Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment Jump To: Jump To: Overview The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment is a multidisciplinary research and education center that unites scientists and educators from across engineering, architecture, the social and natural sciences and public policy to help secure a sustainable energy and environmental future for the world. The Andlinger Center supports a vibrant and wide-ranging research and teaching program that spans across the following key focus areas: built environment, transportation and infrastructure; electricity production, transmission and storage; fuels and chemicals; environmental sensing and remediation; energy and environmental systems analysis; decision and behavioral science, policy and economics; and environmental and climate science. A critical component of the Andlinger Center’s mission is to prepare students and early-career researchers to address current and future energy and environmental challenges. To this end, the center provides Princeton undergraduates with the opportunity to explore issues related to clean energy and sustainable development through an inter- and transdisciplinary lens. Through its various educational and experiential offerings that include courses, summer internships and support for research activities, the center aims to train the next generation of energy leaders who will help to forge a sustainable future through their work in science, engineering, architecture, economics and public policy. Program Offerings Minor Offering type Minor Minor Program in ACEEProgram in Sustainable EnergyThe future well-being of societies, the global economy and the global environment will benefit greatly from collaborative research into renewable energy, alternative fuels, advanced energy conversion and storage systems, remediation of environmental degradation, technology transfer to developing countries and prudent judgment on policies to support sustainable energy technology. Innovations and inventions require multidisciplinary approaches and entrepreneurship, as well as grounding in theory and practice, all topics that are not covered by a single department. The Minor Program in Sustainable Energy offers an integrated set of core and elective courses, introducing students to fundamental concepts in energy technologies and technological change, providing depth in specific fields of interest from specific energy systems to policy approaches that further sustainable energy use, exposure to laboratory practices and experiences and setting the stage for further work in the field. Additional information about this program is available on the center's website. Additional Information For a complete list of Andlinger Center undergraduate courses, visit our website. Faculty Director Iain McCulloch Associate Director Minjie Chen Chris Greig Kelsey B. Hatzell (spring) Elke U. Weber (fall) Executive Committee Craig B. Arnold, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng José L. Avalos, Chemical and Biological Eng René A. Carmona, Oper Res and Financial Eng Emily Ann Carter, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Minjie Chen, Electrical & Comp Engineering Steven C. Cowley, PPPL Office of the Director Claire F. Gmachl, Electrical & Comp Engineering Kelsey B. Hatzell, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Peter R. Jaffé, Civil and Environmental Eng Amaney A. Jamal, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs, ex officio Antoine Kahn, Electrical & Comp Engineering, ex officio Egemen Kolemen, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Christos Maravelias, Chemical and Biological Eng Denise L. Mauzerall, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Forrest M. Meggers, Architecture Mónica Ponce de León, Architecture, ex officio Anu Ramaswami, Civil and Environmental Eng Barry P. Rand, Electrical & Comp Engineering Richard A. Register, Chemical and Biological Eng Z. Jason Ren, Civil and Environmental Eng Gregory D. Scholes, Chemistry Gabriel A. Vecchi, Geosciences Elke U. Weber, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Claire E. White, Civil and Environmental Eng Mark A. Zondlo, Civil and Environmental Eng Sits with Committee Chris Greig Professor Christos Maravelias Iain McCulloch Barry P. Rand Z. Jason Ren Elke U. Weber Claire E. White Associate Professor Minjie Chen Kelsey B. Hatzell Egemen Kolemen Forrest M. Meggers Assistant Professor Jesse D. Jenkins Ryan S. Kingsbury Wei Peng Associated Faculty Sigrid M. Adriaenssens, Civil and Environmental Eng Josh Atkinson, Civil and Environmental Eng Robert H. Austin, Physics Andrew B. Bocarsly, Chemistry Elie R. Bou-Zeid, Civil and Environmental Eng Ian C. Bourg, Civil and Environmental Eng M. Christine Boyer, Architecture Pierre-Thomas Brun, Chemical and Biological Eng Adam S. Burrows, Astrophysical Sciences Robert Joseph Cava, Chemistry Paul J. Chirik, Chemistry Stephen Y. Chou, Electrical & Comp Engineering Edgar Y. Choueiri, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Jonathan M. Conway, Chemical and Biological Eng Sujit S. Datta, Chemical and Biological Eng Emily C. Davidson, Chemical and Biological Eng Pablo G. Debenedetti, Dean for Research, Office of Luc Deike, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Adji Bousso Dieng, Computer Science Jianqing Fan, Oper Res and Financial Eng Nathaniel J. Fisch, Astrophysical Sciences Mario I. Gandelsonas, Architecture Maria E. Garlock, Civil and Environmental Eng Alexander Glaser, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Branko Glisic, Civil and Environmental