OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

Energy and Environment: A multidisciplinary approach towards solving world's energy crisis

Toshihiro TANAKA (Graduate School of Engineering)

Course Objective
This is a special relay lecture course, conducted by 10 different lecturers belonging to five graduate schools at the university, namely Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and the Osaka School of International Public Policy, comprising the Center for the Advancement of Research and Education Exchange Network (CAREN).
The objective of this course is to offer students with the diverse academic expertise available at the university in order to explore and identify the challenges of addressing the global demand on energy and its impact on the environment world-wide. As such, this course will take a multidisciplinary approach, providing students with both depth and breadth of knowledge about energy issue to understand the nature of the global challenge and to think of ways to meet the challenge.

Learning Goals

Understand: Cultivate skills to understand the complex nature of the world's energy problems and its impact on the environment by studying it from different levels and realms.
Analyze: Acquire critical thinking skills and analytical mind.
Problem solving: engage in creative thinking for problem solving by utilizing the interdisciplinary approach.
Convey: Learn clear, concise and Effective presentation skills.

Requirement / Prerequisite
There are no prerequisite to this course, but the students are expected to be inquisitive, open-minded as well as eager to engage in critical thinking.

Special Note
Course Content – The course will be comprised of lectures presented by different lecturers and group presentations by students. The lectures will cover broadly three approaches: "scientific" technological solution-based approach provided by specialists on engineering, science and information technology; social approach examining people's attitudes and awareness; and international political approach.

Class Plan

Theme Content

Week 1 Introduction Introducing the course content and explain about the group presentation. Each lecture will introduce themselves.

Week 2 What is Bio-energy for You? Outline of Three Energy Sources in Our Body What is energy? Energy takes different appearance like electric, nuclear, heat, or chemical energy. They are convertible for each other. We need foods for our body energy like rice and bread. After we eat the foods, how the energy in the foods is utilized for our body function?

Week 3 Ocean Renewable Energies Ocean is the vast resource of wind, wave, tidal and thermal energy. This class provides the introduction to the technologies for utilizing them followed by the discussion of present barriers against their realization.

Week 4 Energy and Environment: Material Science Perspective Some examples are explained on contirbution of various materials to energy & environmental issues. Besides, we will discuss that collaboration of various engineering fields and social science with materials sceince is indispensable in order to cope with energy crisis.

Week 5 Biofuel Production in Engineered Microorganisms: Biotechnology Solution for Energy Crisis This lecture introduces the history, concept and basic information of biofuels. Several examples on how biotechnology can tackle issues on solving world's energy crisis is discussed.

Week 6 Applied Physics Approaches to Energy and Environment Problems First the basics and research targets of physics are introduced, and then materials designs for resolving energy and environmental problems are discussed based on the case studies of simulation studies.

Week 7 Can Nuclear Power Plants be a Solution to Energy and Environmental Problems? After an brief introduction about the physical phenomena that are involved in the production of energy from nuclear reactions, we will discuss about various aspects of nuclear power plants, including nuclear accidents and we will express our opinions on whether they may be a solution to the energy and environment problems that humankind is facing.

Week 8 Green Communications Systems First, the recent history of wireless communications systems is reviewed. Throughout this introductory part, the lecturer will address the various limitations of previous generations of mobile systems and the specification of future generation systems. Beside the data rate and user capacity, we shall explore also the consumption of esources and energy, from the perspective of base-stations. Finally, we shall review the most recent research and development work contributing to making the future wireless communications systems "green", i.e., much more energy efficient.

Week 9 Energy and Computers Current situation of energy consumption of computers and computer-based approaches to reduction of the environmental burden are introduced. Roles of computers in a sustainable society are discussed.

Week 10 How World's Energy Crisis is Talked About: A Critical Discourse Analysis When considering "Crisis" or "Problem", whatever they are, it is important to investigate how they are talked about. Why? Because language is not just a tool to mirror "critical" and "problematic" reality out there, but rather language constructs such reality itself. In this lecture, we critically analyse the language talking about Energy Crisis and its solutions.

