Weill Medical College of Cornell University · Courses
BEE
78 courses with the subject BEE, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
BEE 2000Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge1.5-3
This university-wide seminar series provides critically important perspectives on the grand challenge of climate change. Speakers from Cornell University and other institutions and will cover a range of topics including the science of climate change, implications for ecosystems, oceans, forests, agriculture and communities, the important ethical, philosophical and legal insights on the issue, and provide thoughts on societal responses through international mechanisms, economic drivers and communication tools. This seminar series counts towards the requirements of the climate change minor and the ESS minor and major. The three credit version of this course provides an opportunity to explore the material introduced by the various speakers in depth through discussion and reading.
The laws of thermodynamics are elegant statements about the conservation, nature, and behavior of energy in the universe. They also provide a roadmap to designing and evaluating sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to food insecurity to the energy crisis. This course examines how fundamental thermodynamic concepts characterize both natural and technological systems. We'll use the concept of exergy to benchmark forms of energy and their potential to do work, enabling us to evaluate the sustainability of energy and transportation sectors. Through exploring complex concepts like Gibbs Free Energy and Chemical Potential, we'll understand pollutant transport in environmental mixtures and analyze how human activities contribute to sea level rise. Students will connect thermodynamic theory to real-world sustainability challenges.
BEE 2510Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability3
Students will quantitatively understand and analyze environmental issues such as: the impact of industrial contaminants and excess nutrients on water quality; the global carbon cycle; improving global access to clean water. This course integrates principles from chemistry, biology, math and engineering to understand and solve real-world problems that impact three major environmental compartments: air, water, and soil. Students will solve mass and energy balances beginning with simple, closed systems, then progress through reactive, open systems to describe environmental fate and transport of pollutants, natural environmental cycles and remediation scenarios. Students will be exposed to technical and lay material from interdisciplinary sources to understand the environmental externalities - social, political, economic and cultural - that must be considered when proposing solutions to today's most pressing environmental issues. BE and EnvE students must complete either BEE 2510 or BEE 2600 according to their academic plan. Students who complete both BEE 2510 and BEE 2600 receive engineering credit toward their degree for only one of these courses.
Focuses on the integration of biological principles with engineering, math, and physical principles. Students learn how to formulate equations for biological systems in class and practice in homework sets. Topics range from molecular principles of reaction kinetics and molecular binding events to macroscopic applications such as energy and mass balances of bioprocessing and engineering design of implantable sensors. Students will also experience scientific literature searches as related to the biological engineering topics, and critical analysis and evaluation of relevant information sources. BEE students must complete either BEE 2510 or BEE 2600 according to their academic plan. BEE students who complete both BEE 2510 and BEE 2600 receive engineering credit for only one of these courses.
BEE 3280Systems and Synthetic Biology for Sustainable Energy3
The world today is in a state of enormous transition. In the coming few decades, billions of people will leave poverty and enter the developed world. This unprecedented development will be one of the greatest opportunities ever presented to improve global public health and quality of life, but it will only be realized if it's done right. The challenge of sustainable energy is not just to provide energy without polluting the atmosphere with fossil carbon, but to do so at a global scale at a cost that everyone can afford. Thanks to capabilities ranging from room temperature and pressure catalysis to self-assembly, biology offers first draft solutions to problems in sustainable energy from the safe use of nuclear energy, the capture and storage of solar power, mining and purifying elements critical for sustainable energy technologies like rare earths and even in the construction of advanced materials. In each class we will discuss a set of scientific journal articles and use these discuss the advantages, disadvantages and potential of biology in applications in sustainable energy. Inthe past, we have used these discussions to write a scientific article with students as co-authors.
Sustainable development is a predominant environmental, economic, and social concern of the 21st century. This course seeks to introduce students from across Cornell's colleges to key concepts of sustainable development and how they are integrated into life cycle analysis (LCA) assessments of sustainability. Students seeking to expand their knowledge of sustainable development through readings, videos, written assignments, and interaction with their peers are welcome to take the course. Students learn to evaluate sustainability by carrying out a multi-phase LCA assessment from environmental, economic, and social perspectives throughout the semester for a system/product of their choice. Over the course of .the semester, work is posted on an e-portfolio to enable peer sharing and commenting. Course is solely asynchronous and web-based. Additional course information: https://sites.google.com/view/b3299sustainabledevelopment/home
Properties of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids; hydrostatic and dynamic forces; principles of continuity, conservations of mass, energy and momentum and their applications; laminar and turbulent flows, introduction to Navier Stokes; dimensional analysis and similarity; internal and external bio-fluid examples will be covered e.g., blood circulatory systems and animal locomotion.
Covers the analysis of different types of biomaterials, synthetic or bio-derived, their synthesis, characterization and applications. The fundamental understanding of biomaterials chemistry and physics at the molecular level is emphasized. Mathematical analysis towards rational design of biomaterials is used throughout the course. In addition, examples from forefront biomaterials research will be used for case studies.
BEE 3500Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological Engineering4
Focuses on understanding the principles of heat and mass transfer in the context of biological (biomedical/bioprocessing/bioenvironmental) systems. Emphasizes physical understanding of transport processes with application examples from plant, animal and human biology, the bioenvironment (soil/water/air), and industrial processing of food and biomaterials.
In this class you'll learn about upper level introduction to cutting edge topics of interest to biological engineering. We will connect relevant themes and concepts from the BEE curriculum to recent developments in areas of cellular and molecular engineering, learning how to make relevant and lasting connections between the fundamental concepts (biological systems, genetics, metabolic networks) for producing commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and study mathematical models of gene regulation.
Introduction to physical hydrology with an emphasis on roles and interactions between hydrological processes and ecological, biogeochemical, and human systems.
Introduction to bio-inspired and bio-enabled robotics across scales by an interdisciplinary approach, by gradually integrating knowledge in mechanical engineering and bioengineering. The concept and basic principles of biorobotics are discussed through macroscale robots in various fields including agriculture such as fruit picking robots. Homework includes programming, literature searches, and design studies of their own biorobots.
In this field-based course, students will observe, measure, and sample aquatic environments to determine chemical and physical characteristics of water quality. The course will pair sensor data with samples brought back to the laboratory for chemical analysis. It includes both the quantification and interpretation of water measurements to facilitate decision-making in water shed management. This course prepares students to contribute meaningfully to the science and stewardship of water resources.
This course introduces statistical and machine learning techniques for analyzing complex datasets in the environmental sciences and engineering. It focuses on supervised learning methods, such as regression, decision trees, and neural networks, applied to real environmental data, with emphasis on both prediction and inference. Designed for students with basic statistics knowledge, the course provides a practical foundation in applied statistics and machine learning. It includes review of key mathematical and coding concepts needed to implement these tools. The goal is to build a toolbox of methods not covered in introductory courses and to help students understand when and why to use each method. Learning is hands-on, with in-class programming exercises that translate theory into application using real-world datasets.
This course builds on concepts introduced in BEE 4310/6310 Environmental Statistics and Learning but does not require prior enrollment. It examines advanced statistical and machine learning methods for complex environmental datasets. Topics include unsupervised and supervised learning, such as clustering (hierarchical, k-means, Gaussian mixture models, DBSCAN), principal component analysis, k-nearest neighbors, Gaussian process regression, support vector machines, and neural networks. Students are introduced to explainable AI and deep learning concepts, including autoencoders, recurrent and long short-term memory networks, and convolutional neural networks. Applications span environmental science and engineering, emphasizing pattern recognition, prediction, and system understanding. The course prioritizes practical implementation, critical evaluation, and interpretation of results over black-box use, with hands-on programming and literature-based analysis.
Bioinstrumentation applications are emphasized in this laboratory-based course. Electronic instruments from sensor to computer are considered. Static and dynamic characteristics of components and systems are examined theoretically and empirically. General analog and digital signal condition circuits are designed, constructed, and tested. A variety of biological applications of instrumentation are discussed. Lecture and lab only for 3 credits; lecture, lab and design project for 4 credits. The 3 credit class ends after week 10. The 4 credit class includes a design project and continues for the full semester.
