Syllabus – Introduction to Environmental Engineering – ENVE 120 – Spring 2019

Instructor: Jordan Peccia Office Hours: TBA

17 Hillhouse Rm 523
(203) 432-4385
Jordan.Peccia@Yale.edu

TF: Alisha Chan

Alisha.Chan@Yale.edu Office Hours: TBA

Cody Ritt
Cody.Ritt@Yale.edu Office Hours: TBA

Course Times and Location: 1-2:15 pm, Tuesday and Thursday, HLH17, Room 113

Course Content: This course will introduce relevant elements of environmental engineering, typically to
Freshmen and Sophomore-level students. The course provides a broad survey of the discipline from which
to understand, design and evaluate environmental systems.

I have set four course objectives. By the end of this class you will be able to:

1) demonstrate a familiarity with the scope and purpose of environmental engineering and
identify new frontiers in the discipline;
2) demonstrate a knowledge of water and air quality parameters and an understanding of
the associated chemistry and biology;
3) apply mass balances, reactor theory and transport theory to solve quantitative water and
air quality problems, design bioenergy systems and assess environmental problems;
4) critically evaluate and discuss contemporary environmental contaminant issues that are
of concern as an environmental engineer and as a citizen.

Text: One textbook is required for this course: J. Mihelcic and J. Zimmerman. Environmental Engineering,
Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design Wiley and Sons Inc., New York, 2010. FIRST EDITION.

Course Information: The course syllabus, schedule, homework assignments, and other supplemental
material will be posted Canvas. You are responsible for the material posted and presented in lectures.

Workload: Weekly reading assignments and homework, two midterms, and one final exam comprise the
majority of work in this course.

Reading Assignments. Reading assignments from the textbook and other sources will be
assigned at the beginning of class. You are responsible for reading this material BEFORE class
on the specified due date.

Homework Assignments. Weekly problem sets will be assigned (about 8 assignments total).
Completing these assignments comprises an important portion of this class and will be required
preparation for the midterm exams. Problem sets will require both essay and mathematical
proficiency. Weekly assignments will be posted on the course webpage. Homework is due at the
beginning of class. No late homework will be accepted and you can drop the lowest score.

I would like your homework solutions to follow a very specific format. For full credit on your
homework please follow this format:
 1. Restate the objective of the problem. For example, “The objective of problem #2 is to determine
the total mass (kg) of carbon dioxide emitted from my Ford Pinto during my 19 mile commute to
work each day.”
2. Identify the physical setting of the problem with a well labeled figure of the system or a
brief statement of the physical setting, list of important parameters, dimensions,
constants, etc.
3. Solve the problem showing all assumptions without skipping any steps and include a
brief running summary so that I can follow exactly what you have done. Circle your
answers and call attention to important intermediate results.
4. Discuss briefly (one complete sentence) the significance of the results.

Midterm Exams. Two midterm exams will be given. The exams are closed book and closed
notes. A one-page “crib sheet” may be used by each student. Students may not use anything
belonging to another student and may not give or accept assistance during an exam. This exam
will require both essay and mathematical proficiency.

Final Exam. One comprehensive final exam will be given—same rules as the midterm exam.

Evaluation. Grades will be assigned based on weekly problem sets and the midterm and final
exams. Scores will be weighted to compute final grades as listed below:

20% homework
50% midterms
30% final exam

Grading Scale. I will use the following grading scale:

A 100 to 93%.
A- 93-90%
B+ 90-87%
B 87-83%
B- 83-80%
C+ 80-77%
C 77-70%

I don’t expect anyone to get below a 70% (D) or 60% (F) in this class.

You may question my or the TF’s grading at any time, I will regrade your work and adjust the score up or
down according to my reassessment.

Participation. Your participation in this class is necessary. Expect to be called on every class period. You
may also be required to work in groups and present calculations in front of the class.

Diversity. Engineers are expected to treat others fairly, with respect and courtesy, regardless of such factors
as race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability, age, or national origin. In this class, you are
expected to contribute to the overall campus climate such that others feel welcome, are respected, and are
able to develop to their full potential. This will allow each person to contribute to the success of the class
as a whole. Yale, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and your course instructor are
committed to maintaining a productive, enjoyable and diverse campus environment.

Thinking critically and independently. It is my sincere hope that as a graduate of Yale, you will be a
thoughtful citizen as well as a fundamentally sound engineer. Your questions, thoughts, and comments are
valuable and encouraged throughout this course.

Academic integrity. I don’t mind if you work together on homework, in fact I encourage it. You must,
however, come up with your own solution to the problems. Turning in an exact copy of your classmates’
 homework is not acceptable. I am intolerant of dishonesty. Students found guilty of violations of academic
integrity are subject to one or more of the following penalties: written reprimand, probation, suspension
(noted on a student’s transcript) or dismissal (noted on a student’s transcript).

Your teacher: The above items are my expectations of students in this class. I am sincerely committed to
your learning and will provide support so that you can meet these expectations. It is my goal to be
accessible to each student in the class. Please use my office hours. If your schedule does not permit, we
can work out another time. I’m glad that you have chosen to study environmental engineering, and I
look forward to our semester together!

ENVE 120 Schedule, Spring 2019

Dates are approximate and minor changes to this schedule are likely and will be announced in
class. Make-up classes may be scheduled if a class must be canceled.

DATE TOPICS
Jan. 15 to Introduction: air and water
Jan 24 Fundamentals: concentrations, impurities in water, impurities in air
Jan. 29 to Climate Change: Ocean acidification and the pH of rain
Feb. 7 Fundamentals: chemical precipitation, acid/base reactions, alkalinity and the carbonate
system, broader applications
Engineering: Design a process to remove heavy metals from contaminated mine waste.
Feb. 12 to Surrounded by synthetic organic chemicals: What is your exposure to brominated flame
Feb. 26 retardants?
Fundamentals: Henry’s law, sorption and solubility of organic compounds, risk analysis,
broader applications
Engineering: Risk analysis your change of developing cancer due to benzene in ground
Feb. 28 water
Midterm exam #1
Mar. 5 to Drinking Water and Sanitation in the Developing World: What techniques can be used to
April 4 treat water in low income communities?
Fundamentals: pathogens, biochemical oxygen demand, mass balance and reactor theory,
selected water treatment processes, selected wastewater treatment processes.
Engineering: Design of low cost drinking water treatment systems for different water
qualities.
April 9 Midterm exam #2
April 11 to Air Quality around the world: How can we solve air pollution problems in China and India?
April 25 Fundamentals: NAAQS parameters, aerodynamic diameter/aerosol physics, aerosol
transport modeling
Engineering: Trapped in Beijing-how to reduce personal exposure to PM2.5

Final Exam TBA