ENST 334: Alternative Energy Research and Implementation
On-campus class followed by three weeks in Norway
Class meets for 1.5 hours per week during on-campus portion.
Director: Professor
Beth Parks, Department of
Physics and Astronomy On-campus course: Spring 2014
Tentative travel dates: May 12–June 3, 2014
Course credit: One credit
Prerequisite: Students will be accepted from all concentrations, with preference given to ENST concentrators. Secondary preference will be given to students who have completed ENST coursework or science classes that will allow them to contribute to the knowledge basis of the class.
Information Sessions: To Be Announced
Norway is in an unusual position with regards to energy: it has become a prosperous nation on the basis of its oil reserves, but it is a socially liberal country with a deep commitment to halting global warming. Norway developed the first commercial carbon sequestration site, and it has since built a second, with a third site in development. Additionally, it has committed substantial research funds to energy conservation and alternative energy technologies. The Norway extended study program works at four sites in Norway: Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim, and Hammerfest. The first three sites house centers of research on alternative energy and carbon capture; the fourth site is a working carbon capture and storage plant. The group will travel nearly the entire length of Norway, moving about 1,000 miles from south to north, so that by the end of the trip, we will (weather permitting!) experience the famed midnight sun.
The on-site component will consist of lectures, tours, and projects at research labs. We will also have excursions to glaciers and fjords, and we will speak with experts about attitudes of Norwegians on fossil fuel and alternative energy.
The extended study experience will be part of a one-credit course. In the on-campus portion of the course, students will learn the fundamentals of existing alternative energy technologies such as wind energy (including land, shallow water, and deep water), solar energy, tidal and wave energy, as well as carbon capture and storage technology. This groundwork will allow students to understand (and, in some cases, participate in) current research.
Student Cost Estimate