This course provides an in depth analysis of the diverse ways in which organisms are used to physically remove or metabolize (and co-metabolize) various pollutants in the environment. We will examine multiple forms of bioremediation including: bacterial degradation of organic pollutants, biotransformation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, bioremediation of microplastics, and phytoremediation of pesticides and heavy metals. Throughout the semester, we will evaluate the promise of such technologies as well as the current obstacles to realizing their potential. We will read and analyze research journal papers related to bioremediation and discuss tools used to document success in the field. Additionally, we will examine current efforts to “design” organisms with enhanced bioremediation capabilities and discuss the use of genetically modified organisms in field applications.
BEE 4530Computer-Aided Engineering: Applications to Biological Processes3
Introduction to simulation-based design as an alternative to prototype-based design; modeling and optimization of complex real-life processes for design and research, using industry-standard physics-based computational software. Emphasis is on problem formulation, starting from a real process and developing its computer model. Modeling application (project) can be biomedical (thermal therapy and drug delivery) or broader biological and bioenvironmental applications that involve heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid flow. Computational topics introduce the finite-element method, model validation, pre- and post-processing, and pitfalls of using computational software. Students choose their own semester-long project, which isa major part of the course (no final exam).
Covers fundamental mechanisms that nature uses to build and control living systems at micro- and nano-meter length scales; engineering principles for fabricating micro/nano-meter scale devices; examples of solving contemporary problems in the health sector and environment.
Ecological mechanics explores ecological relations from a mechanics perspective, including fluid, solid, structural mechanics, and heat and mass transport. While other ecological studies incorporate transport of mass, energy, and information, consideration of momentum transport and its consequence in biotic and abiotic relations in organisms is unique to this discipline. We begin the course by introducing the fundamental and advanced concepts in mechanics. Then we will learn how to incorporate these concepts by considering response function (the functional relationship between condition imposed on the system and its response) to understand and predict ecological phenomena such as predator-prey relation and pattern formation.
BEE 4590Physical Design in Biological Engineering3
Students will choose a project depending on their interests and complete the project goal by integrating the knowledge of biology, physics, and engineering. Students will present their proposal and final results, and write a report at the end of the semester. Students who have not met the prerequisite must obtain the instructor's permission to enroll in the class. This course satisfies the BE capstone design requirement.
This course investigates aspects of physical, chemical, and biological water quality and management approaches. The course highlights relationships between human activities, water scarcity, water quality degradation, and ecological and health consequences. We will then examine policies aimed at managing water quality.
Every year, the New York State Water Resources Institute (NYSWRI) at Cornell supports applied research that addresses critical water resource problems in NYS and the nation. This seminar series brings together researchers who work with NYSWRI and state agency partners to support and improve water management in the state. Speakers will present on a broad range of water related topics including water engineering and infrastructure, climate and flood resilience, water quality monitoring and assessment, aquatic ecosystems and related outreach. We will focus on ways in which robust science can support and influence on-ground management and policy outcomes, center collaborative and interdisciplinary work between academics, water resource scientists, educators, managers, and policymakers in NYS. Students will gain valuable career insights and project creation perspectives from speakers.
Fresh water has become a limited resource in many parts of the world. In arid and semi-arid regions, groundwater levels are declining at unsustainable levels. In several industrial areas, groundwater is contaminated and unsuitable as potable water. This course will address the sustainability and pollution of groundwater by first understanding the theory of saturated and unsaturated flow and contaminant transport under ideal conditions. Subsequently, we learn to simplify groundwater systems in complex subsurface environments to obtain practical solutions. At the end of the course, the learned material will be put in a broader context as they are affected by natural or human actions. Throughout the course, guest speakers will discuss topics of current interest related to water.
Teaches basic engineering design and analysis as practiced for water control and nonpoint source pollution prevention. Discusses the origins of design approaches, including their theoretical bases and recent or emerging methods and concepts. Most of the course is dedicated to practicing applied design. Assignments are generally representative of real-life engineering problems and involve as much hands-on experience as possible. Some example topics include risk analysis, water conveyance, stormwater management, including green infrastructure and low-impact development. Satisfies EnvE capstone design requirement. Satisfies College of Engineering technical communications requirement.
