Teaching & Outreach

Teaching

Dr. Sanjay Mohanty, offers three undergraduate and one graduate level course, all cover topics related to environmental sustainability. In two of the courses (CEE 159/259, and CEE 164), students learn to write reports or proposals and communicate science to public via oral presentation. The lectures are designed to engage students and increase participation by having them solve real-world problems or discuss current news related to the class topics. A combination of in-class and outdoor active learning methods (including class projects) is used to provide diverse learning experiences to students from different backgrounds. A total of 220+ students from 25+ departments typically enroll in these classes annually. Many of the SEALab members are recruited from these classes. SEALab members assist developing the learning materials and provide students in-class demonstration.

Details of the courses, with course objectives and syllabus are provided below:

CEE 153 - Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science

Undergraduate; offered in Fall quarter each year.

Course Description: This course introduces environmental engineering and science topics and provides quantitative tools to assess the severity of various environmental issues and estimate performance efficiencies of engineering systems to solve those issues. Students will learn environmental issues including water scarcity, water quality degradation, solid and hazardous waste, and air quality, and apply environmental science and engineering principles to develop sustainable solutions.

Syllabus: here.

Text book:

Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science. by Gilbert M. Masters and Wendell P. Ela. Pearson. (any edition is fine, including international edition).

Learning objectives:

The overall course objective is to help students apply science and engineering tools to quantify extent of air, water, and soil quality degradation by anthropogenic activities and evaluate engineering designs to reduce environmental impacts. Students will:

  • Review fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes of contaminant transport and removal in different environmental compartments (soil, water, air, and biological systems such as plants).

  • Apply the concepts of mass balance and reaction kinetics to evaluate the transport of contaminants in surface waters, groundwater, and air.

  • Design natural and structural treatment systems to treat drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater.

  • Understand fundamental principles behind technologies to recover resources (material and energy) from wastes.

  • Learn the concept of sustainability and apply sustainable principles to optimize engineering designs.

  • Calculate risk based on exposure to contaminated environment.

  • Develop skills via class room discussion on contemporary topics to engage in life-long learning on environmental sustainability.

ABET Goals:

(a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

(i) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning.

(j) knowledge of contemporary issues.


CEE 164 - Sustainable Waste Management

Undergraduate; offered in Winter quarter each year.

Waste Management: Management of solid wastes, some of which are hazardous, is an integral part of infrastructure development, and it is required to achieve environmental sustainability. Appropriate selection of waste processing technologies and efficient waste management strategies can cost-effectively minimize environmental impacts, particularly through energy generation and materials recovery.

Course Description: This course provides all aspects of hazardous and municipal solid waste management technologies with a particular emphasis on reuse of some wastes for alternative applications or energy production. Students are expected to integrate economic, environmental, regulatory, policy, and technical considerations into the development of engineering designs of sustainable waste management. Student teams will design sustainable remediation or waste management plans through class project.

Syllabus: here.

Test book:

There is no required textbook. Study materials will be uploaded on the class website.

Learning objectives:

The overall course objective is to help students apply engineering tools to design sustainable waste management plan and learn to view wastes as resources—a key factor in achieving environmental sustainability. Students will:

  • Identify hazardous chemical properties based on their chemical structure and assess the fate and transport of chemicals in environments based on their chemical properties.

  • Review fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes of contaminant transport and removal in nature and explain the role microorganisms and plants in removing contaminants.

  • Apply mathematics, engineering principle (mass and energy balance), general chemistry, and biology to evaluate best management plan for hazardous or municipal wastes.

  • Design waste management plan to meet desired outcomes within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, health and safety, and sustainability.

  • Understand fundamental principles behind technologies to recover resources (material and energy) from wastes.

  • Develop effective communication skills by writing report as a team and presenting their finding.

ABET Goals:

(e) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.

(g) An ability to communicate effectively.

CEE 159/259 - Green Infrastructure

Undergraduate and graduate course; offered in Spring quarter each year

Green infrastructure and urban sustainability: Rapid urbanization and changing weather patterns during climate change, both have been adversely affecting the quantity and quality for water in urban areas such as Los Angeles. To mitigate the adverse impact of climate change and achieve water sustainability in water-stressed urban areas, green infrastructures—a nature-based solution—have been employed by city developers. Green infrastructures are designed to mimic natural flow of stormwater and remove wide range of pollutants utilizing plants, soil microorganisms and natural materials. They provide several benefits including reduction in flooding, erosion, water quality degradation, while providing alternative water resource (treated stormwater) and ecosystem benefits.

Course Description: This course provides an overview of fundamental science, engineering, and ecological principles to designing green infrastructure for stormwater management. Students will design green infrastructure based on current practices, perform engineering calculations to calculate its performance, and develop critical thinking skills needed to design innovative or “futuristic” green infrastructures that would not only mitigate the adverse impact of climate change, but also remain resilient under extreme weather conditions expected during climate change.

Syllabus: here.

Test book:

There is no required textbook. Study materials will be uploaded on the class website.

Learning objectives:

The overall course objective is to help students apply engineering tools to design green infrastructures. Students will:

  • Calculate run off volume generated in a catchment area based on rainfall intensity-duration-frequency curves.

  • Review fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes of contaminant removal in green infrastructure.

  • Explain the role of filter media, plants, and soil microorganisms on contaminant removal.

  • Design green infrastructure by applying mathematics through differential equations, probability and statistics, calculus-based physics, general chemistry, and biology.

  • Estimate volume reduction and contaminant treatment by green infrastructures and compare their performance.

  • Assess the impact of extreme weather conditions on the performance of green infrastructure and develop critical thinking skills to predict performance of green infrastructure in future climate change scenario.

  • Write and produce report as a team and present their finding.

  • Critically analyze (social, economic, and environmental) impacts of green infrastructure implementation in urban area (Graduate only)

  • Critically review the literature (journal articles, mostly) and write a synthesis for innovation in green infrastructure design (Graduate only).

ABET Goals:

(c) An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.

(g) An ability to communicate effectively.

(j) A knowledge of contemporary issues.

Outreach

We provide opportunity to students from elementary to high schools to gain research experiences in our lab through summer programs at UCLA. SEALab members also visit to local schools to provide demonstration of designing portable stormwater filtration unit using waste materials. SEALab members are always enthusiastic about giving back to the community and teach environmental sustainability concept at grassroots level.

August 18, 2017, Eugenia and Wendy, two high school interns, pack syringes with a mixture of sand and biochar and show that it can remove suspended solid from stormwater. They are supervised by Alex Berger, an M.S. student in SEALab.

August 16, 2018 - Alejandra, undergraduate intern at SEALab, is presenting her work demonstrating that adding iron filings to sand could increase phosphate removal from stormwater. She was supervised by Maryam, a Ph.D. student in SEALab.

November 2019. SEALab member, Allison, with his classmates is demonstrating how to design stormwater biofilter using beach sand and garden compost at Brockton Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles.

November 2019. SEALab assisted Allison and team design green infrastructure plan at the Elementary School in Los Angeles, which earned them 1st prize at EPA's Campus RainWorks Challenge competition.

CEE 153 - Hardness removal demonstration