Education
The following are courses offered at Iowa State University related to building energy.
Further information about the courses listed below can be found in the Iowa State University Course Catalog.
Aerospace Engineering
Aer E 570. Wind Engineering. (Same as E M 570) Atmospheric circulations, atmospheric boundary layer wind, bluff-body aerodynamics, aeroelastic phenomena, wind-tunnel and full-scale testing, wind-load code and standards, effect of tornado and thunderstorm winds, design applications.
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
A E 216. Fundamentals of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Application of mathematics and engineering sciences to energy and mass balances in agricultural and biological systems. Emphasis is on solving engineering problems in the areas of air and water vapor systems; electrical systems, grain systems; food systems, hydrologic systems, and bioprocessing.
A E 404. Instrumentation for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. (Dual-listed with A E 504.) Interfacing techniques for computer-based data acquisition and control systems. Basic interfacing components including A/D and D/A conversion, signal filtering, multiplexing, and process control. Sensors and theory of operation applied to practical monitoring and control problems.
A E 478. Design of Agricultural Structures. (Dual-listed with A E 578).A E 478. Wood Frame Structural Design. (Dual-listed with A E 578). Design of light-framed wood structures. Includes analysis of wind, snow, dead, and live loads. Applications include animal housing and machine storage. Fasteners, laminated posts, truss design and use of National Design Specifications.
A E 472. Design of Environmental Modification Systems for Animal Housing. (Dual-listed with A E 572). Principles and design of animal environmental control systems. Insulation, heat and mass transfer, fans, ventilation, air distribution, heating and cooling equipment, duct design, controls.
A E 504. Instrumentation for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. (Dual-listed with A E 404.)
A E 572. Design of Environmental Modification Systems for Animal Housing. (Dual-listed with A E 472).
A E 578. Wood Frame Structural Design. (Dual-listed with A E 478).
Agronomy
Agron 120. Introduction to Renewable Resources. (Cross-listed with Env S, NREM). Overview of soil, water, plants, and animals as renewable natural resources in an ecosystem context. History and organization of resource management. Concepts of integrated resource management.
Agron 404. Global Change. (Dual-listed with Agron 504; same as EnSci 404, Env S 404, Mteor 404.). Recent changes in global biogeochemical cycles and climate; models of future changes in climate system; impacts of global change on agriculture, water resources and human health; ethical issues of global environmental change.
Agron 504. Global Change. (Dual-listed with Agron 404; same as Mteor 504.)
American Indian Studies
Arch 426. Topics in Native American Architecture. (Cross-listed with Arch, Dsn S). History, theory, and principles of Native American/American Indian architecture, landscape architecture and planning considering relationships to the culture, visual arts, site, and surroundings. Credit counts toward fulfillment of Studies in Architecture and Culture requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of Arch 426 may be applied to degree program. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Architecture
Arch 426. Topics in Native American Architecture. (Cross-listed with Am In, Dsn S). History, theory, and principles of Native American/American Indian architecture, landscape architecture and planning considering relationships to the culture, visual arts, site, and surroundings. Credit counts toward fulfillment of Studies in Architecture and Culture requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of Arch 426 may be applied to degree program. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Arch 558. Sustainability and Green Architecture. (Cross-listed with Dsn S). Issues of Sustainability as related to living patterns and city design, population, pollution and use and availability of natural resources for the built environment; Issues of Green Architecture as it relates to building material selection, systems of building materials, the environment of the United States and the World, architects and examples of buildings with green or sustainable designations.
Biorenewable Resources and Technology
BRT 501. Fundamentals of Biorenewable Resources. Introduction to the science and engineering of converting biorenewable resources into bioenergy and biobased products. Survey of biorenewable resource base and properties; description of biobased products; methods of biorenewable resource production; processing technologies for fuels, chemicals, materials, and energy; environmental impacts; economics of biobased products and bioenergy.
Community Development
C Dev 502. Community and Natural Resource Management. (3-0) Cr. 3. Detailed introduction to community resource management. Theoretical frameworks, methodological investigation, applied practices. Enhancement of ability of community development professionals to work with communities to plan, develop and monitor conversation and development of natural resources with multiple functions.
Design Studies
Dsn S 270. Forces Shaping Our Metropolitan Environment. (Cross-listed with C R P). (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Must be taken prior to completing 9 credits in C R P. Introduction to the social, political, physical, and economic forces as they shape metropolitan areas. A comprehensive picture of metropolitan development showing important roles other urban disciplines play in the planning process and the interrelationships of the disciplines.