This course introduces methods for environmental systems planning and management. We will analyze system dynamics and stability and use numerical simulation to propagate uncertainty and quantify risks. Optimization methods (search techniques, linear programming, integer programming) will be used for systems design and management. Examples will draw from a variety of environmental systems, including air, water, and soil pollution and the electric power system.
BEE 4800Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change3
This course investigates the science of atmospheric chemistry as its relation to air pollution and global change. Students examine the chemistry and physics that determines atmospheric composition on local to global scales including the effects of biogeochemistry and atmospheric photochemistry.
Sustainability is a complex and multifaceted concept without straightforward solutions. This course is a multidisciplinary introduction to the evaluation of sustainability, sustainable development obstacles and opportunities, and explore engineering research needs. We will practice both qualitative and quantitative approaches with a heavy focus on writing about sustainability concepts and sustainability analysis in practice. The course spans modules that focus on understanding the root causes of unsustainability to sustainability assessment frameworks to design and innovation. The culmination of the course will be a final team project that will be developed by an industry, campus, or community partner to practice the quantitative approaches learned in the course and tie to the relevant qualitative concept discussed in class.
BEE 4850Environmental Data Analysis and Simulation3
Understanding data is an increasingly integral part of working with environmental systems. Data analysis is an integral part of developing statistical and numerical models to understand system dynamics and project future conditions and outcomes. This course will provide an overview of a generative approach to environmental data analysis, which uses simulation from models to provide insight into the structure of data and its data-generating process. The goal is to provide students with a framework and an initial toolkit of methods that they can use to formulate and update hypotheses about data and models. Students will actively analyze and use real data from a variety of environmental systems, potentially including the climate system, sea levels, air pollution, and the electric power system.
BEE 4880Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems3
This course will provide an applied introduction to optimization and simulation techniques for electric power, with an emphasis on integration of renewables and storage. The course will be modular in nature. Each module will focus on a particular renewable energy application and relevant modeling tools. Some modules are independent and some will build on previous modules. The instructional format of the course will include lectures, scientific paper reviews, and some Julia programming. Students will have an opportunity to apply new techniques to a relevant modeling project. The course will culminate with a modeling project relevant to renewable energy. Undergraduates will work in teams of 2-3 students to complete the term project.
BEE 4940Special Topics in Biological and Environmental Engineering1-4
The department teaches trial courses under this number. Offerings vary by semester and will be advertised by the department. Courses offered under this number will be approved by the department curriculum committee and the same course will not be offered twice under this number. Each 4940 has a unique course ID for enrollment.
This course engages students in real-world, community-based sustainability projects through Cornell GreenClub. Structured as a student-led, engaged-learning experience, students work in interdisciplinary teams to design and implement stakeholder-focused projects that address community needs. Teams collaborate with campus or community partners to define goals, analyze constraints, gather and interpret data, and develop actionable recommendations. Class sessions function as collaborative workshops where students share progress, troubleshoot challenges, and receive feedback from peers and the instructor. The course emphasizes project management, stakeholder engagement, communication strategies, and translating research into practical solutions.
BEE 4970Individual Study in Biological and Environmental Engineering1-4
Special work in any area of biological and environmental engineering on problems under investigation by the department or of special interest to the student, provided, in the latter case, that adequate facilities can be obtained.
The student assists in teaching a biological and environmental engineering course appropriate to his or her previous training. The student meets with a discussion or laboratory section, prepares course materials, grades assignments, and regularly discusses objectives and techniques with the faculty member in charge of the course.
Research in any area of biological or environmental engineering on problems under investigation by the department or of special interest to the student, provided that adequate facilities can be obtained. The student must review pertinent literature, prepare a project outline, carry out an approved plan, and submit a formal final report.
Intended for students pursuing the research honors program in BEE. This course is the culmination of the program's honors project requirement. Students enrolled in the BEE Honors program will prepare an honors thesis based on the subject matter of a BEE 4990 project from the previous semester, under the supervision of their research mentor. A preliminary draft and the final copy will be submitted according to the deadline and formatting requirements of the Honors program.
Research in any area of biological and environmental engineering on problems under investigation by the department or of special interest to the student, provided that adequate facilities can be obtained. The student must review pertinent literature, prepare a project outline, carry out an approved plan and submit a formal final report.
