ENGRI 1230

Complexity in the Environment

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

This course deals with phenomena in the Earth, oceans, and atmosphere which are at once obviously organized and still unpredictable. Examples include earthquakes and landslides, volcanism, river networks, forest fires, animal migration, and atmospheric turbulence. The processes at work are complex (dynamic, nonlinear, and unstable) and can defy analysis by the methods studied by undergraduate engineers (and even seasoned professionals). However, some simple physical and computational models can be applied to these problems which give deep insights into their organization and variability. Complexity in the environment will be explored through a series of illustrative lessons, examples, and computational demonstrations (in Python). The course will culminate in a project in which each student will design a solution method for a problem of personal interest.

When Offered Spring (offered alternate years).

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