Dsn S 426. Topics in Native American Architecture. (Cross-listed with Am In, Arch). History, theory, and principles of Native American/American Indian architecture, landscape architecture and planning considering relationships to the culture, visual arts, site, and surroundings. Credit counts toward fulfillment of Studies in Architecture and Culture requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of Arch 426 may be applied to degree program. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Dsn S 558. Sustainability and Green Architecture. (Cross-listed with Arch). Issues of Sustainability as related to living patterns and city design, population, pollution and use and availability of natural resources for the built environment; Issues of Green Architecture as it relates to building material selection, systems of building materials, the environment of the United States and the World, architects and examples of buildings with green or sustainable designations.
Economics
Econ 380. Environmental and Resource Economics. (Cross-listed with Env S). Natural resource availability, use, conservation, and government policy, including energy issues. Environmental quality and pollution control policies.
Econ 680. Advanced Resource Economics. Dynamic allocation of scarce, exhaustible, and renewable natural resources, including minerals and energy, soil, water, forests, and fish. Social versus private decisions. Market and nonmarket considerations. Technological change. Regulation. Dynamics and uncertainty.
Engineering Mechanics
E M 570. Wind Engineering. (Same as Aer E 570.) Atmospheric circulations, atmospheric boundary layer wind, bluff-body aerodynamics, aeroelastic phenomena, wind-tunnel and full-scale testing, wind-load code and standards, effect of tornado and thunderstorm winds, design applications.
Environmental Sciences
EnSci 381. Environmental Systems. (Dual-listed with 581). Dynamics of natural environmental systems. Systems approach to the analysis of material and energy flows and to understanding major physical, chemical, and biological processes in environmental systems. Laboratory emphasizes mass balance analysis and environmental simulation modeling. Nonmajor graduate credit.
EnSci 504. Global Change. (Dual-listed with Agron 404; same as Mteor 504.)
EnSci 480. Engineering Analysis of Biological Systems. (Dual-listed with EnSci 580). Systems-level engineering analysis of biological systems. Economic and life-cycle analysis of bioresource production and conversion systems. Global energy and resource issues and the role of biologically derived materials in addressing these issues. Students enrolled in EnSci 580 will be required to answer additional exam questions and report on two journal articles.
EnSci 580. Engineering Analysis of Biological Systems. (Dual-listed with EnSci 480). Systems-level engineering analysis of biological systems. Economic and life-cycle analysis of bioresource production and conversion systems. Global energy and resource issues and the role of biologically derived materials in addressing these issues. Students enrolled in EnSci 580 will be required to answer additional exam questions and report on two journal articles.
EnSci 581. Environmental Systems. (Dual-listed with 381). Dynamics of natural environmental systems. Systems approach to the analysis of material and energy flows and to understanding major physical, chemical, and biological processes in environmental systems. Laboratory emphasizes mass balance analysis and environmental simulation modeling.
Environmental Studies
Env S 120. Introduction to Renewable Resources. (Cross-listed with Agron, NREM). Overview of soil, water, plants, and animals as renewable natural resources in an ecosystem context. History and organization of resource management. Concepts of integrated resource management.
Env S 130. Natural Resources and Agriculture. (Cross-listed with NREM). Survey of the ecology and management of fish, forest, and wildlife resources in areas of intensive agriculture, with emphasis on Iowa. Conservation and management practices for private agricultural lands. Designed for nonmajors.
Env S 201. Introduction to Environmental Issues. Ecological and human/societal dimensions of environmental issues; how humans and their institutions interact with and affect the environment; how societies are affected by environmental change. Selected issues such as human population growth, loss of biodiversity, and effects of agriculture on the environment.
Env S 324. Energy and the Environment. (Cross-listed with Geol, Mteor). Renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Origin, occurance, and extraction of fossil fuels. Nuclear, wind, and solar energy. Energy efficiency. Environmental effects of energy production and use, including air pollution, acid precipitation, groundwater contamination, and nuclear waste disposal, and global climate change.
Env S 380. Environmental and Resource Economics. (Cross-listed with Econ). Natural resource availability, use, conservation, and government policy, including energy issues. Environmental quality and pollution control policies.
Geology
Geol 324. Energy and the Environment. (Cross-listed with Env S, Mteor). Renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Origin, occurrence, and extraction of fossil fuels. Nuclear, wind, and solar energy. Energy efficiency. Environmental effects of energy production and use, including air pollution, acid precipitation, groundwater contamination, nuclear waste disposal, and global climate change. Geol 324 does not count toward credits required in the Geology major.
Management Information Systems
MIS 432. Information Systems Analysis. Critical analysis of business processes, data and process modeling, feasibility studies, CASE tools, and developing system design specifications.
MIS 438. Information Systems Development. Design of business systems using contemporary tools and methods such as SQL, CASE tools, OOD tools, etc. Focuses on synthesizing concepts from earlier MIS courses.
MIS 439. Topics in Management of Information Systems. A variety of topics will be covered and topics may vary between semesters. Some of the topics are information resources management, electronic commerce, decision support systems, and expert systems.