In this field-based course, students will observe, measure, and sample aquatic environments to determine chemical and physical characteristics of water quality. The course will pair sensor data with samples brought back to the laboratory for chemical analysis. It includes both the quantification and interpretation of water measurements to facilitate decision-making in watershed management. This course prepares students to contribute meaningfully to the science and stewardship of water resources.
BEE 5280Systems and Synthetic Biology for Sustainable Energy3
The world today is in a state of enormous transition. In the coming few decades, billions of people will leave poverty and enter the developed world. This unprecedented development will be one of the greatest opportunities ever presented to improve global public health and quality of life, but it will only be realized if it's done right. The challenge of sustainable energy is not just to provide energy without polluting the atmosphere with fossil carbon, but to do so at a global scale at a cost that everyone can afford. Thanks to capabilities ranging from room temperature and pressure catalysis to self-assembly, biology offers first draft solutions to problems in sustainable energy from the safe use of nuclear energy, the capture and storage of solar power, mining and purifying elements critical for sustainable energy technologies like rare earths and even in the construction of advanced materials. In each class we will discuss a set of scientific journal articles and use these discuss the advantages, disadvantages and potential of biology in applications in sustainable energy. In each of the past two years we have used these discussions to write a scientific article with students as co-authors.
Sustainable development is a predominant environmental, economic, and social concern of the 21st century. This course seeks to introduce students from across Cornell's colleges to key concepts of sustainable development and how they are integrated into life cycle analysis (LCA) assessments of sustainability. Students seeking to expand their knowledge of sustainable development through readings, videos, written assignments, and interaction with their peers are welcome to take the course. Students learn to evaluate sustainability by carrying out a multi-phase LCA assessment from environmental, economic, and social perspectives throughout the semester for a system/product of their choice. Over the course of .the semester, work is posted on an e-portfolio to enable peer sharing and commenting. Course is solely asynchronous and web-based. Additional course information: https://sites.google.com/view/b3299sustainabledevelopment/home
Properties of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids; hydrostatic and dynamic forces; principles of continuity, conservation of mass, energy and momentum and their applications; laminar and turbulent flows, introduction to Navier Stokes; dimensional analysis and similarity; internal and external bio-fluid examples will be covered e.g., blood circulatory systems and animal locomotion.
The primary focus is to prepare students for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which is the first step in obtaining a Professional Engineering (PE) license. Students complete a formal comprehensive review of engineering subjects associated with the FE exam. Engineering professionalism topics will be covered in some of the lectures or asynchronous videos. Once the nationally conducted FE exam is passed, it is valid forever in any state as part of PE registration. Course grading is based upon weekly quizzes, assignments within the asynchronous videos, attendance, and a comprehensive online final that is similar to the FE exam. Alternatively, the quizzes and final portion of the grade can be covered by passing of the FE exam during the semester.
Energy Seminars will explore energy-related topics of emerging, contemporary and historical interest. An abbreviated list of subjects explored in the seminars includes: global energy resources, energy generation technologies (present and future), energy storage options, environmental impacts and climate change mitigation, energy policy, and energy delivery economics and systems. Seminar speakers will be distinguished practicing engineers and executives from industry and government as well as faculty members from several departments at Cornell, and other academic institutions. Students from any department in Engineering or the Physical Sciences should find these talks informative.
Energy Seminars will continue to explore energy-related topics of emerging, contemporary and historical interest. An abbreviated list of subjects explored in the seminars includes: global energy resources, energy generation technologies (present and future), energy storage options, environmental impacts and climate change mitigation, energy policy, and energy delivery economics and systems. Seminar speakers will be distinguished practicing engineers and executives from industry and government as well as faculty members from several departments at Cornell, and other academic institutions.
BEE 5500Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological Engineering4
Focuses on understanding the principles of heat and mass transfer in the context of biological (biomedical/bioprocessing/bioenvironmental) systems. Emphasizes physical understanding of transport processes with application examples from plant, animal and human biology, the bioenvironment (soil/water/air), and industrial processing of food and biomaterials. Students in BEE 5500 will develop a more complex computational model (for which analytical solution is difficult) using the software used in one of the homework. The goal of this activity will not be computation itself but using numerical computation to probe deeper into one or more aspects of conduction/diffusion, flow, generation/depletion, or geometry effect in a transport process.
