IAP 2013 Courses
Non-Credit Activities go to listings
For Credit Subjects
12.093 Delivering Energy at Scale: Science, Technology, and Sustainable Development
Richard Sears, David Patrick Murphy, and Rob van der Hilst
TWRF Jan 22-25; 01:00-05:00pm, 54-517
Pre-register on WebSIS and attend first class.
Listeners allowed, space permitting
Level: U 3 units Graded P/D/F
Oil and natural gas provide approximately two-thirds of primary energy today, and will continue to be major sources of energy for several decades. The course will introduce today's energy systems and the state of the art geoscience and engineering approaches necessary to meet current demand. Participants will work in teams, to design and present plans for the development of a multi-billion dollar natural gas project with the potential to supply energy for over three million households. The course will look at how technology, economics, society and sustainability must be balanced to deliver energy efficiently and in a manner that all stakeholders would regard as responsible.
Contact: Richard Sears, rsears [at] mit [dot] edu
12.115 Field Geology
12.482 Advanced Field Geology II
Clark Burchfiel: 54-1010, x3-7919, bcburch [at] mit [dot] edu
Oliver Jagoutz
Schedule: January 7 to Feb. 1 for 12.115; 12.482 TBA within these dates
Contact Vicki McKenna, vsm [at] mit [dot] edu, to register. Do not pre-register on WebSIS.
Limited to 20 participants.
No listeners
A suite of classes at varying levels. During the classes students will conduct a geological and geomorphological study of a selected area in the wesern United States. The following term includes: preparation of maps and report based on field study conducted in January; and laboratory analysis of samples.
Fee: $200.00 for Travel
12.120 Environmental Earth Science Field Course
Sam Bowring and Tim Grove
Not offered IAP 2013. Will resume in 2014.
12.141 Electron Microprobe Analysis
Nilanjan Chatterjee
TBD, 54-1221
Selection by departmental lottery. Do not pre-register on WebSIS.
Enter lottery by: 6-Jan-2013
Limited to 8 participants.
No listeners
Prereq: —
Level: U 6 units Graded P/D/F
Introduction to the theory of x-ray microanalysis through the electron microprobe including ZAF matrix corrections. Techniques to be discussed are wavelength and energy dispersive spectrometry, scanning backscattered electron, secondary electron, cathodoluminescence, and x-ray imaging. Lab sessions involve use of the electron microprobe. Offered for undergraduate credit, but persons interested in an in-depth discussion of quantitative x-ray analysis are invited to participate. Students will be required to complete lab exercises to obtain credit. Find required reading at URL.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/e-probe/www/courses.shtml
Contact: Dr. Nilanjan Chatterjee, 54-1216, x3-1995, e-probe-www [at] mit [dot] edu
12.213 Alternative Energy Sources
Not offered IAP 2013. Will resume in 2014.
12.221 Field Geophyiscs
Not offered IAP 2013. Will resume in 2014.
12.310 An Introduction to Weather Forecasting
Lodovica Illari
MWF Jan 14, 16, 18, 23, 25, 28, 30, Feb. 1; 01:30-03:00pm, 54-915
Pre-register on WebSIS and attend first class.
Limited to 50 participants.
Listeners allowed, space permitting
Prereq: 8.01, 18.01
Level: U 6 units Graded P/D/F
Basic principles of synoptic meteorology and weather forecasting. Analysis of hourly weather data and numerical weather prediction models. Regular preparation of weather forecasts.
Guest lecture by local TV meteorologist.
Web: http://www-paoc.mit.edu/synoptic/courses/12.310/12310.htm
Contact: Lodovica Illari, 54-1612, x3-2286, illari [at] mit [dot] edu
12.312 Understand and Run Your Own Climate Model
Paul O'Gorman
Not offered
12.411 Astronomy Field Camp
12.611 Astronomy Field Camp
Amanda Bosh
Schedule: Jan 6-26, 2013
Prereq: 12.410j/8.287
Limited to 6 participants
Level: 9 units, graded P/D/F
Fee: $200.00 for travel
Selection by departmental lottery. Do not pre-register on WebSIS.
Enter lottery by: Oct. 31
Astronomy field camp at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Students will participate in astronomical research with astronomers at Lowell Obs. Topics will vary by year. This class includes tours of local astronomical facilities and discussions with local astronomers. Students will present results of their research at the Lowell Obs. colloquium series at the end of the class.
2013 EAPS Lecture Series: The Atmosphere as an Intersection ...
Monday, Jan. 7, 14; Friday, Jan. 18; Monday, Jan. 28; noon-1pm; 54-915
- with Space Prof. Dan Cziczo; EAPS, MIT
- with the Arctic Prof. Rachel Chang; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
- with the Earth's Surface Prof. Aldona Wiacek; St. Mary's University
- with Biology Prof. Gannet Hallar; Director of the Storm Peak Laboratory, Desert Research Institute
Electron Microprobe Analysis on JEOL JXA-8200 Superprobe
Dr. Nilanjan Chatterjee
TBD, 54-1221
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
This session is to introduce new users to the JEOL JXA-8200 Superprobe. You will have hands-on experience (if time permits) on our electron microprobe equipped with enhanced imaging capabilities and learn about wavelength and energy dispersive spectrometry, back-scattered electron, secondary electron, cathodoluminescence, and elemental X-ray imaging. Please contact Dr. Chatterjee by submitting form at
http://web.mit.edu/e-probe/www/courses.shtml#noncredit,
or call: 617-253-1995/email: nchat [at] mit [dot] edu">nchat [at] mit [dot] edu.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/e-probe/www/courses.shtml
Contact: Dr. Nilanjan Chatterjee, 54-1216, x3-1995, nchat [at] mit [dot] edu">nchat [at] mit [dot] edu
The Physics of Energy Exploration
Paul Sava (CSM), Ed Biegert (Shell), Mark Rosenquist (Shell)
Monday, Jan. 14-Thursday, Jan. 17; 9am-1pm; 4-159
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Currently, the most economically viable sources of energy are found beneath the Earth’s surface. Exploring for these resources, therefore, requires physical methods that can probe the interior of opaque objects. Given the size of the earth, along with its physical properties, the three most effective methods can be categorized as follows:
1) Seismic/acoustic
2) Gravitational
3) Electromagnetic
In this course we will survey each of these three categories. We will examine the physical properties each is sensitive to, the scale and quality of information each provides, and the economic/physical constraints that limit their applicability. Each topic will be covered in a half-day of lectures. Students will be given a small exercise during each lecture in order to gain physical intuition into the advantages and drawbacks of each method.
Following the final lecture a “Shell IAP Challenge” will be presented to the class, where the students will be offered the opportunity to compete in a contest. Given the knowledge obtained in the couse, the goal of the contest will be for students to “think out-of-the-box”, and come with a radical new idea for probing the Earth’s crust. The idea can be a new/un-tested physical principle that could potentially be tried, or else an novel application of one of the methods listed above. Students will have the remainder of IAP to put together a proposal and report, which will then be reviewed by Shell scientists. The best idea(s) will be awarded a cash prize.
