UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
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Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
CEWA 532 Advanced Remote Sensing and Earth Observation (4)
Covers the theory and application of satellite remote sensing as a tool for environmental science and engineering. Topics include the fundamentals of electromagnetic radiation, reflection, absorption, black body radiation, use of the Plank Function, satellite time series analysis, land use mapping, change analyses, and atmospheric properties. Includes labs. Recommended: coursework in geographic information systems (GIS); statistics; and basic physics. Offered: jointly with SEFS 532; W.
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CEWA 537 Advanced Surveying and Geomatics (5)
Covers modern surveying techniques that can be used for a range of engineering and scientific applications, with focus on precision mapping and 3D model generation using survey-grade GPS receivers, drone-based Structure from Motion (SfM), and laser scanning (lidar). Weekly labs involve hands-on survey design, data collection, and data processing. Student groups propose and perform surveys as a final project. Recommended: either introductory GIS course, CEE 424, or equivalent experience.
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CEWA 540 Microbiological Process Fundamentals (3)
Fundamental concepts for microbial processes including organic chemical structure, nomenclature and environmental properties, principles of microbial metabolism, study of specific types of bacteria important to environmental engineering and their metabolism, development of microbial kinetic equations, including substrate utilization, energetics, and stoichiometry. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 540
CEWA 541 Biological Treatment Systems (3)
Basic reactions, design principles, current design models, and operational considerations for biological treatment systems used in environmental engineering. Applications include activated sludge design and optimization, fixed film reactors, nitrification, nitrogen removal, phosphorus removal, anaerobic treatment, biomethane production, resource recovery, and toxic organics removal. Prerequisite: either both CEE 540 and CEE 482 or equivalent. Offered: W.
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CEWA 543 Aquatic Chemistry (4)
Principles of chemical equilibrium applicable to natural water systems and water and waste treatment processes. Chemical thermodynamics. Characteristics of acid/base, gas/liquid, solid/liquid, and oxidation/reduction equilibria. Computer models for chemical speciation. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 543
CEWA 544 Physical-Chemical Process Principles (4)
Principles and design of major physical-chemical unit processes used in water, wastewater, and hazardous waste treatment. Topics include chemical kinetics, reactor design and analysis, ion exchange, adsorption, and gas transfer. Development of mathematical models and evaluation of current design practice. Offered: W.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 544
CEWA 545 Environmental Organic Chemistry (3)
Covers characterization and modeling of properties and processes governing the distribution, fate, and transformation of organic pollutants in environmental systems. Explores linear free energy relationships and their application to examining the water/soil/air partitioning, bioaccumulation, substitution and redox reaction kinetics, and abiotic transformations of organic pollutants. Prerequisite: CEE 543 or permission of instructor. Offered: W.
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CEWA 546 Topics in Ecological Effects of Wastewater (3)
Application of ecological concepts for analysis and interpretation of bioenvironmental problems and data (eutrophication, acid rain, and toxicity). Students participate in presentation and discussion of current research. Prerequisite: CEE 462 or BIOL 473 or permission of instructor.
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CEWA 547 Mechanistic Water Quality Modeling for Lakes and Estuaries (3)
Application of best professional practices for Eutrophication Model development and vetting. Includes model calibration, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, and determining whether a specific model is an appropriate tool for scenario analyses. Practical exercises using water quality models used to manage lakes and estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. Prerequisite: either CEE 462, FISH 473/BIOL 473, or permission of the instructor Offered: W.
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CEWA 549 Physical-Chemical Treatment Processes (3)
Principles and design of major physical-chemical unit processes used in water, wastewater, and hazardous waste treatment, with emphasis on particle removal and redox processes. Specific focus areas include precipitation, coagulation, flocculation, granular media filtration, membrane filtration, and chemical oxidation. Development of mathematical models and evaluation of current design practice will be examined. Recommended: CEWA 543 and CEWA 544. Offered: Sp.
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CEWA 550 Environmental Chemical Modeling (3)
Physical/chemical principles controlling the fate and distribution of environmental pollutants, and use of models to apply those principles. Includes modeling of physical transport in conjunction with chemical equilibrium and reaction kinetics. Applications focus on groundwater systems. Prerequisite: CEE 551. Offered: Sp.