This course provides an in depth analysis of the diverse ways in which organisms are used to physically remove or metabolize (and co-metabolize) various pollutants in the environment. We will examine multiple forms of bioremediation including: bacterial degradation of organic pollutants, biotransformation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, bioremediation of microplastics, and phytoremediation of pesticides and heavy metals. Throughout the semester, we will evaluate the promise of such technologies as well as the current obstacles to realizing their potential. We will read and analyze research journal papers related to bioremediation and discuss tools used to document success in the field. Additionally, we will examine current efforts to “design” organisms with enhanced bioremediation capabilities and discuss the use of genetically modified organisms in field applications.
BEE 5530Computer-Aided Engineering: Applications to Biological Processes3
Introduction to simulation-based design as an alternative to prototype-based design; modeling and optimization of complex real-life processes for design and research, using industry-standard physics-based computational software. Emphasis is on problem formulation, starting from a real process and developing its computer model. Modeling application (project) can be biomedical (thermal therapy and drug delivery) or broader biological and bioenvironmental applications that involve heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid flow. Computational topics introduce the finite-element method, model validation, pre- and post-processing, and pitfalls of using computational software. Students choose their own semester-long project, which is a major part of the course (no final exam). Students in BEE/MAE 5530 will expand (beyond 4530) the developed model in areas such as physics, geometry, properties, and validation.
BEE 5590Physical Design in Biological Engineering3
Students will choose a project depending on their interests, and complete the project goal by integrating the knowledge of biology, physics, and engineering. Students will present their proposal and final results, and write a report at the end of the semester.
In this class you'll learn about upper level introduction to cutting edge topics of interest to biological engineering. We will connect relevant themes and concepts from the BEE curriculum to recent developments in areas of cellular and molecular engineering, learning how to make relevant and lasting connections between the fundamental concepts (biological systems, genetics, metabolic networks) for producing commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and study mathematical models of gene regulation.
Mechanistic, model-based understanding and digital tools critically innovate in the design cycle for products and processes, food manufacturing is no exception. The course will introduce tools such as computational modeling, digital twins, and predictive knowledge bases, exploring deeper into the underlying universal physics-based frameworks describing transformations in food during processing. Students choose their own semester-long computational project, which is a major part of the course (no exams). Course is taught hybrid (one in-class meeting a week with the rest web-based).
Introduction to physical hydrology with an emphasis on roles and interactions between hydrological processes and ecological, biogeochemical, and human systems.
Teaches basic engineering design and analysis as practiced for water control and nonpoint source pollution prevention. Discusses the origins of design approaches, including their theoretical bases and recent or emerging methods and concepts. Most of the course is dedicated to practicing applied design. Assignments are generally representative of real-life engineering problems and involve as much hands-on experience as possible. Some example topics include risk analysis, water conveyance, stormwater management, including green infrastructure and low-impact development.
This course introduces methods for environmental systems planning and management. We will analyze system dynamics and stability and use numerical simulation to propagate uncertainty and quantify risks. Optimization methods (search techniques, linear programming, integer programming) will be used for systems design and management. Examples will draw from a variety of environmental systems, including air, water, and soil pollution andthe electric power system.
BEE 5850Environmental Data Analysis and Simulation3
Understanding data is an increasingly integral part of working with environmental systems. Data analysis is an integral part of developing statistical and numerical models to understand system dynamics and project future conditions and outcomes. This course will provide an overview of a generative approach to environmental data analysis, which uses simulation from models to provide insight into the structure of data and its data-generating process. The goal is to provide students with a framework and an initial toolkit of methods that they can use to formulate and update hypotheses about data and models. Students will actively analyze and use real data from a variety of environmental systems, potentially including the climate system, sea levels, air pollution, and the electric power system.