Eng Noreen Goldman, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Robert J. Goldston, Astrophysical Sciences David B. Graves, PPPL Office of the Director John T. Groves, Chemistry Mikko P. Haataja, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Jürgen Hackl, Civil and Environmental Eng Bernard A. Haykel, Near Eastern Studies Lars O. Hedin, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Felix Heide, Computer Science Marcus N. Hultmark, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Niraj K. Jha, Electrical & Comp Engineering Jerelle A. Joseph, Chemical and Biological Eng Yiguang Ju, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Alain L. Kornhauser, Oper Res and Financial Eng Chung K. Law, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Simon A. Levin, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Paul Lewis, Architecture Ning Lin, Civil and Environmental Eng A. James Link, Chemical and Biological Eng Lynn Loo, Chemical and Biological Eng Marcella Lusardi, Chemical and Biological Eng Sharad Malik, Electrical & Comp Engineering Jyotirmoy Mandal, Civil and Environmental Eng Luigi Martinelli, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Margaret R. Martonosi, Computer Science Reed M. Maxwell, Civil and Environmental Eng Julia Mikhailova, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Prateek Mittal, Electrical & Comp Engineering Reza Moini, Civil and Environmental Eng Michael E. Mueller, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Satish C. Myneni, Geosciences Guy J.P. Nordenson, Architecture Nai Phuan Ong, Physics Michael Oppenheimer, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Stephen Pacala, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Athanassios Z. Panagiotopoulos, Chemical and Biological Eng Glaucio H. Paulino, Civil and Environmental Eng Catherine A. Peters, Civil and Environmental Eng H. Vincent Poor, Electrical & Comp Engineering Amilcare M. Porporato, Civil and Environmental Eng Rodney D. Priestley, Chemical and Biological Eng Paul R. Prucnal, Electrical & Comp Engineering Joshua D. Rabinowitz, Chemistry Herschel A. Rabitz, Chemistry Richard A. Register, Chemical and Biological Eng Clarence W. Rowley, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Michele L. Sarazen, Chemical and Biological Eng Annabella Selloni, Chemistry Eldar Shafir, Psychology Daniel M. Sigman, Geosciences Frederik J. Simons, Geosciences Jaswinder P. Singh, Computer Science Ronnie Sircar, Oper Res and Financial Eng James Smith, Civil and Environmental Eng Aditya Sood, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng Erik J. Sorensen, Chemistry Howard A. Stone, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng James C. Sturm, Electrical & Comp Engineering Diana I. Tamir, Psychology Jeroen Tromp, Geosciences Naveen Verma, Electrical & Comp Engineering Marissa L. Weichman, Chemistry David Wentzlaff, Electrical & Comp Engineering David S. Wilcove, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Wei Xiong, Economics Ali Yazdani, Physics Xinning Zhang, Geosciences For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website. Courses ENE 202 - Designing Sustainable Systems (also ARC 208/EGR 208/ENV 206) Not offered this year SEL The course presents global anthropogenic impacts on the environment and their relationship to sustainable design. It focuses on understanding principles of applied sciences, and how IoT and Digital Fabrication facilitates rapid and deployable sensors and systems to make and analyze designs. Part 1) Global Change and Environmental Impacts: studying influences on basic natural systems and cycles and how we can evaluate them to rethink building design. Part 2) Designing Sustainable Systems: address learned synergies between making buildings more efficient and less prone to disease transmission through alternative heating cooling and ventilation. F. Meggers ENE 267 - Materials for Energy Technologies and Efficiency (also CEE 267/MSE 287) Not offered this year SEN An introductory course focused on the new and existing materials that are crucial for mitigating worldwide anthropogenic CO2 emissions and associated greenhouse gases. Emphasis will be placed on how materials science is used in energy technologies and energy efficiency; including solar power, cements and natural materials, sustainable buildings, batteries, water filtration, and wind and ocean energy. Topics include: atomic structure and bonding; semiconductors; inorganic oxides; nanomaterials; porous materials; conductive materials; membranes; composites; energy conversion processes; life-cycle analysis; material degradation. C. White ENE 273 - Renewable Energy and Smart Grids (also ECE 273) Not offered this year SEN This course explores broadly renewable energy systems and smart grids. Technical and operational principles of the modern electric grids will be introduced, followed by an overview of various energy sources from fossil-fuel generators to photovoltaic systems. The intermittency of renewable energy systems and its impact on the electric grid will be discussed together with its potential solutions: energy storage systems and demand response techniques. This course will also include a few experimental demo sessions in which students will gain hands-on experience in understanding the fundamental principles of power conversion. M. Chen ENE 308 - Engineering the Climate: Technical & Policy Challenges (also GEO 308/MAE 308) This seminar focuses on the science, engineering, policy and ethics of climate engineering -- the deliberate human intervention in the world climate in order