Water Resource Systems OpenCourseWare: A Free MIT Graduate Study Course on Water Resource Management

Published Jan 05, 2009

RSS Feed

Investigating a large-scale water resource issue may be done in a number of ways, using fields of study including hydrology, economics, politics and even sociology or law. This Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Environmental Engineering course, 'Water Resource Systems', offered free through OpenCourseWare, focuses on the use of mathematical modeling in the analysis of water systems. Students in any graduate-level engineering degree program may benefit. A background in advanced mathematics, including linear algebra, is required for success.

Water Resource Systems: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Graduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
Yes No No

Water Resource Systems: Course Description

This course begins by reviewing linear algebra. Three sessions are spent discussing and analyzing economic aspects of water resource planning. The course also covers topics such as water supply management, flood and disaster control and prevention and groundwater remediation. Students will plan a simulated river basin using GAMS and MATLAB software. A trial version of the GAMS software package used in this course can be downloaded free, but students will need access to the MATLAB suite as well. Students who complete this course will have an understanding of the uses and limitations of computer modeling technology as they apply to water resource systems management. Professor Dennis McLaughlin offers this course in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. McLaughlin has posted lecture notes, four problem sets, and a tools page for help with the software. To learn more, visit the home page of the water resource systems course.

Featured School Choices: