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Syllabus
A new “Bioresource” industry is emerging
in the United States. This industry is being driven by the need for
energy and transportation fuels from renewable sources. In essence,
the mission of this industry is to turn biomass into useful stuff.
The paper industry has been doing that for a century and serves as
good model for looking at the role of large industrial systems in
our society and the environment. This course will give you an understanding
of the complexity and resources required to make the vast quantities
products (like transportation fuels or paper) that we use every day.
In addition, you will be introduced to some of the science and technology
that make up the core of the emerging bioresource industry.
The course has three major areas:
• THE RESOURCE -
Trees
- Tree physiology and chemistry.
How is a tree assembled and how does it do its business? Trees
are complex organisms. We will explore their form and function
starting from the whole tree and working down to the molecules
the make it up.
- The forest. Forest health is one of the major environmental
issues associated with making paper and the emerging bioresource
industry. In this unit we will discuss some of the animals that
live in the forest and the recent rash of forest fires we have
experience in the Western U.S.
• THE PRODUCTS –
Solid wood products, Fiber and Paper, Fuels and Chemicals
- How are the multitude of products
from trees made? We won’t look at all the products but after
this class you will have an appreciation for how some of the items
in your daily lives are produced. You might be surprised to find
out that sheet of paper you are writing on is in fact a highly
engineered product designed to fit a certain end use
• THE ENVIRONMENT
- What effect does converting wood
and other types of biomass have on the environment? There are
many large environmental issues in the news today and the paper
industry will be a large player in many of them; both good and
bad. In the class we'll discuss the scope of these environmental
issues and their connection to the paper industry.
- Finally, we will consider new ways to look at industry in away
that may permit a reasonable balance between economic needs, environmental
impact, and social concerns. And introduce some new ways to assess
environmental impact of competing products.
There is no text for the class. Various readings may
be on reserve in the Natural Sciences Library and we will put as much
material on the web page as possible. Before each lecture an outline
of the lecture and important graphs and figures will be placed on
the web. You are expected to download these pre-lecture materials
and bring them to class to assist in your note taking. You need
to attend class to get all the material necessary to complete the
exams. Following a lecture more complete materials may be placed
on the class web page.
Grading will be based on quizzes, assignments, in class
exams, and a final project. There will be no final exam.
Quizzes
There will be weekly on-line quizzes covering the
current weeks material. This quiz can be taken anytime during the
week but must be taken by the closing date which will be about 1
week after the quiz comes on-line. These quizzes will be good training
for the exams and will account for 15% of your final grade. Since
there is plenty of time to take the quizzes I don't want to hear
any whining about how you missed the deadline.
Exams
In class exams will be a combination of multiple
choice, short answer questions, and simple calculations. The exams
are closed book but you are allowed to use one page (double sided)
of notes during the exam. An exam will be given approximately every
other week. The exams account for 45% of the grade.
Assignments/Projects
There will be a few small assignments and a larger
project due at the end of the quarter. This project will require
you to research a paper related issue and write a short (less than
five pages) term paper. The term paper will be due the last week
of instruction. There will be an opportunity to turn in a draft
copy of your term paper for comment roughly three weeks before the
final paper is due. The assignments will account for 10% of the
grade and the final project 30% of the grade.
Late Policy
Assignments received after 5 PM on the due date will
automatically receive a 10% penalty and will be assessed another
10% penalty each day thereafter.
Makeup Exams
Makeup exams will be given if you have a valid reason
for missing an exam. Some valid reasons are illness, death in the
family, or required travel for a UW event. You may be asked to provide
proof in the form of a doctor's note etc. to take a makeup exam.
If you miss an exam you need to contact Natalia
Raffaeli via email (this can be done by email only) to reschedule.
Makeup exams must be taken within one week of the original exam
date. IF YOU EXPECT TO MISS
AN EXAM YOU NEED TO LET US KNOW IN ADVANCE!!
Grade Disputes
Students who feel an assignment has been graded incorrectly
should submit a written explanation within one week of having the
assignment returned. Errors due to a simple miscalculation of earned
points will be corrected immediately.
There are several ways you can communicate with the
instructors and each other in this course. You can always send an
email to an instructor directly. If you would rather send an anonymous
email there is a link below for you to do that. We will be using your
UW email address so check that frequently. There is
a discussion board that can be accessed by all students to share ideas
and ask questions. This message board will not be moderated by the
instructors, but they may look in from time to time to throw in their
two cents worth.
PSE
102 Anonymous Email Form
PSE
102 Discussion Board
http://www.cfr.washington.edu/Acad/courses.html
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious
violations of your contract as a student. We expect that you will
know and follow the University's policies on cheating and plagiarism.
Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according
to University regulations. More information, including definitions
and examples, can be found at
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm.
Disability Accommodations
To request academic accommodations due to a disability,
please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206)543-8924
(V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating
that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations,
please present the letter to the instructor so we can discuss the
accommodations needed for this class.
Field Trip Insurance
Field Trip insurance is strongly recommended for
all students registered in any CFR course which includes field trips.
Students who do not have the regular University health insurance
or adequate personal coverage should consider obtaining a special
short-term policy at $0.85 per day for the course of the field trips.
Information and applications are available on pages 27-29 at:
Field_Trip_Guidelines.pdf. The completed application and payment
(made out to the University of Washington) must be made to the Cashier's
Office, 129 Schmitz Hall before the trip.
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