Week 11 Global Politics and the Energy Crisis: A Public Policy Concern This class will address the dynamics of international politics that link energy, environment and sustainable development/growth, and consider how they influence implementation of policies and outcomes.

Week 12 Group Discussion Preparing for group presentation.

Week 13 Group Presentation Group presentation and discussion.

Week 14 Group Presentation Group presentation and discussion.

Week 15 Group Presentation Group presentation and discussion.

	Theme	Content
Week 1	Introduction	Introducing the course content and explain about the group presentation. Each lecture will introduce themselves.
Week 2	What is Bio-energy for You? Outline of Three Energy Sources in Our Body	What is energy? Energy takes different appearance like electric, nuclear, heat, or chemical energy. They are convertible for each other. We need foods for our body energy like rice and bread. After we eat the foods, how the energy in the foods is utilized for our body function?
Week 3	Ocean Renewable Energies	Ocean is the vast resource of wind, wave, tidal and thermal energy. This class provides the introduction to the technologies for utilizing them followed by the discussion of present barriers against their realization.
Week 4	Energy and Environment: Material Science Perspective	Some examples are explained on contirbution of various materials to energy & environmental issues. Besides, we will discuss that collaboration of various engineering fields and social science with materials sceince is indispensable in order to cope with energy crisis.
Week 5	Biofuel Production in Engineered Microorganisms: Biotechnology Solution for Energy Crisis	This lecture introduces the history, concept and basic information of biofuels. Several examples on how biotechnology can tackle issues on solving world's energy crisis is discussed.
Week 6	Applied Physics Approaches to Energy and Environment Problems	First the basics and research targets of physics are introduced, and then materials designs for resolving energy and environmental problems are discussed based on the case studies of simulation studies.
Week 7	Can Nuclear Power Plants be a Solution to Energy and Environmental Problems?	After an brief introduction about the physical phenomena that are involved in the production of energy from nuclear reactions, we will discuss about various aspects of nuclear power plants, including nuclear accidents and we will express our opinions on whether they may be a solution to the energy and environment problems that humankind is facing.
Week 8	Green Communications Systems	First, the recent history of wireless communications systems is reviewed. Throughout this introductory part, the lecturer will address the various limitations of previous generations of mobile systems and the specification of future generation systems. Beside the data rate and user capacity, we shall explore also the consumption of esources and energy, from the perspective of base-stations. Finally, we shall review the most recent research and development work contributing to making the future wireless communications systems "green", i.e., much more energy efficient.
Week 9	Energy and Computers	Current situation of energy consumption of computers and computer-based approaches to reduction of the environmental burden are introduced. Roles of computers in a sustainable society are discussed.
Week 10	How World's Energy Crisis is Talked About: A Critical Discourse Analysis	When considering "Crisis" or "Problem", whatever they are, it is important to investigate how they are talked about. Why? Because language is not just a tool to mirror "critical" and "problematic" reality out there, but rather language constructs such reality itself. In this lecture, we critically analyse the language talking about Energy Crisis and its solutions.
Week 11	Global Politics and the Energy Crisis: A Public Policy Concern	This class will address the dynamics of international politics that link energy, environment and sustainable development/growth, and consider how they influence implementation of policies and outcomes.
Week 12	Group Discussion	Preparing for group presentation.
Week 13	Group Presentation	Group presentation and discussion.
Week 14	Group Presentation	Group presentation and discussion.
Week 15	Group Presentation	Group presentation and discussion.

Independent Study Outside of Class

Students are required to work in a group and prepare for the group presentation at the end of the course.
Students are required to read/watch all the materials provided by the lecturers; where lecturers provide further readings and assignments students are expected to complete them.

Textbooks
References will be introduced throughout the course.

Grading Policy
Class participation 60%
Presentation 40%

OUSSEP _

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