to reduce global warming. Climate/ocean models and control theory are introduced. The technology, economics, and climate response for the most favorable climate engineering methods (carbon dioxide removal, solar radiation management) are reviewed. Policy and ethics challenges are discussed. E. Kolemen ENE 321 - Resource Recovery for a Circular Economy (also CEE 321/ENV 371) The course will focus on emerging science and technologies that enable the transition from our traditional linear economy (take, make, waste) to a new circular economy (reduce, reuse, recycle). It will discuss the fundamental theories and applied technologies that are capable of converting traditional waste materials or environmental pollutants such as wastewater, food waste, plastics, e-waste, and CO2, etc. into value-added products including energy, fuels, chemicals, and food products. Z. Ren ENE 372 - Rapid Switch: The Energy Transition Challenge to a Low-carbon Future (also EGR 372/ENV 372) Spring QCR The Paris Accord signaled a global consensus on climate risks and the need for a rapid switch to clean energy. Not well comprehended are the scale and pace of the needed transformations. Bottlenecks encountered during rapid, large-scale change, must be anticipated and addressed to achieve climate goals. Princeton's Net-Zero America study (2021) provides highly-granular insights on the scale and pace of change and on impacts to the environment, finances, jobs and more. Students will build on that study to analyze sub-regional energy transitions through multi-disciplinary lenses to assure the successful decarbonization of the U.S. E. Larson, C. Greig ENE 422 - Introduction to the Electricity Sector-Engineering, Economics, and Regulation (also MAE 422) Spring SEN This course provides an introduction to the electricity sector drawing on engineering, economics, and regulatory policy perspectives. It introduces the engineering principles behind various power generation technologies and transmission and distribution networks; the economics of electricity markets; and the regulation of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and retail sales. Open challenges related to the growth of distributed energy resources, the transition to low-carbon electricity sources, and the role of the electricity sector in mitigating global climate change are also discussed. J. Jenkins ENE 431 - Solar Energy Conversion (also ECE 431/EGR 431/ENV 431) QCR Principles and design of solar energy conversion systems. Quantity and availability of solar energy. Physics and chemistry of solar energy conversion: solar optics, optical excitation, capture of excited energy, and transport of excitations or electronic charge. Conversion methods: thermal, wind, photoelectric, photoelectrochemical, photosynthetic, biomass. Solar energy systems: low and high temperature conversion, photovoltaics. Storage of solar energy. Conversion efficiency, systems cost, and lifecycle considerations. B. Rand ENE 475 - Human Factors 2.0-Psychology for Engineering, Energy, and Environmental Decisions (also PSY 475) Not offered this year EC Human Factors 1.0 studied how humans interact with machines and technology, bringing engineering and psychology into contact in the 1950s and giving rise to theories of user-centric design. This course will cover recent theoretical advances in cognitive and social psychology, especially in human judgment and decision making, that are relevant for engineers and choice architects as they address technical and societal challenges related to sustainability. Such psychological theory (human factors 2.0) can be creatively applied to designs decision environments that help people overcome present bias, loss aversion, and status-quo bias. E. Weber ANT 314 - The Anthropology of Development (also AFS 314/ENE 314) SA Why do development projects fail? This course examines why well-meaning development experts get it wrong. It looks closely at what anthropologists mean by culture and why most development experts fail to attend to the cultural forces that hold communities together. By examining development projects from South Asia to the United States, students learn the relevance of exchange relations, genealogies, power, religion, and indigenous law. C. Rouse AST 309 - The Science of Fission and Fusion Energy (also ENE 309/MAE 309/PHY 309) Spring SEN We develop the scientific ideas behind fission and fusion energy. For fission we move from elementary nuclear physics to calculations of chain reactions, understanding how both reactors and nuclear weapons work. We examine safety and waste concerns, as well as nuclear proliferation. We look at new reactor concepts. For fusion we address the physics of confining hot, ionized gases, called plasmas. We address the control of large-scale instabilities and small-scale turbulence. We examine progress and prospects, as well as challenges, for the development of economically attractive fusion power. R. Goldston CBE 421 - Green and Catalytic Chemistry (also CHM 421/ENE 421) Fall Concepts of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis applied to industrial processes associated with fuel refining and manufacturing of commodity chemicals and petrochemicals. Available routes for similar conversions using alternative, more sustainable feedstocks and processes will be discussed in the context of green chemistry and engineering principles. These case studies will serve as platforms to the fundamentals of heterogeneous acid and metal catalysis, including techniques of catalyst synthesis and characterization, as well as understanding of how