Course:BEST402 Industrial Ecology/Learning Activities

2024

Design thinking

• Prototyping using Claude Artifact
  • Jam Board
  • Meeting Assistant
  • Website Analyzer AI
    • [Prompt]: "can you create a tool that would analyze a website and provide optimization ideas using AI?"
  • Bus Route Planner
    • [Prompt]: "generate a route planning app that provides information on traffic and occupancy load, and allows users to use a chat feature to send updates which will earn them points to free bus rides."
  • Environmental Sensitivity Zone Mapper
  • Emergency Response Map

System dynamics modeling

• Policy simulation using En-ROADS
• Feedback loop illustrations
  • Starbuck system dynamics
  • Corral reef system dynamics
  • Climate change and rising sea levels
  • Forest and climate dynamics
  • Ski hill management
  • Relationship between climate change and renewable energy policy
• MIT Beer Game Winning Team: Beer Gang
  

Material flow analysis

• Lego fun 2024!

Infographic literature review

• Life cycle of beers
• New strategies to recycle single-use nitrile gloves
• Beef patty vs vegan patty
• Cotton & Polyester Fabrics
• Sustainable transportation
• Life Cycle Assessment of Wooden Buildings
• The impact of green roofs walls on reducing carbon emissions
• Current Trends & Challenges in Waste Management in Low-Income and Developing Countries
• Low carbon concrete
• Sustainable concrete
• Carbonation curing
• Wind turbine blades: End-of-life challenges, pathways to solutions

2023

Debate

• The Effectiveness and Fairness of Forest Carbon Offsets: A Balanced Approach or a Detriment to Climate Change Mitigation?

Infographic literature review

• Microbial pigments
• Assessing the carbon footprint of various generation of biodiesel feedstock
• The Role of Heat Pumps in Producing Low-Carbon Heating/Cooling for Meeting Climate Goals
• Synthetic textile dyes: Challenges and solutions
• An Investigation into the Environmental Impacts of Various Cooking Methods through Life Cycle Assessment

MIT Beer Game

• Big Brother Beer
• Beer & Brewjee

Design Thinking: Sustainable Autonomous Transportation Systems

• AI car
• Zoning regulation for autonomous vehicles
• Subscription-based autonomous mobility services
• An app for safe autonomous mobility services

2022

Debate

• Should we end the logging of old growth forest in BC?
• Is planting trees going to save us from climate disasters?

Design Thinking: Circular food systems

• An app to reduce perishable food waste generation by improving inventory management
• A policy framework to regulate food waste during production and to incentive the improvement of food production efficiency
• Addressing imbalance in food waste generation between low- and high-income families