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CEWA 553 Seminar - Topics in Atmospheric Chemistry (1-3, max. 6)
Seminar for atmospheric scientists, chemists, engineers in problems associated with the chemical composition of the atmosphere. Covers wide variety of topics, ranging from the natural system to urban pollution and global atmospheric change. Prerequisite: ATM S 301 or permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with ATM S 525.
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CEWA 554 Acoustics of Environmental Noise (4)
Offered: jointly with M E 528.
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CEWA 555 Topics in Environmental Health (3)
Introduction to human biology, including physiology, epidemiology, and toxicology. Study of contemporary environmental health problems and practices as they relate to radiological health, solid-waste disposal, occupational health, biometeorology, and bioengineering.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 555
CEWA 557 Air Resources Management (3)
Technical, administrative, and legal aspects of air conservation. Topics include urban and regional scale air quality measurement and modeling systems, receptor modeling based on chemical fingerprinting of sources and current case studies involving engineering analysis, air-quality modeling, and regulatory aspects at local, state, and federal governmental levels. Offered: A.
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CEWA 560 Risk Assessment for Environmental Health Hazards (4)
Examines context, methodologies, data, uncertainties, and institutional arrangements for risk assessment. Qualitative and quantitative approaches to identification, characterization, and control of environmental hazards to health emphasized through didactic and case studies. Offered: jointly with ENV H 577/PUBPOL 589; A.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 560
CEWA 564 Advanced Hydrology (3)
Detailed treatment of statistical methods used in hydrology: trend analysis, hypothesis testing, flood frequency, and elements of stochastic hydrology and data generation. Detailed examination of hydrologic models with emphasis on evapotranspiration and water budget, use of a watershed model (e.g., Stanford Watershed Model) in catchment. Offered: Sp.
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CEWA 565 Data Anaylsis in Water Sciences (4)
Covers fundamental topics related to data analysis, including statistical inference testing and error estimation, linear and quantile-based regression models, Monte Carlo simulation, time series analysis, Bayes theorem, and data visualization using modern computer techniques. Applications to water sciences, but techniques are applicable to any area. Offered: A.
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CEWA 566 Satellite Remote Sensing for Water Resources (3)
Basic principles of satellite remote sensing of earth's water. Practical aspects of remote sensing in the context of conventional water management. Data uncertainty, modeling and assimilation for advancing water management. Offered: A.
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CEWA 567 Geospatial Data Analysis (5)
Explores geospatial data processing, analysis, interpretation, and visualization techniques using Python and open-source tools/libraries. Covers fundamental concepts, real-world data engineering problems, and data science applications using a variety of geospatial and remote sensing datasets. Recommended: introductory programming or scientific computing course (or equivalent experience); introductory GIS course (or equivalent experience); and basic working knowledge of Python.
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CEWA 568 Snow Hydrology (3)
Introduces snow hydrology research, emphasizing current research methods and results in both measurements and modeling. Explores the impact of snow on hydrology and water resources. Offered: W.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 568
CEWA 570 Hydrodynamics (4)
Applications of the equations of motion to ideal and real fluid flow, with topics in Environmental Fluid Mechanics. Kinematics, Navier-Stokes equations, viscous flows, Coriolis, density driven flows, free surface flows, and introduction to turbulence. Applications include: tidal flushing, lakes, estuaries, gravity currents and river plumes. Prerequisite: CEE 357 or equivalent. Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 570
CEWA 571 Hydrodynamics in Water Quality (3)
Theoretical, field study, and laboratory model approaches to diffusion in transport problems of concern to water resources engineers. Prerequisite: CEE 342 or permission of instructor.
