Course Structure

Curriculum Concentrations

Sample Course Matrix

Available Courses

Course Description

IMES Curriculum

The duration of IMES Course on Bioenergy and Environment is 18 months. In the first year, the course will only include the intensive lecturing in the 6 topics given below. The lectures will have both theoretical and practical parts, including laboratory studies and tutorials. In addition, there will be field visits, workshops which will be held either at the installations of the faculties or in places of organisations associated with the IMES course. The last 6 months of the course will be for the realisation of a project of a research work or a technological development study, which will lead to an elaboration of a dissertation. For a selected number of students, mobility grants will be made available for a stage period in US and/or EU partner Universities.

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CURRICULUM CONCENTRATIONS

1. Enviromental Science
   - Biomass production
   - Biomass conversion technologies
   - Power generation and system analysis
   - Liquid Biofuel Utilisation, Chemicals and Hydrogen
   - Environment
   - Business management and economy
   
2. Biofuels
   - Energy crops
   - Energy production from biomass: technologies
   - Energy production from biomass: environmental impacts
   - Preliminary mechanical processes: harvesting, storage of draft or pellettized biomass
   - Bio-chemical conversion and thermo chemical conversion (hydrolysis, pyrolysis, gasification), bio-fuels characterization (chemical stability, specific heat)
   - Economic evaluation of biomass cultures
   - Evaluation of integrated bio-systems (cultures, power plants, and environment) projects implementation
   - Specialization of bio-fuels into bio-fuels to transport
   
3. Air Quality
   - Air Pollution and Air Toxics
   - Environmental chemistry
   - International Environmental Management: comparison of potential solutions from a technological, economic and political basis
   - Measurement methods for Air Quality Analysis: As part of the course students will have the opportunity to collect, reduce and analyze data from one of the Baylor University aircraft-based sampling platforms.
   - Air Quality Data Analysis: converting observations into useful information from the perspective of environmental management.

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SAMPLE COURSE MATRIX

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AVAILABLE COURSES

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GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

AVS 4305 Special Topics in Quantitative Methods
Prerequisite(s): AVS 1311 and AVS 1312.
Advanced quantitative methods for air science related environmental research. May be repeated for credit provided content is different. For Graduate Credit students will be assigned a project by the instructor in addition to the course work assigned to undergraduate students.

AVS 4314 Meteorology (Cross-listed with GEO 4314 GEOG 4314)
Prerequisite(s): Upper-level standing or consent of instructor.
Composition of the atmosphere, atmospheric processes, weather disturbances, and climate elements and controls. Emphasis is placed on climate classification and measurements of human inputs into the atmosphere.

AVS 4320 Air Pollution Sampling and Testing
Prerequisite(s): CHE 1301; and AVS 1311; and AVS 1312; and AVS 4305.
Air pollution characterization and movement, principles and operation of pollution measuring instruments, air sampling techniques both at ground level and using instrumented aircraft, and interpretation and analysis of the data obtained. For Graduate Credit students will be assigned a project by the instructor in addition to the course work assigned to undergraduate students.

AVS 4321 Energy Economics (Cross-listed as ECO 4321 ENV 4321)
Origins of the energy crisis; the effect of oil prices on inflation and the international monetary system; the origins and nature of OPEC; the economic feasibility of alternative energy sources; U.S. energy policy alternatives; and other current issues in the field of energy economics. A portion of the course is devoted to examining the energy industry in Texas and the Southwest.

AVS 4323 The Environment & Economic Analysis (Cross-listed as ENV 4323 ECO 4323)
Economic analysis in description, analysis, and policy formulation of environmental problems such as natural resource development, ecology, energy needs, noise, water, and air pollution. Economic tools used will include social welfare analysis, externalities, and benefit cost analysis.

AVS 4330 Aviation Fuels
Prerequisite(s): AVS 1311, AVS 1312, CHE 1301 or Permission of Instructor.
General overview of fuels, combustion processes including energy release and maximum flame temperature calculations, fuels specific to aviation - sources, properties, manufacture, and distribution. Alternative fuels for aviation - sources, properties, manufacture, distribution, pollution and other ecological issues, and safety issues. For Graduate Credit students will be assigned a project by the instructor in addition to the course work assigned to undergraduate students.

AVS 4340 Flight Performance Testing
Prerequisite(s): AVS 1311 and AVS 1312 and Private Pilot License and AVS 4305 credit or concurrent enrollment in AVS 4315 or permission of instructor.
Exploration of the theoretical and practical performance of aircraft including methods and techniques needed to determine airspeed calibration, climb and descent performance, level flight performance, takeoff and landing distance determinations, turning performance and energy performance. Practical flight tests will be conducted using different aircraft and aviation fuels.

AVS 4385 Introduction to Geographic Information systems (Cross-listed as ENV 4384 GEO 4385 GEOG 4385)
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and upper-level standing.
Map properties, map design, remote sensing, GPS, and the growth and development of geographic information. Students will use computers and other tools related to Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

AVS 4386 Remote Sensing (Cross-listed as BIO 4386 ENV 4386 GEO 4386)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Physical mechanisms of surface and atmospheric materials absorption, transmittance, reflection, and emittance of light measured by various remote sensing platforms. Survey various applications related to earth science, ecology, meteorology, and environmental science.

AVS 4387 Applied Geographic Information Systems (Cross-listed as ENV 4388 GEO 4387 GEOG 4387)
Prerequisite(s): GEO 4385 or consent of instructor
Principles and techniques of spatial data collection, handling, analysis, and visualization. Application of geographic information systems technology in land use, ecology, resource management, environmental site evaluation, demographics and marketing, and map-making. Hands-on experience with workstation and ware.

AVS 5100 Seminars in Biology - Global Climate Change (Cross-listed as BIO 5100)
Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing in biology and related fields.
Topics of current interest in various subdisciplines of biology. Topics change each semester. Involves presentation of seminars by enrolled graduate students. May be repeated only with changes in topics.

*AVS 5310 Development of Biofuels in Aviation
Prerequisite(s): AVS 1311, AVS 1312, or Course Comparable
Rational for developing and using biofuels in aviation. History of the development of biofuels as aviation fuels. History of fossil fuels. International experience in aviation biofuels. Economic, environmental and energy security considerations in the use of biofuels. Technical considerations and testing procedures including FAA certification procedures.

AVS 5368 Integrated Energy Resource Systems (Cross-listed as ENV 5368)
A seminar approach which examines various examples of integrated energy systems combining different renewable and conventional resources.

AVS 5391 Measurement Methods and Data Analysis for Air Pollution Research
(Cross-listed as ENV 5391)
Prerequisite(s): CHE 1301 and Che 1302, or AVS 4320 and AVS 4330, or permission of instructor.
Measurements methods, such as spectroscopy, and statistical analysis used to characterize the chemical and physical properties of air to determine pollution levels and air quality.

AVS 5393 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Cross-listed as ENV 5393)
Prerequisite(s): CHE 1301 and CHE 1302, or AVS 4320 and AVS 4330, or permission of instructor.
Chemistry and physics of the troposphere and stratosphere, including photochemistry, chemical kenetics, aerosol formation, micrometeorology, atmospheric modeling, and other advanced topics.


*Pending approval of Curriculum Committee

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