a few facts

Basic Info

• Instructors: Dave Feldman and David Gibson
• Pronouns: he/him/his and he/him/his
• Help Sessions: TBA,
• Individual Meetings: By appointment
• Tutors: Aniruddha "AJ" Jaydeokar, Alsu Shagieva, Shreya Vinodh

what your evaluation will be based on

Evaluation

Your evaluation will be based on your performance on homework assignments (approx 90%) and your contributions in lab sections (approx 10%). There will be weekly homework assignments and, towards the end of the course, some mini-case studies and projects. I think there is much to be said against grades; I believe they often interfere with genuine, reflective learning. But I am happy to assign grades if you wish. I do not have any quota of A's, B's, etc.

what's the deal with this course?

Structure and Pacing

This is my (Dave's) eleventh time teaching this class, so I have a pretty good sense of how it will go. However...

• This is my first time teaching this class together with David Gibson, our new Director of Energy. Dave will take the lead in most classes and David will take the lead on most labs.
• David answers to Dave, and Dave answers to David, so it's going to be confusing.

This class has several parts:

1. During the first 1-2 weeks of the class we'll spend some time building community.
2. The first 1-4(ish) weeks we'll cover some core material and build up some skills. We'll cycle back to to key ideas frequently. This course is about building quantitative and analytical skills, and the only way to do this is through lots of practice. Weeks two-four may be a little challenging as you get your feet under you and (re)develop some skills.
3. The last half of the class you'll have a solid base of skills and so the mechanics of the homework will likely go more smoothly, while the physics and climate implications of what we cover will get more and more interesting.
4. At some point toward the middle of the course we'll take a little detour and learn some financial mathematics. You will likely find this more interesting than you think you're going to find it. Really.

There are three lab sections for the course. You should attend one lab session each week. Please attend the same lab each week if possible.

You learn math and physics (or anything, really) by practicing

Stuff about Homework

1. There will be a homework assignment due almost every Friday. It is essential that you do these assignments, as this is how one learns math, and also this is most of what your evaluation will be based on.
2. As discussed in this video there will be two parts to almost every homework assignment:
   • Problems to be submitted on Edfinity
   • Problems to be submitted on "paper" (a scanned pdf) on google classroom
3. Edfinity is an online homework system. I use this system even when the world is not in a global pandemic. There are three reasons why I use Edfinity:
   • You get instant feedback while doing the work, so you can learn right away from your mistakes. You can submit solutions many times until you get everything correct.
   • Some problems are randomized so that you will all get slightly different versions of the questions. This means that collaborating with other students will be maximally effective, since you'll have to share solution methods and not just the final answer.
   • Since the problems are automatically marked, I can spend more time helping you and won't have to spend as much time grading.
4. If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be mindful to not fall farther behind every week.
5. I do not expect all of the homework assignments to be easy; I don't expect you to be able to sit down and do them easily the first time. Don't let yourself get frustrated. I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it.
6. You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, class tutors, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding.
7. As we plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email/google classroom, it is important that you check your email/classroom regularly.
8. You will want to have at your disposal a scientific calculator or phone/tablet app. I strongly suggest an actual calculator. You do not need a graphing calculator for this course (or, in my opinion, ever).

I don't want to be negative, but

What this Class Isn't

1. This course is not about the following things, although this course should help you do/think about the following things better and more richly.
   • Energy policy
   • Social impacts of energy technologies
   • Environmental impacts of energy technologies
   • Weatherproofing your house
   • Building your own wind turbine
   • Climate change and global warming
   • A physics class
2. There may be a temptation to delve too deep into particular technology to the point that we're swamped with facts and details. There is also a temptation to get bogged down in debates about policy. We should collectively resist these temptations; there are a lot of important topics to learn about.
3. Many of the examples in this class are based on a US context. We will incorporate other contexts as we can, and will try to make clear differences between the US and elsewhere in terms of energy.

you can get help, and a lot more, at help sessions

Help Sessions

The Teaching Assistants and I will have a handful of help sessions every week. You are warmly invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. Help sessions are relaxed, informal, and hopefully fun. Things that happen at help sessions:

1. The TAs and/or I am around to offer help on the homework.
2. Some students do most of the homework while at a help session. They work through problems alone or with others, and find it comforting to know that help is immediately at hand if needed.
3. Others do the problems at home and come to the help session with specific questions.
4. We can experiment with breakout rooms for folks who want to work together in small groups during the help session.
5. Usually there are a group of students working together at one or two tables in the dining hall. You can join this group.
6. Some students prefer working in booths, which can be a bit quieter. I'll wander over to the booths and check in on students, or you can move over to the large table or summon me over.
7. Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also sometimes wander into other areas: politics, the state of the world, what's for dinner, what classes are offered next term, and so on.
8. Help sessions are a great way to meet other students in the class.

there are lots of good reasons why you might want to meet with either of us one-on-one

Individual Meetings

We are happy to meet with students one-on-one. The best way to set up an appointment is to send us an email. There are lots of reasons why you might want to us:

1. You have some in-depth questions that there isn't time to explore in a help session.
2. You have a question that you think is too basic or you're uncomfortable asking in a help session. (You shouldn't be uncomfortable, since, as the saying goes, there are no dumb questions! But I understand that you might be uncomfortable nevertheless.)
3. You want to explore possibilities for energy projects on campus or in the community.
4. You want to discuss some challenges you're facing in the class.
5. You want to talk about other classes in energy or physics, or internships, senior projects, etc.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything you want to discuss.

Everyone is welcome and respected

Diversity and Inclusion

It is our intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture.

Learning about diverse perspectives and identities is an ongoing process. We are always looking to learn more about power and privilege and the harmful effects of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. If something was said or done in class (by anyone, including us) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to us about it. You can also reach out to Provost Ken Hill, or Associate Deans Bonnie Tai or Jamie McKown, or Dean of Students Sarah Luke.

Some fine print

Statements about Academic Honesty and Hours of Academic Engagement

I am required to remind you that: "By enrolling in an academic institution, a student is subscribing to common standards of academic honesty. Any cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating of data is a breach of such standards. A student must make it his or her responsibility to not use words or works of others without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is unacceptable and evidence of such activity is reported to the academic dean or his/her designee. Two violations of academic integrity are grounds for dismissal from the college. Students should request in-class discussions of such questions when complex issues of ethical scholarship arise."

You should expect to spend 150 hours of academically engaged time on this course, or 15 hours per week. In addition to 4 hours per week in class or discussion section, in a typical week you'll spend 2.5 hours reading and preparing for class and 8.5 hours attending help sessions and completing assignments.