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Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. Infrastructure systems. Risk and resilience. Ethics and environmental justice. Systems analysis.
This is a course about using systems approaches to solve complex problems. Rather than receiving a design brief to follow, engineering leaders are faced with situations which they must define into problems and figure out how to solve in ethical, legal, economical, and creative ways. Consider this: how would you make a community or organization carbon neutral by 2050? How do you prepare a community for natural hazards that may become more extreme? These are the questions that engineers are already being faced with – understanding how to tackle these complex challenges will ultimately determine whether our communities, organizations, and country survive and thrive.Solving a problem like climate change requires an approach that considers the entire system. Not only do we have to integrate the elements of civil and natural resources engineering that you have so far learned, but we must also look beyond engineering. As society’s engineers we have the responsibility to be leaders in our community on policy discussions involving the built environment, we must be managers of risk in the face of what feels like overwhelming uncertainty, we must be stewards of our environment, and to achieve these we must be the integrators of technology, ideas, and people if we are to find appropriate solutions. Because of our problem-solving skills and understanding of technology, engineers are an essential and leading partner in climate mitigation and adaptation.Therefore, the aim of this course is to enable you to tackle system-wide challenges, such as climate change. Such problems cannot be solved in isolation. Ultimately, due to the dire situation our communities face, we aim to enable and empower you to actively consider climate change in every aspect of your professional career.
Understand complex systems problems: the complex, multi-directional relationships between climate change, communities, and the engineer’s role (Washington Accord WA1, WA3, WA6, WA7, WA8) (UC GA, BCC)Formulate and critically evaluate interventions into complex systems: strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change (Washington Accord WA1, WA3, WA6, WA7, WA8) (UC GA, BCC)Understand your role, as engineers, as stewards of the natural environment–and act and communicate ethically and legally, with respect to the diversity of interests and people affected by climate change (Washington Accord WA3, WA6, WA7, WA8) (UC GA, BCC)Understand how to manage risk and uncertainty (Washington Accord WA3, WA6, WA7, WA10) (EIE)Continually learn, integrate ideas and perspectives, and adapt as an engineer in a changing environment. (Washington Accord WA12) (CE, BCC)
ENCN201 (for basics of engineering writing)
ENCN470
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Matthew Hughes
Daniel Nilsson and Kendrick Hardaway
Dave Bracken
All assessments have a 30 minute submission grace period to allow for technical difficulties with uploading. Beyond this late assessment will lose 10% recurring every 24 hours. Special ConsiderationYou may apply formally for special consideration if you have been impaired by significant exceptional and/or unforeseeable circumstances that have prevented the completion of or significantly impaired your performance (i.e., such that your results are not representative of your level of understanding) for any major assessment items in the course. The applicability and remedy is listed below for each assessment. You can refer to the University ‘Special Consideration Regulations’ and ‘Special Consideration Policies and Procedures’ documents for more information on the acceptable grounds for special consideration and the application process; note that personal circumstances due to a wider emergency event may also qualify.Serious/severe impact - You will be offered an equivalent alternative assessment that will replace your original grade. Note: All communication about the arrangement of alternative assessment must be done via your UC email. If a special consideration for a serious/severe impact is approved, you will receive an email with proposed times and dates for the alternative assessment. You will have a clearly specified amount of time to respond to the offer and accept one of the listed dates and times. If you decline the offer, your original assessment grade will be used to calculate your course grade. Failure to respond within the specified time frame will be considered as a refusal.
Use of Generative AI in ENCN375 assessments:You may use generative AI to assist you during the technical assessments (coding) in this course (Report 1 coding and Risk Assessment 1). Permitted uses of AI in these assessments include assisting with coding functionality, generating ideas for coding approaches, code debugging/decoding errors. You may not use AI to complete the assignment for you.You may use AI to assist you in editing the text of your submission for your Reports, however, you may not use AI to generate writing content for you.The specific AI tools and how they were used must be disclosed on the cover pages of your assignment submissions.
Domestic fee $1,122.00
International fee $6,238.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Civil and Environmental Engineering .