Introduction to bio-inspired and bio-enabled robotics across scales by an interdisciplinary approach, by gradually integrating knowledge in mechanical engineering and bioengineering. The concept and basic principles of biorobotics are discussed through macroscale robots in various fields including agriculture such as fruit picking robots. Homework includes programming, literature searches, and design studies of their own biorobots.
Comprehensive engineering design projects relating to the candidate's area of specialization. Projects are supervised by a BEE faculty member on an individual basis. A formal project report and oral presentation of the design project are required for completion of the course(s). A minimum of 6 to a maximum of 9 credits of 5951-BEE 5952 is required for the M.Eng. degree.
Comprehensive engineering design projects relating to the candidate's area of specialization. Projects are supervised by a BEE faculty member on an individual basis. A formal project report and oral presentation of the design project are required for completion of the course(s). A minimum of 6 to a maximum of 9 credits of BEE 5951-5952 is required for the M.Eng. degree.
The student assists in teaching a biological and environmental engineering course appropriate to his/her previous training. The student meets with a discussion or laboratory section, prepares course materials, grades assignments, and regularly discusses objectives and techniques with the faculty member in charge of the course.
This course introduces statistical and machine learning techniques for analyzing complex datasets in the environmental sciences and engineering. It focuses on supervised learning methods, such as regression, decision trees, and neural networks, applied to real environmental data, with emphasis on both prediction and inference. Designed for students with basic statistics knowledge, the course provides a practical foundation in applied statistics and machine learning. It includes review of key mathematical and coding concepts needed to implement these tools. The goal is to build a toolbox of methods not covered in introductory courses and to help students understand when and why to use each method. Learning is hands-on, with in-class programming exercises that translate theory into application using real-world datasets.
This course builds on concepts introduced in BEE 4310/6310 Environmental Statistics and Learning but does not require prior enrollment. It examines advanced statistical and machine learning methods for complex environmental datasets. Topics include unsupervised and supervised learning, such as clustering (hierarchical, k-means, Gaussian mixture models, DBSCAN), principal component analysis, k-nearest neighbors, Gaussian process regression, support vector machines, and neural networks. Students are introduced to explainable AI and deep learning concepts, including autoencoders, recurrent and long short-term memory networks, and convolutional neural networks. Applications span environmental science and engineering, emphasizing pattern recognition, prediction, and system understanding. The course prioritizes practical implementation, critical evaluation, and interpretation of results over black-box use, with hands-on programming and literature-based analysis.
In this class, we will discuss some classical as well as cutting-edge research papers from the biomaterials field on topics including: (1) Polymer Biomaterials; (2) Hydrogel Biomaterials; (3) Inorganic and Composite Biomaterials; and (4) Applications of Biomaterials in Agriculture and Life Sciences. For each topic, the professor will first give introductory lectures, and the students will then give presentations and lead discussions on chosen papers.
Covers fundamental mechanisms that nature uses to build and control living systems at micro- and nano-meter length scales; engineering principles for fabricating micro/nano-meter scale devices; examples of solving contemporary problems in the health sector and environment.
Ecological mechanics explores ecological relations from a mechanics perspective, including fluid, solid, structural mechanics, and heat and mass transport. While other ecological studies incorporate transport of mass, energy, and information, consideration of momentum transport and its consequence in biotic and abiotic relations in organisms is unique to this discipline. We begin the course by introducing the fundamental and advanced concepts in mechanics. Then we will learn how to incorporate these concepts by considering response function (the functional relationship between condition imposed on the system and its response) to understand and predict ecological phenomena such as predator-prey relation and pattern formation.
This course investigates aspects of physical, chemical, and biological water quality and management approaches. The course highlights relationships between human activities, water scarcity, water quality degradation, and ecological and health consequences. We will then examine policies aimed at managing water quality.
Every year, the New York State Water Resources Institute (NYSWRI) at Cornell supports applied research that addresses critical water resource problems in NYS and the nation. This seminar series brings together researchers who work with NYSWRI and state agency partners to support and improve water management in the state. Speakers will present on a broad range of water related topics including water engineering and infrastructure, climate and flood resilience, water quality monitoring and assessment , aquatic ecosystems and related outreach. We will focus on ways in which robust science can support and influence on-ground management and policy outcomes, center collaborative and interdisciplinary work between academics, water resource scientists, educators, managers, and policymakers in NYS. Students will gain valuable career insights and project creation perspectives from speakers.
