Engineering for Sustainability (Summer School)
Academic Study Board of the Faculty of Engineering
Teaching language: English
EKA: T910002102
Censorship: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Summer school (spring)
Level: Bachelor
Course ID: T910002101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 16-12-2022
Duration: Intensive course
Version: Archive
Course ID
Course Title
ECTS value
5
Internal Course Code
Responsible study board
Administrative Unit
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
| Name | Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Ciprian Cimpan | cic@igt.sdu.dk | SDU Life Cycle Engineering |
| Mette Smølz Skau | mskau@tek.sdu.dk | TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support |
Teachers
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birgitte Lilholt Sørensen | bls@igt.sdu.dk | SDU Life Cycle Engineering | |
| Henrik Wenzel | henrik.wenzel@igt.sdu.dk | SDU Life Cycle Engineering | |
| Wu Chen | wuc@igt.sdu.dk | SDU Life Cycle Engineering |
Programme Secretary
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Carøe Sørensen | tcs@tek.sdu.dk | TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support |
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Mandatory prerequisites
You must have completed at least two years of studies at university level (equivalent to 120 ECTS) in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences or economics and have an interest in sustainability.
Learning objectives - Knowledge
The aim of this course is to provide knowledge about:
- the history and development of global sustainability challenges (e.g., climate change, water shortage, food security, and energy supply) and policy frameworks/agendas (e.g., circular economy, green economy, bioeconomy, material and energy efficiency, urban sustainability, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals);
- basic concepts, tools, and theories used in understanding and assessing the sustainability of growth and development as well as in environmental system analysis and industrial ecology, especially material flow analysis and life cycle assessment;
- environmental impacts related to societal production and consumption activities and sectors (e.g., electronic waste, buildings, and transportation sector);
- the system perspective of sustainable development, especially the linkages of different sustainability challenges (including food-energy-water nexus and material-energy nexus).
Learning objectives - Skills
Be able to work with the following skills to:
- choose appropriate environmental system analysis tools for addressing given societal sustainability challenges;
- assess framework conditions for industry or societal production and consumption activities;
- describe/characterize specific material and energy flows for a given system/problem, identify their impacts on the environment, and explore drivers behind and mitigation strategies from a systems and engineering perspective.
Learning objectives - Competences
Have the competences to:
- become aware of core sustainability challenges of modern societies and the potentials and limitations of engineering knowledge in addressing those challenges;
- start using system thinking and system approaches for solving complex problems and communicate the results with stakeholders.
Content
We believe that engineers can contribute to creating sustainable solutions for our future. This requires understanding of the interactions between technologies and systems with the world on a global scale. It requires a holistic approach, getting an insight in the consequences of our decisions: How can we create a solution that solves one problem without generating another problem somewhere else?
The course provides you with skills for understanding the challenges of sustainable development. You will get an introduction to Environmental System Analysis theory, methods and tools. You will learn when and how to apply such methods to the engineering tasks of assessing and designing sustainable solutions. We apply a systems approach throughout the course, and you will get insight in some of the societal frameworks and concepts to sustainability such as Industrial Ecology, Industrial Symbiosis, Circular Economy and Bio-Economy as well as the concept of Cleaner Technology/Best Available Technology and its role in EU environmental regulation. You will get an introduction to some of the core tools, e.g. Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment. Further, you will get a good insight in the advanced Danish initiatives of sustainable development of the societal infrastructure systems such as energy and waste management systems.
The course is run by researchers from SDU Life Cycle Engineering. The aim of our research is to optimize engineering solutions with concerns for their resource consumption, energy efficiency and impacts on climate and environment. We strive to develop the knowledge and methods for achieving this insight from an overall holistic perspective. We are engaged in exciting projects in various areas, and we will include relevant examples from our ongoing projects in the course to give you an impression of “what’s going on right now” in these fields.
URL for Skemaplan
Number of lessons
Teaching Method
Lectures plus group work.
Results of the group work are an integrated part of the teaching and will be presented and evaluated during the course. Students participate significantly in class and carry out project work in small teams. The work, analysis of the problems and reporting will be performed in teams of 3-4 persons.
Time of classes
2 weeks in August
Teaching language
Examination regulations
Exam regulations
Name
Exam regulations
Examination is held
Examination is held: August
Tests
Exam
EKA
T910002102
Name
Exam
Description
The examination is based on an overall assessment of:
- Attendance (80%).
- Group work based report handed in before/on the last day.
Form of examination
Compulsory assignment
Censorship
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
English
ECTS value
5
Additional exam information
The form of examination in the re-examination is the same as in the ordinary examination except the requirement of 80% attendance which is removed.
Additional information
Enrollment is limited to 30 students. If more applicants than places, applicants who meet the mandatory requirements are prioritised according to the below selection criteria:
- Undergraduate and graduate students from partner universities (exchange); international undergraduate and graduate guest students (fee-paying); undergraduate and graduate students from other Danish universities.
- Ph.D students from partner universities and other international Ph.D. students; other applicants.
Students are prioritised on a first come, first served basis, i.e. according to the time we receive your complete application.
In case a course is filled up, we try to offer you an alternative course from your list of priorities. All final decisions about admission will be sent out continually.