| Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology for Sustainable Development
In the fast evolving field of industrial ecology (IE), restrictions, possibilities and critical factors are identified and analyzed in order to find sustainable ways of harmonizing the metabolism of societies with the natural system. The idea of industrial ecology is based upon a straightforward analogy with natural ecological systems. In nature an ecological system operates through a web of connections in which organisms use resources in such a way that very small amounts of available energy or useful material are lost.
This programme will offer a systems analytic perspective on our societies’ supply, transformation and use of energy and materials. The aim with the programme is to give students knowledge, skills and tools necessary for dealing with the increasingly complex environmental issues. The programme has an upstream perspective. Which means that it focuses on the societal causes of the environmental effects. Therefore, the students should be given knowledge and tools, which are relevant for analysing the environmental impact of the societal use of materials and energy and how to change this use into a more sustainable direction. This includes technological aspects of how to decouple the environmental impact from economic growth. It also include economic and management aspects of industrial systems, including the energy system.
On the completion of the programme the student should be a competent industrial ecologist; ready to take up a position in industry or in a governmental office or to start PhD studies. More specifically, on completion of the programme the student should:
- Understand environmental and resource issues in a systems perspective,
- be able to perform Life cycle assessments (LCA), Material flow analysis (MFA), Substance flow analysis (SFA), Energy analysis, Cost benefit analysis cost-efficiency analysis,
- have skills in systems analysis modelling and environmental management,
- have insights into societal and industrial energy and material use, processes that drive and hinder technical development, and management techniques and policy instruments.
This programme in IE gathers the acknowledged system analytic research at Chalmers. The teachers in the programme have all been recognized as fore front researchers in their field, they have been awarded for their teaching skills, and they have a broad web of contacts in academia, industry as well as governmental bodies.
Entry requirements
Any field of B.Sc. engineering. Previous study in environmental science is an advantage.
Application deadline for 2004/2005 is February 15, 2004.
Information on other programmes and “How to apply?” [www.chalmers.se/HyperText/ MasterProgrammes/FirstPage.html]
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The use of energy by today´s civilisation symbolised by urban lights seen from space (Courtesy NASA).
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Quarter 1
Sustainable development
The course will apply a systems perspective to give insight in which restrictions and possibilities that follows from a sustainable development. The focus is on the societal turnover of energy and materials and hence on possible solutions.
Science of environmental change
The course will give basic natural science knowledge for the understanding of central environmental and resource problems.
Industrial ecology seminar
Throughout the first year, a seminar series is held in which the students present and discuss recent findings and results reported in scientific literature and elsewhere. |
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Quarter 2
Sustainable energy futures
The aim of the course is to give the students knowledge about the current supply, transformation and use of energy and how the energy system affects the environment and natural resource basis in order to be able to design sustainable energy scenarios.
Technology evolution
The course gives theoretical frameworks and tools that can be used to analyse, how technical change has influenced humankind’s relation to Nature in the past and how technical change may help or hinder our ability to deal with environmental problems and resource limitations in the coming century.
Industrial ecology seminar
Continues
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Quarter 3
Environmental policy instruments
This course gives an overview of applied environmental economics with particular emphasis on the design of policies in the area of environmental and natural resource management.
Environmental management
The course gives knowledge to analyse, evaluate and plan the work of a company
from an environmental point of view, and it gives knowledge of the
opportunities and limitations of different methods of analysis.
Industrial ecology seminar
Continues
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Quarter 4
Applied industrial ecology
The course aims at giving knowledge about the energy and material flows in the industrial society and knowledge about relevant tools like Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) and Material Flow Analysis (MFA). The course is based on projects.
Life cycle assessment
The course aims at an analyst’s competence in Life Cycle Assessment, providing understanding of methods to assess the environmental impact of products in a life cycle perspective. The course gives the theoretical background for Life Cycle Assessment as a method, ability to use this tool and knowledge about its application areas and limitations.
Industrial ecology seminar
Continues
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Quarter 5-6
Master’s thesis
During a 4-5 months period the second year, the students write their Master’s thesis, to be presented in a report as well as orally.
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Programme director
John Holmberg
Phone +46-(0)31 772 3145
Fax +46-(0)31 772 3150
frtjh@fy.chalmers.se
Programme coordinator
Ulrika Lundqvist
Phone +46-(0)31 772 3281
Fax +46-(0)31 772 3150
frtul@fy.chalmers.se
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