspective will be employed to combine historical and sociological analysis and interpretation with scientific principles to place energy production and use in the context of societal, economic, political and environmental considerations.
Outline: The course will be divided into four parts: (1) Current energy issues: growing population and demand, national security, climate change, and energy use in the U.S. with international comparisons (2) Primitive societies: includes development of agriculture and scientific aspects of energy flows in agriculture and human nutrition (3) Fossil fuels in society: industrial revolution, development of oil resources and transportation, international conflicts, and relationships between energy consumption and standard of living around the world; related scientific topics will include the carbon cycle, the global climate, and the functioning of fossil fuels systems, and (4) Renewable energy: potential benefits of utilizing renewable energy, sources, economic and environmental trade-offs, and limitations to implementation.
ENSC 220: Introduction to Energy Systems
This course will explore the exposition of all sources of available energy, the geographic distribution of energy sources, estimated recoverable amounts, the transformation process for converting source energy into high quality energy in other forms, and future expected energy demand. The sustainability of these systems and other trade-offs (economic, environmental and technological) will be evaluated, along with the relationship between power production and water resources. Energy sources that will be investigated include: petroleum and other fossil fuels, biomass conversion products (ethanol, methane), wind, solar and other renewable energies, hydrogen, and nuclear power. Topics related to the efficiency of commercial buildings (heating, cooling and lighting), residences, personal transportation, and personal electric usage will be introduced and discussed in the context of other constraints. (Note: This course is already a requirement for electrical engineering students.)
ENSC 230: Energy, Economics and the Environment
This class will explore energy markets, natural resource use and the associated environmental trade-offs involved in the implementation of conventional and renewable energy systems. The course syllabus will be developed by a team of ecologists and economics building on courses in natural resource economics, ecological economics and climatology.