reactions occur on surfaces. Two lectures. Prerequisite: CHM 301 organic chemistry. M. Sarazen CEE 304 - Environmental Engineering and Energy (also ENE 304/ENV 300) Not offered this year The course covers the environmental and geological engineering principles relevant to the entire energy supply chain from mining and extraction of fuels, to power production, to disposal of wastes and sequestration of greenhouse gases. Both conventional and renewable energy are considered. Students will learn the engineering principles and practices to address environmental challenges and to find the best ways to utilize earth systems to our advantage. This course is a requirement for the Geological Engineering certificate program. Two lectures. Prerequisites: CHM201 and MAT104 or permission of the instructor. C. Peters CEE 305 - Environmental Fluid Mechanics (also ENE 305/GEO 375) Fall SEN The course starts by introducing the conservation principles and related concepts used to describe fluids and their behavior. Mass conservation is addressed first, with a focus on its application to pollutant transport problems in environmental media. Momentum conservation, including the effects of buoyancy and earth's rotation, is then presented. Fundamentals of heat transfer are then combined with the first law of thermodynamics to understand the coupling between heat and momentum transport. We then proceed to apply these laws to study air and water flows in various environmental systems, with a focus on the atmospheric boundary layer. E. Bou-Zeid CEE 311 - Global Air Pollution (also CHM 311/ENE 311/GEO 311) Spring Students will study the chemical and physical processes involved in the sources, transformation, transport, and sinks of air pollutants on local to global scales. Societal problems such as photochemical smog, particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and stratospheric ozone depletion will be investigated using fundamental concepts in chemistry, physics, and engineering. For the class project, students will select a trace gas species or family of gases and analyze recent field and remote sensing data based upon material covered in the course. Environments to be studied include very clean, remote portions of the globe to urban air quality. M. Zondlo CEE 334 - Global Environmental Issues (also ENE 334/ENV 334/SPI 452) Spring SEN This course examines a set of global environmental issues including population growth, ozone layer depletion, climate change, air pollution, the environmental consequences of energy supply and demand decisions and sustainable development. It provides an overview of the scientific basis for these problems and examines past, present and possible future policy responses. Individual projects, presentations, and problem sets are included. Prerequisites: AP Chemistry, CHM 201, or permission of instructor. Two lectures, one precept. D. Mauzerall CEE 477 - Engineering Design for Sustainable Development (also ENE 477) Spring SEN This course will focus on the sustainable design of urban water infrastructure. Students will learn the principals of biological wastewater modelling and use software packages and other design tools for design and upgrading existing water/wastewater treatment systems, including new processes that incorporate energy and resource recovery. The projects are considered from concept development to detailed design with special considerations on sustainability and resilience. Prerequisite: CEE 207 and CEE471 or equivalent with instructor's permission. Open to Seniors and Graduate students only. R. Kingsbury ECE 441 - Solid-State Physics I (also ENE 441) Fall An introduction to the properties of solids. Theory of free electrons--classical and quantum. Crystal structure and methods of determination. Electron energy levels in a crystal: weak potential and tight-binding limits. Classification of solids--metals, semiconductors, and insulators. Types of bonding and cohesion in crystals. Lattice dynamics, phonon spectra, and thermal properties of harmonic crystals. Prerequisite: 342, or PHY 208 and 305, or permission of instructor. M. Shayegan ECE 442 - Solid-State Physics II (also ENE 442) Not offered this year Electronic structure of solids. Electron dynamics and transport. Semiconductors and impurity states. Surfaces and interfaces. Dielectric properties of insulators. Electron-electron, electron-phonon, and phonon-phonon interactions. Anharmonic effects in crystals. Magnetism. Superconductivity. Alloys. Three hours of lectures. Prerequisites: 441 or equivalent. Staff GEO 203 - The Habitable Planet (also ENE 203) Fall QCR This course introduces solid Earth system science, quantifying the underlying physical and chemical processes to study the formation and evolution of Earth through time. We discuss how these processes create and sustain habitable conditions on Earth's surface, including feedbacks and tipping points as recorded in the geologic record. Topics include: stellar and planetary formation, plate tectonics, the geologic record, natural resources, the hydrologic cycle and sedimentation, paleoclimatology, and the "Anthropocene". Students will apply these topics to the recent geologic past to assess the impact of humans on their environments. E. Niespolo GEO 366 - Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, Policy (also ENE 366/ENV 339/SPI 451) Not offered this year SEN An exploration of the potential consequences of human-induced climate change and their implications for policy responses, focusing on risks to people, societies, and ecosystems. As one example: we examine the risk to coastal