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SPRING 2007

UNIVERSITY STUDIES SENIOR CAPSTONE
Towards Carbon Neutrality at Portland State University

Project Description - The purpose of this Senior Capstone will be to evaluate the potential for Portland State University to become ‘carbon neutral’ and to involve students in energy and policy decisions with PSU administration to move toward this goal. Global climate change is a critical issue that has been identified by PSU students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Collectively the PSU community is committed to adopting strategies to mitigate the impact of campus activities on the Earth’s climate. Through weekly readings and discussions, this course will also explore scientific, societal, economic, political, and ethical dimensions of global climate change.

WINTER 2007

PHYSICS 426 & 526 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

Course Description - Concepts of temperature, work, and heat; first and second laws of thermodynamics and applications; thermodynamic potentials; heat engines, Carnot cycle, and ideal gases; entropy and its statistical interpretation; kinetic theory of gases; classical and quantum statistics; introduction to statistical mechanical ensembles.

Prerequisites Recommended - Physics 203/213, Physics 311, Mathematics 254

Textbook - Thermal Physics by Daniel Schroeder

FALL 2007

PHYSICS 434 & 534 - Methods of Mathematical Physics

Course Description - A survey of methods of applied mathematics used in modern physics, to include: vectors, matrices, operators, and eigenvalues; tensors; complex variables and complex analysis; Delta function and Green’s Function; Fourier series; and Fourier transform.

Prerequisites Recommended
Physics 201–203/211–213: General physics
Physics 311-312: Modern physics
Mathematics 251–253: Calculus I-III
Mathematics 256: Differential equations and multivariate calculus
Mathematics 261: Linear Algebra

Textbook - Mathematics for Physicists by Susan M. Lea

FALL 2006

PHYSICS 399 - Weather

Course Description - This course provides an overview of the science of the Earth’s atmosphere. The goal of the course is to develop an understanding of processes that are responsible for weather and climate. We will learn about diverse topics ranging from weather here in Portland to hurricanes that ravage the southeast United States, from regional weather forecasts to global climate change. The emphasis of the course will be on concepts that govern these phenomena.

Prerequisites
None

Textbook - Meteorology Today, 8th Edition by C. Donald Ahrens