Instructor:
TA:
- -Elizabeth Lee
- Office Hours:
Tues. April 13th, 12.00-1.00
Wed. April 14th, 12.00-1.00
- Marks must be picked up in person.
Green IT Project TAs
Only send Kadra your business via email -- do not post here!
- email: 5kb3@queensu.ca (You must resubmit your group member names along with business)
- Emails should contain "Mech425" in the subject line before other words
- -Amir Nosrat
- Any appropedia related queries go to me. princevictory [at] gmail.com
- Any PV related Green IT project questions and equipment borrow
Description[edit | edit source]
|
This is the main page for Mech425, a Queen's University class on Engineering for Sustainable Development.
Please leave comments using the discussion tab. |
MECH 425 Engineering for Sustainable Development[1]F 36-0-6 42
This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of engineering for sustainability and sustainable development. It covers aspects of appropriate technology, green engineering and materials, resource conservation, renewable resources, and design for extreme affordability. Another emphasis of the course is to introduce students to a range of engineering problem solving methods: methods to identify and select sustainable solutions to design problems; methods of improving existing engineering solutions; and methods of systems thinking. Technical, economic, and social consequences of engineering practices and processes will be examined to better delineate the complex engineering decisions related to social and environmental issues. The goal of this course is to assist students in the application of science and innovation to meet human needs while indefinitely preserving the life support systems of the planet. (0/0/0/21/21)
Outcomes[edit | edit source]
Students will gain an understanding of the social and environmental responsibilities of a professional engineer and the role of sustainability in engineering design and product life cycles, and advance the body of knowledge related to appropriate technologies in both Canada and in developing regions of the world. The course hopes to improve education resources and technology transfer to increase the effectiveness of student projects working towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Students will also improve their problem solving ability, written and oral communication, and teamwork skills.
Course Material[edit | edit source]
Required Course Materials[edit | edit source]
- None but put aside ~$30 for project costs
Additional Materials[edit | edit source]
- Citizen Engineer
- Sustainable Development for Engineers: A Handbook and Resource Guide, Edited by Karel Mulder, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, Greenleaf, 2006.
- Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Engineering, by Graedel and Allenby. Prentice, New York, 2010.
- Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (Paperback)by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, 2002.
- The Natural Advantage of Nations. Hargroves and Smith, eds. Earthscan: London, 2006.
- Becoming Part of the Solution: The Engineer's Guide to Sustainable Development by Bill Wallace, ASCE Publications, 2005.
- Field Guide to Appropriate Technology, Hazeltine, Barrett and Christopher Bull, editors. Academic Press, New York, 2003.
- Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World 1999 by Alan Weisman
- Assorted Journal Papers will be referenced in class and made available on the Mech425 schedule
Course Organization[edit | edit source]
Lectures will concentrate on the presentation of theory with some simple examples. Problem solving and design experience will be gained from assignments and tutorial sessions.
See Mech425 schedule
Course website: https://www.appropedia.org/Mech425
Course Marking[edit | edit source]
| Projects | Percent |
|---|---|
| Mech425 Open Access Project | 5 +5 |
| Mech425 GreenIT Project | 35 |
| Mech425 D-Lab Project | 5 |
| Mech425 Microfinance Project | 5 |
| Mech425 AT Project | 35 |
| Final Exam | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
Late Penalty[edit | edit source]
- Deduct 10% per day, up to 5 working days, then 0 mark. Only exception is for documented illness – Reg. 5d) – missed projects are penalized by the negative square of the percent total.
Policy on Academic Dishonesty – Plagiarism:
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
- Appropedia (Appropriate Technology Wiki)
- www.arup.com/sustainability/skill.cfm?pageid=4929
- (SPeARTM, Sustainable Project Appraisal Routine, a project appraisal methodology, to be used as a tool for rapid review of the sustainability of projects, plans, products and organizations)
- www.bestfootforward.com (Tools to measure and communicate environmental impact and sustainability, including an environmental measurement methodology called EcoIndexTM)
- http://www.collegepublishing.us/jesdhome.htm (Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Development: Energy, Environment, and Health)
- www.ice.org.uk/about_ice/aboutice_sustainability.asp (for the Institution of Civil Engineers' Environment and Sustainability Activity)
- www.icheme.org/sustainability (Institution of Chemical Engineers Sustainability Metrics – indicators that can be used to measure sustainability performance of an operating unit)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080922062034/http://www.naturalstep.org:80/com/nyStart/ (The Natural Step provides a visionary blueprint for a sustainable world. As an international advisory and research organization, the Natural Step work with some of the largest resource users on the planet to create solutions, models and tools designed to accelerate global sustainability)
- www.qub.ac.uk/feng/courses/RAEngGuide_lo.pdf (Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles- The Royal Academy of Engineering)
- http://sustainabilityscience.org/ (The Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development is an attempt to outline the burgeoning field. Rather than looking broadly at sustainability, the Forum focuses on the way in which science and innovation can be conducted and applied to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet.)
- www.wbcsd.org (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)
- (World Energy Council promotes the sustainable supply and use of energy)
- http://portal.unesco.org/ev.php?URL_ID=1071&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201&reload=1045842260 (UNESCO Portal for Sustainable Development)
- ---
- ↑ Sustainable development is development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Winter 2010[edit | edit source]
Weekly Schedule: (note change to printed schedule in bold)
| day | time | Place |
|---|---|---|
| t | 930 | Jef 126 |
| w | 1130 | MIL 105 |
| th | 830 | Jef 126 |
| f | 1030 | Jef 126 |
Safety Training[edit | edit source]
The Department of Environmental Health and Safety is offering several WHMIS training sessions. The courses will be held in the Faculty and Staff Learning Facility, Macintosh Corry, Room B176, Lecture Theatre.
The courses are open to all Queen's students, graduate students, staff, and faculty. The session will be approximately two and a half hours in length and will include an on-line quiz. You must have Queen's Netid to access the on-line quiz. For those people who do not have a Netid, a hard copy quiz will be available. The quiz will be marked and certificates issued upon successful completion.
The course dates are:
- Tuesday, January 12, 2010 (1:30 pm - 4:00 pm)
- Thursday, February 11, 2010 (1:30 pm - 4:00 pm)
- Wednesday, March 10, 2010 (9:00 am - 11:30 am)
You may register for this course by going to http://www.safety.queensu.ca/courses/whmis.htm
You need to take the refresher quiz every year - go here
- Off Campus Activity Safety Forms: Queen's University Environmental Health and Safety
