Engineering Sustainability: Linking Technology, Policy, Health, and Economics

An interdisciplinary course linking engineering, policy, health, and economics to analyze sustainability impacts of energy technologies using a systems-thinking approach.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Eric Kazyak3.7/5

Summary

What you’ll be able to do

  • Analyze and evaluate system-level sustainability considerations for a variety of technologies, with a focus on energy conversion and storage systems

  • Assess the influence of policy, stakeholder perspectives, and commercialization pathways on the development and deployment of sustainable technologies

  • Collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary teams to investigate complex technological systems and their sustainability and societal impacts

  • Communicate technical and societal concepts clearly and persuasively through oral presentations, visual media, and written reports

  • Conduct literature reviews to gather, synthesize, and critique information from diverse sources relevant to technology and sustainability

  • Engage in informed, interdisciplinary dialogue about the impacts of engineered systems across their life cycles—including design, manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life

  • Design and defend a graduate-level analysis or project component that demonstrates original insight, methodological rigor, and consideration of uncertainty in sustainability assessment

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

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average GPA
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Prerequisites

Course map

INTEREGR 397,B M E 301,BIOCORE 384,ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY/​BOTANY 152, or graduate/professional standing

ME 478

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Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Spring 2027
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About this rating

Raw average: 4.00/5 from 5 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

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Historical instructors & teaching patterns

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Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 200
DIS 301Classroom Instruction0 / 200

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Student experience

the class

An interdisciplinary, systems-thinking approach to sustainability at the intersection of technology and society. Explores the operating principles and current state of technologies, primarily related to energy. Integrate perspectives from engineering, public policy, economics, public health, and environmental studies to analyze the societal and sustainability impacts of technological systems.

difficulty & workload

No workload feedback recorded.

Topics

  • Operating principles and current state of energy-related technologies
  • Societal and sustainability impacts of technological systems across multiple disciplines
  • Life cycle impacts of engineered systems including design, manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life

Skills

  • System-level sustainability analysis for energy conversion and storage technologies
  • Assessment of policy, stakeholder, and commercialization influences on technology deployment
  • Interdisciplinary team collaboration for investigating complex technological systems
  • Graduate-level analysis design with methodological rigor and uncertainty consideration

Grades

Instructor

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Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

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Selected offering source records
ME 478 · Spring 2027

Engineering Sustainability: Linking Technology, Policy, Health, and Economics

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records
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  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:612:027235",
    "course_id": "ME 478",
    "course_uid": "course_45da9bf7d15b339241d6009f",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "027235",
    "source_subject_id": "612",
    "title": "Engineering Sustainability: Linking Technology, Policy, Health, and Economics",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Not Applicable"
  }
]
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Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces

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Model & dataset provenance
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  "requirements_status": "valid",
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