SPRING 2012
SCIENCE 107 - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Instructor: Prof. Dr. Iskender Yılgör (iyilgor@ku.edu.tr)
Office: Science Room 257
Textbook:
Telephone: 1418
Office hours: Wednesday 14:00-16:00
Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society
C. H. Middlecamp, Steven W, Keller, Karen L. Anderson, Anne K. Bentley,
Michael C. Cann and Jamie P. Ellis
ACS, McGraw Hill, 7th Edition, 2009
Course description: Energy production from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels,
oil and natural gas; Comparative discussion of the present and future (renewable)
alternative energy resources (solar, geothermal, wind, biomass, hydrogen) and
technologies for their commercialization; Environmental consequences, greenhouse
effect and global warming, destruction of ozone layer and water pollution; Recycling and
sustainable development
Course content:
1. Why to study science?
2. Air we breathe
3. Protecting the ozone layer
4. The chemistry of global warming
5. Energy, chemistry and society
6. The fires of nuclear fission
7. New energy sources for the new century
8. Take a drink: The wonder of safe drinking water
9. Neutralizing the threat of acid rain
10. Management of municipal solid waste
Laboratory:
6 Biweekly laboratory sessions alternating with discussion sessions
Laboratory
SCI B10
Discussion sessions: DS Classroom
(Check KUAIS)
Laboratory and DS Coordinator
Attendance:
Grading:
Nazmi Yılmaz (nayilmaz@ku.edu.tr)
Attendance will be taken randomly. Students missing 8 or more
classes will get zero from attendance
Mid-Term 1
Mid-Term 2
Laboratory performance
DS performance
Attendance
Final Exam
20%
22%
18%
3%
4%
33%
(Week 6)
(Week 11)
(3% each lab)
(0.5% each quiz)
INFORMATION ABOUT LABORATORIES AND DISCUSSION SESSONS
Science 107 lectures are accompanied by Discussion Sessions (DS) and Laboratory (Lab).
During the first week of classes, all students must go to their DS rooms (Please check
your DS room in KUAIS) at their scheduled Lab-DS period for a mandatory laboratory
orientation.
6 Laboratory experiments will be performed during the semester. The master copies of
the experiment sheets will be available at DEMPA (ÖM-2) and Laboratory notebooks will
be available at the bookstore. Laboratory sessions will be held in the Physics Lab. SCI B10.
6 Discussion Sessions will be held for all Science 100 students. During these sessions,
there will be film shows, discussions, and quizzes about the session realized.
It is compulsory to attend the Laboratories. Each missed lab session, without a
legitimate excuse accepted by the university, results in a reduction of your final course
grade by one notch. A grade of at least 60% is required in Lab to pass the course,
regardless of your performance in the rest of the course. Total lab score is 600. If your
total lab score is below 360, you will get an F.
Whenever you have an excuse for the missing lab, you have to contact Nazmi Yılmaz
(nayilmaz@ku.edu.tr) within 3 days and provide the relevant documents in order to
arrange a make-up session. It is your responsibility to ask for a lab make-up appointment.
Late requests for make-ups will not be taken into consideration. No make-ups will be
given for Discussion Session Quizzes.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty in the form of CHEATING, PLAGIARISM and COLLUSION are serious
offenses and will not be tolerated at Koç University.
University Academic Regulations and the Regulations for Student Disciplinary Matters
clearly define the policy and the disciplinary action to be taken in case of academic
dishonesty. However, if proven guilty, usually the toughest punishment is given to the
student, especially if the student tries to mislead the commission by lying to them.
CHEATING includes, but is not limited to, copying from a classmate or providing answers
or information, either written or oral to others.
PLAGIARISM is borrowing or using someone else’s writing or ideas without giving written
acknowledgement to the author. This includes copying from a fellow student’s paper or
from a text without properly citing the source.
COLLUSION is getting unauthorized help from another person or having someone else
write one’s paper or assignment.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Energy is the main driving force for global economic and social development. About 80%
of the global energy is produced from fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum or natural gas,
which generate carbon dioxide and lead to global warming. Production of “clean
energy” is one of the most critical issues for sustainable development. Non-polluting,
clean or alternative energy sources include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal,
hydrogen, tidal and biomass conversion. A major objective of this course is to discuss the
importance of basic science and scientific research in improving the quality of human life.
Special emphasis will be given to discussing global research efforts in developing clean
energy technologies of the future. Scientific studies and technological efforts to eliminate
or minimize global warming and ozone depletion will also be thoroughly covered.
Another important goal will be to discuss the sources, economics and social (human)
aspects of environmental pollution (soil, water, air) and methods to prevent or minimize
them.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Topics covered, classroom discussions and laboratory practice should help students to
understand the importance of scientific thinking and critical contribution of science to
everyday life. Hopefully this will help them to become better intellectuals and citizens and
more concerned about environment and related issues, regarding sustainable
development. The most important and somewhat ambitious goal of the course will be to
make students understand the intricate but very close relationship between scientific
thinking, basic research, generation of new knowledge, technological development,
quality of life and sustainable economic and social development.
TEACHING METHOD:
Method of instruction will be participatory, student centered learning. Lectures will be
based on using power point slides, videos and simple classroom demonstrations. There
will be extensive chalk-talk type teaching and students will be encouraged to participate
in discussions in and out of the classroom. They will also be encouraged to perform
extensive web-based research regarding the novel energy technologies developed and
their environmental and economic impacts.
COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Energy production from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, oil and natural gas;
Comparative discussion of the present and future (renewable) alternative energy
resources (solar, geothermal, wind, biomass, hydrogen) and technologies for their
commercialization; Environmental consequences, greenhouse effect and global warming,
destruction of ozone layer and water pollution; Recycling and sustainable development