Instructor:  Prof. Tad W. Patzek, patzek@ce.berkeley.edu

When and Where : Wednesdays: 210 McLaughlin, 3-4 p.m.

How much: One hour of discussion/~1-2 hours of work in teams.

What to bring to class: Good spirit and  will to work with others

Grading: Pass/Fail based on attendance and participation

Brief Course Description: Hydrogen is advertised as renewable clean energy, which will power our country in the near-future.  But is it?  In small groups, we will investigate the various aspects of the “hydrogen economy.”  We will also investigate the environmental impacts of hydrogen production, who is behind the pro-hydrogen propaganda, and who stands to gain the most.  Each group will report in a sequence to be determined later by you. Together we will write an investigative report and send it to a professional journal, New York Times, or a similarly important newspaper.  This class may be of interest to all future scientists and engineers. In this class, you will have to be active, so if you just want to be entertained, don’t bother.  A similar class in Spring 2003 resulted in 11 press articles, TV and radio programs, and a journal paper currently under review.

Sponsoring Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering

Required text: None, I will bring the materials for you to use