Mechanical Engineering
M E 433. Alternative Energy Conversion. Basic principles, thermodynamics, and performance of alternative energy conversion technologies such as direct energy conversion (fuel cells, photovoltaics, magnetohydrodynamics), wind energy, biomass energy, non-combustion thermal sources (ocean gradients, geothermal and nuclear fusion), non-conventional environmental energy sources (ocean tides and currents), and finally other alternative approaches (molecular motors, cryoengines, and solar sailing). Performance analysis and operating principles of systems and components, economic analysis for system design and operation.
M E 441. Fundamentals of Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning. Space conditioning and moist air processes. Application of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid flow principles to the analysis of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning components and systems. Performance and specification of components and systems.
M E 442. Heating and Air Conditioning Design. Design criteria and assessment of building environment and energy requirements. Design of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems. System control and economic analysis.
M E 444. Elements and Performance of Power Plants. Basic principles, thermodynamics, engineering analysis of power plant systems. Topics include existing power plant technologies, the advanced energyplex systems of the future, societal impacts of power production, and environmental and regulatory concerns.
M E 530. Advanced Thermodynamics. Fundamentals of thermodynamics from the classical viewpoint with emphasis on the use of the first and second laws for analysis of thermal systems. Generalized thermodynamic relationships. Computer applications of thermodynamic properties and system analysis. Selected topics.
M E 536. Advanced Heat Transfer. Advanced treatment of heat transmission by conduction, convection, and radiation.
M E 538. Advanced Fluid Flow. Detailed analysis of incompressible/compressible, viscous/inviscid, laminar/turbulent, and developing fluid flows on a particle/point control volume basis.
M E 540. Solar Energy Systems. Application of heat transfer, thermodynamics and photovoltaics to the design and analysis of solar energy collectors and systems.
Meteorology
Mteor 324. Energy and the Environment. (Cross-listed with Env S, Geol). Renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Origin, occurrence, and extraction of fossil fuels. Nuclear, wind, and solar energy. Energy efficiency. Environmental effects of energy production and use, including air pollution, acid precipitation, groundwater contamination, nuclear waste disposal, and global climate change. Mteor 324 does not count toward credits required in the Meteorology major.
Mteor 404. Global Change. (Dual-listed with Mteor 504; same as Agron 404, EnSci 404, Env S 404.) Recent changes in global biogeochemical cycles and climate; models of future changes in the climate system; impacts of global change on agriculture, water resources and human health; ethical issues of global environmental change.
Mteor 504. Global Change. (Dual-listed with Mteor 404; same as Agron 504.)
Mteor 605. Micrometeorology. Atmospheric boundary layer, structure and dynamics. Turbulence, soil influences, measurements and empirical relations for wind and temperature profiles near the ground. Simulation of boundary layer structure and dynamics.
Natural Resource Ecology and Management
NREM 120. Introduction to Renewable Resources. (Cross-listed with Agron, Env S). Overview of soil, water, plants, and animals as renewable natural resources in an ecosystem context. History and organization of resource management. Concepts of integrated resource management.
Env S 130. Natural Resources and Agriculture. (Cross-listed with NREM). Survey of the ecology and management of fish, forest, and wildlife resources in areas of intensive agriculture, with emphasis on Iowa. Conservation and management practices for private agricultural lands. Designed for nonmajors.
Technology Systems Management
TSM 210. Fundamentals of Technology. Introduction to problem solving related to fundamental agricultural and/or industrial technology systems. Basic laws of energy, force, and mass applied to technology systems such as: mechanical power transmission; equipment calibration; environmental and natural resources; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; electrical circuits. Using the time value of money to make economic decisions.
Experimental Courses
Agronomy 443X. Environmental Management of Livestock. (Dual listed with 543X. Same as An S 443X/543X) (3-2) Cr. 4. Prereq: An S 319, or Agron 212 and Agron 354.Relationship of livestock production to environmental quality. Management approaches to preserve environmental quality and optimize productivity of farming enterprises through effective integration of resources in confinement and grazing-based livestock production systems. Development of management plans.
Agronomy 543X. Environmental Management of Livestock. (Dual listed with 443X. Same as Agron 443X/543X) (3-2) Cr. 4. Prereq: An S 319, or Agron 212 and Agron 354.Relationship of livestock production to environmental quality. Management approaches to preserve environmental quality and optimize productivity of farming enterprises through effective integration of resources in confinement and grazing-based livestock production systems. Development of management plans.
Biorenewable Resources and Technology 620X. Food, Energy, and Quality of Life in Iowa. (Cross-listed with Agron 620X and SusAg 620X). Cr. 4. F. Prereq: SusAg 590 and 610, or instructors' permission. Intensive investigation of conventional alternative food and energy systems. In Iowa at the present time and projections of trend lines for both into the future. A 9-day immersion field experience is required in addition to the two c ontact hours for lection per week.