January is Independent Activities Period (IAP) at MIT. Students at MIT’s Joint Program on the Science & Policy of Global Change regularly sponsor a series of classes on topics related to climate change. This year’s series includes:

Intro to Climate Science: Paleoclimate
Intro to Climate Science: Introduction to Climate Modeling
Climate Change 101: Introduction to Climate Change Economics & Policy
Climate Change 102: Recent Developments in US Climate Policy Legislation
Climate Change 103: Issues in Climate Policy – Technological Change & Biofuels

A team of MIT faculty and visitors from the Institute for Research in Technology (IIT) at Comillas University in Madrid are using the Independent Activities Period (IAP) at MIT to teach a short course on Electric Power System Modeling for a Low-Carbon Economy. The 8-session course presents power systems analysis techniques and explores how to incorporate the massive deployment of renewable generation, the anticipated surge in active demand response and the development of smart grids. Pictured above is one of the first classes, featuring Professor Andres Ramos of IIT.

In the Spring Term, Professor Ignacio Perez-Arriaga, who has been visiting MIT from IIT, will repeat his popular course, ESD 934, Engineering, Economics and Regulation of the Electric Power System. This course addresses the intersection of the power engineering with economics, regulatory and environmental perspectives.

(January 2010)