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ENGR494: Ecological Engineering As people
reproduce and spread across the globe, they encroach to an increasing extent
on the habitats of many species.
However, the effect of human development reaches beyond the direct
destruction resulting from the construction of a building or road, or even
the direct effect of pollutants emitted from human constructions and
machinery. The good news is that many
of these effects can be mitigated. In
this course students will learn about basic population processes of living
organisms, how human activity can negatively affect these processes, and how
engineering solutions may help mitigate negative effects. Students will also take case studies of
development projects, their possible or known negative effects on native
populations of organisms, and develop engineering solutions for the
mitigation of these negative impacts. Tentative Syllabus: Instructor: Mosheh Wolf,
mhwolf@uic.edu Days
and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-12:15 Place: Lecture Center A Course
Website: http://tigger.uic.edu/~mhwolf/ENGR494.htm Course
Structure: Course will consist of
lectures/presentations by instructor (invited speakers?), student team projects/presentations,
and discussions. Lectures will be held the first 2/3 of the semester, and
will be given by instructor or invited speakers. Following that, teams of 3-4 students will
give a ½ hour presentations on their projects. For their projects, student teams will
select a case study of a development project, explore its possible or known
negative effects on native populations of organisms, and develop engineering
solutions for the mitigation of these negative impacts. Case studies will be selected at the
beginning of the semester, and teams will meet with instructor over the
semester for guidance (and grading, which will be incremental). Presentations will be followed by
discussion. . Grading: Students will be graded on papers,
presentations, and participation. – Paper:
50% – Presentation: 30% – Participation: 20% Office
Visits Office hours will be by appointment Disabilities Students with disabilities who require
accommodations for access and participation in this course must be registered
with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at
312-413-2183 (voice) or 312-413-0123 (TTY). Reading
materials: van Bohemen,
H. D. (2005) Ecological Engineering:
Bridging Between Ecology and Civil Engineering.
Pullin, Andrew
S. (2002) Conservation Biology,
Assigned readings from journal articles. Syllabus A. Introduction and
organization B. Population biology models a. Population dynamics b. Stochastic processes c. Effects of population size and isolation
d. Metapopulations e. Migration C. Modeling the effects of disruption: a. Habitat loss and fragmentation b. Pollution c. Invasive species D. The design of systems for avoidance,
mitigation, or remediation: a. Habitat loss and fragmentation b. Pollution c. Invasive species E. Case studies (instructors presentations)
F. Student presentations and discussions
(Each team presents and leads ensuing discussion) |
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