Fresh water has become a limited resource in many parts of the world. n arid and semi-arid regions, groundwater levels are declining at unsustainable levels. In several industrial areas, groundwater is contaminated and unsuitable as potable water. This course will address the sustainability and pollution of groundwater by first understanding the theory of saturated and unsaturated flow and contaminant transport under ideal conditions. Subsequently, we learn to simplify groundwater systems in complex subsurface environments to obtain practical solutions. At the end of the course, the learned material will be put in a broader context as they are affected by natural or human actions. Throughout the course, guest speakers will discuss topics of current interest related to water.
The objective of this course is to investigate novel topics that involve the interactions between physical hydrological processes and ecosystem processes, including the impacts of human activities on the ecohydrological system. The course is designed to encourage teams of students from historically disparate disciplines to collaboratively combine their unique skills and insights to answer multidisciplinary ecohydrological questions. This course will consider a broad range scales from a stomate and a soil pore to a forest, watershed, and region, with emphasis placed on those scales and systems most appropriate to student interests. Through course work we will clarify the current understanding of various topics, identify knowledge gaps, develop hypotheses, and test them quantitatively by creating models and analyzing available data. The goal of this course is to identify the basic principles of ecohydrology and become familiar and comfortable with a range of quantitative tools and approaches for answering ecohydrological questions.
BEE 6800Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change3
This course investigates the science of atmospheric chemistry as its relation to air pollution and global change. Students examine the chemistry and physics that determines atmospheric composition on local to global scales including the effects of biogeochemistry and atmospheric photochemistry.
Sustainability is a complex and multifaceted concept without straightforward solutions. This course is a multidisciplinary introduction to the evaluation of sustainability, sustainable development obstacles and opportunities, and explore engineering research needs. We will practice both qualitative and quantitative approaches with a heavy focus on writing about sustainability concepts and sustainability analysis in practice. The course spans modules that focus on understanding the root causes of unsustainability to sustainability assessment frameworks to design and innovation. The culmination of the course will be a final team project that will be developed by an industry, campus, or community partner to practice the quantitative approaches learned in the course and tie to the relevant qualitative concept discussed in class.
BEE 6880Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems3
This course will provide an applied introduction to optimization and simulation techniques for electric power, with an emphasis on integration of renewables and storage. The course will be modular in nature. Each module will focus on a particular renewable energy application and relevant modeling tools. Some modules are independent and some will build on previous modules. The instructional format of the course will include lectures, scientific paper reviews, and some Julia programming. Students will have an opportunity to apply new techniques to a relevant modeling project. The course will culminate with a modeling project relevant to renewable energy. Graduate students will be required to complete the term project on an individual basis.
BEE 6940Graduate Special Topics in Biological and Environmental Engineering1-4
The department teaches trial courses under this number. Offerings vary by semester and are advertised by the department. Courses offered under this number will be approved by the department curriculum committee and the same course will not be offered twice under this number. Each 6940 has a unique course ID for enrollment.
This course is intended to introduce students to graduate school in Biological and Environmental Engineering. It is intended for first year graduate students although others may find it helpful. It consists of a seminar series and series of classes introducing students to such topics as: how to write a research proposal, how to give a scientific talk, how to get the most out of Cornell resources and time management.
This course is a discussion of current topics in limnology. Students will have the opportunity to present and receive feedback on their research in limnology. Topics include (but are not limited to) biogeochemistry, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, microbial ecology, and population ecology in inland freshwaters.
Nucleic Acid Engineering provides a comprehensive examination of the engineering aspects of nucleic acids beyond their biological context. By integrating molecular biology, bioengineering, and Artificial Intelligence, this course promotes a multidisciplinary and active learning environment. It explores the structure-property-function relationships of nucleic acids, focusing on the development of various nanostructures, devices, and materials derived from nucleic acids. The course also covers molecular toolkits for nucleic acid manipulation, their non-biological functions, and practical applications.
Study and discussion of research or design procedures related to selected topics including watershed management, erosion control, hydrology, colloid transport, and water quality.