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CEWA 572 Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics (3)
Develops finite-difference, finite-volume and spectral numerical methods to solve ordinary and partial differential equations relevant to hydrodynamics and hydrology, and ocean sciences. The course framework will provide insight into working in a UNIX system, writing numerical models, hands-on training with numerical models. Prerequisite: Working knowledge of MATLAB/Python
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CEWA 573 Water Wave Mechanics for Coastal Engineers (4)
Covers theory and numerical modeling of water waves; classical water wave problem and approximate solution techniques; evolution equations and their solutions for wave systems; viscous damping effects and mass transport; nonlinear shallow-water waves and the Korteweg-deVries equation; and waves on beaches and structures. Prerequisite: either ATM S 505/OCEAN 511/AMATH 505, A A 507/M E 507, CEE 347, M E 333, or OCEAN 285. Offered: Sp.
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CEWA 574 Hydraulics of Sediment Transport (4)
Introduction to sediment transport in steady flows with emphasis on physical principles and their extension to modeling of sediment transport. Topics include sediment characteristics, initiation of particle motion, particle suspension, bedforms, sediment discharge formulae, and modeling of scour and deposition in rivers and channels. HECRAS modeling of transport in channels. Prerequisite: CEE 347; recommended: Fluid Mechanics comparable to CEE 347 course or equivalent Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 574
CEWA 576 Physical Hydrology (4)
Engages familiarity with physical hydrologic processes, interactions, and their representations over multiple timeframe references and scales. Project and report based exercises extend furthering analytical skills using existing theories and observations in Physical Hydrology. Offered: A.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 576
CEWA 577 Open Channel Flow with Modeling (4)
Water flow in natural and engineered channels, rivers, and streams. Analysis and design of channels (lined, vegetated), flow controls (weirs, spillways), and structures affecting fish passage (culverts). Prediction of water surface profiles. Introduction to river mechanics. Design-oriented problems. Introduction to the HEC-RAS modeling software. Prerequisite: CEE 347. Offered: W.
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CEWA 578 Water Resource System Management and Operations (3)
Readings in recent literature related to the modeling and management of water resources. Topics include drought management, expansion of existing water supplies, hydropower production, streamflow forecasting, water demand forecasting, regional water planning, climate change, and other topical issues. Offered: Sp.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 578
CEWA 579 Quantitative Water Management (3)
Delivers an understanding of quantitative methods used in practice to manage the earth's water using a systems approach. It also introduces emerging water management ideas in the context of emerging water management challenges.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 579
CEWA 580 Water-Quality Management (3)
Application of biological, ecological, and chemical processes to modeling of water quality and use of such models in appropriate management of water resource systems. Includes units on the modeling of temperature, BOD, nutrient, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and other processes in lakes, streams, and estuaries. Offered: Sp.
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CEWA 582 Wastewater Reuse and Resource Recovery (4)
Designed to provide students with fundamentals of wastewater and biosolids treatment. Focuses on technologies utilized to recover resources from waste products. Covers experience with real-world applications both in the United States and abroad. Topics include: bioplastic and biogas production, recovery of water, fertilizer, sulfur, and metals. Offered: W.
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CEWA 590 Field Measurements for Hydrology and Hydrodynamics (3)
Planning and execution of field measurements in lakes, rivers, and oceans. Usage of oceanographic, meteorologic, and hydrologic sensors (primarily in situ sensors). Prerequisite: CEE 347, or a course in fluid mechanics; recommended: data processing; and basic statistics. Offered: Sp, odd years.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 590
CEWA 596 Fate and Transport of Chemicals in the Environment (3)
Presents a general introduction to the fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes governing the movement and fate of chemicals in surface water and groundwater. Provides basic literacy in environment transport and fate processes, creating a solid foundation for accessing and synthesizing material on these topics. Offered: A.
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CEWA 597 Engineering Jordan: Water in an Arid Land Study Abroad (5)
Examines impacts of a hot dry climate on water engineering systems by studying the engineered water cycle in Jordan including: water cycles and sources in Jordan; drinking water treatment and desalination; wastewater treatment and reuse; decentralized and on-site treatment; and ancient water engineering.
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CEWA 599 Special Topics in Environmental Engineering (1-5, max. 20)
Special topics in environmental engineering offered occasionally by permanent or visiting faculty members. Offered: AWSpS.
View course details in MyPlan: CEWA 599