cities from sea level rise, and measures being planned and implemented to enable adaptation. In addition, we explore local, national, and international policy initiatives to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The course assumes students have a basic background in the causes of human-induced climate change and the physical science of the climate system. Two 90-minute lectures, one preceptorial M. Oppenheimer GEO 424 - Introductory Seismology (also CEE 424/ENE 425) Spring SEN Fundamentals of seismology and seismic wave propagation. Introduction to acoustic and elastic wave propagation concepts, observational methods, and inferences that can be drawn from seismic data about the deep planetary structure of the Earth, as well as about the occurrence of oil and gas deposits in the crust. Prerequisites: PHY 104 and MAE 305 (can be taken concurrently), or permission of the instructor. Two 90-minute classes. J. Tromp MAE 221 - Thermodynamics (also ENE 221) Fall SEL Heat and work in physical systems. Concepts of energy conversion and entropy, primarily from a macroscopic viewpoint. Applications to engines, heat pumps, refrigeration, and air-conditioning systems. In the laboratory students will carry out experiments in the fields of analog electronics and thermodynamics. For MAE concentrators only, a combined final laboratory grade will be issued in the spring laboratory course 224, which includes the laboratory work of both 221 and 224. Three lectures, one class, one preceptorial, and one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: PHY 103 and MAT 201, which may be taken concurrently. K. Hatzell MAE 228 - Energy Technologies for the 21st Century (also CBE 228/EGR 228/ENE 228) Spring SEN Addresses issues of regional and global energy demands, including sources, carriers, storage, current and future technologies, costs for energy conversion, and their impact on climate and the environment. Also focuses on emissions and regulations for transportation. Students will perform cost-efficiency and environmental impact analyses from source to end-user on both fossil fuels and alternative energy sources. Designed for both engineering and non-engineering concentrators. A. Glaser MAE 328 - Energy for a Greenhouse-Constrained World (also EGR 328/ENE 328/ENV 328) Not offered this year SEN This course addresses, in technical detail, the challenge of changing the future global energy system to accommodate constraints on the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Energy production strategies are emphasized, including renewable energy, nuclear fission and fusion, the capture and storage of fossil-fuel carbon, and hydrogen and low-carbon fuels. Efficient energy use is also considered, as well as intersections of energy with economic development, international security, local environmental quality, and human behavior and values. Two 90-minute lectures. J. Mikhailova MAE 418 - Virtual and Augmented Reality for Engineers, Scientists, and Architects (also ARC 418/ENE 428) Not offered this year VR/AR can enable engineers, scientists, and architects to plan and conduct their work in fundamentally new ways, visualize and communicate their findings more effectively, and work in environments that are otherwise difficult, impossible, or too costly to experience in person. This course explores the basic concepts of effective VR/AR experiences, builds skills needed to develop and support innovative science, engineering, or architecture projects. In the second half of the semester, working in small teams, students develop, implement VR/AR projects of their choice. A. Glaser, F. Meggers MAE 423 - Heat Transfer (also ENE 423) Spring Covers the fundamentals of heat transfer and applications to practical problems in energy conversion and conservation, electronics, and biological systems. Emphasis will be on developing a physical and analytical understanding of conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer, as well as design of heat exchangers and heat transfer systems involving phase change in process and energy applications. Students will develop an ability to apply governing principles and physical intuition to solve multi-mode heat transfer problems. Three lectures, one preceptorial. D. Nosenchuck MAE 427 - Energy Conversion and the Environment: Transportation Applications (also ENE 427) Spring An overview of energy utilization in, and environmental impacts of, current and future propulsion systems for ground, air, and space propulsion applications. Introduces students to principles of advanced internal combustion, electric hybrid, and fuel cell energy conversion systems for ground transportation.Relevant thermodynamics, chemistry, fluid mechanics, and combustion fundamentals will be stressed. Performance properties of power plants, control of air pollutant emissions, and minimization of resource-to application carbon emissions will be explored.Three lectures, one preceptorial. Prerequisites: 221, 222, or instructor's permission. M. Mueller ORF 455 - Energy and Commodities Markets (also ENE 455) Fall This course is an introduction to commodities markets (energy, metals, agricultural products) and issues related to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, and carbon emissions. Energy and other commodities represent an increasingly important asset class, in addition to significantly impacting the economy and policy decisions. Emphasis will be on the term structure of commodity prices: behavior, models and empirical issues. Prerequisite: ORF 335 or instructor permission. Two lectures, one precept. R. Sircar
