C OURSE S YLLABUS

GEDN055 M ATHEMATICAL M ODELING FOR S USTAINABILITY

Spring 2023

Timetable: Friday 15:00–17:45 80.880

Prerequisite: Secondary school mathematics and/or PreCalculus
Instructor: Prof. Dr. Anchoraging Alaska
Office: 88.808
Phone: +188 808 8998
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday: 14:00–16:00 or by appointment.

Course Overview
This course offers an introduction to sustainability and sustainable development, with a focus on
mathematical modeling in the context of sustainability. It covers fundamental concepts such as sci-
entific notations, measurements, orders of magnitude, stocks, flows, and equilibrium, as well as their
application to the climate system, networks, connections, and feedback. Additionally, students will
explore dynamic networks, rate of change, the logistic model, growth limit, data and risk, probability
and predictions, expectations and payoffs, and decision-making, including the tragedy of the com-
mons. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities, students will gain
an understanding of the mathematical tools and concepts necessary to tackle complex sustainability
challenges. This course is designed for students interested in sustainability and mathematics, and no
prior experience in either field is required.

Course Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will have acquired a broad range of skills and
competencies related to mathematical modeling and sustainability. They will be able to:
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the principles of sustainability and sustainable
development
• apply mathematical concepts and techniques to real-world sustainability issues
• formulate complex mathematical models and solve them using appropriate software tools
• demonstrate an understanding of the importance of sustainable living practices and implement
them in their personal lives
• develop advanced quantitative reasoning skills that can be applied to real-world problem-solving
situations.
Course Material
John Roe, Russ deForest, and Sara Jamshidi, Mathematics for Sustainability, Springer, 2018.
ISBN-13: 978-3-319-76659-1 AAA Library: WW0172684 510 R698m

Course Assessment
Activity Tentative dates Weight Coverage
Quizzes Weekly 20% Relevant sections
Assignment Fortnightly 10% Relevant sections
Presentation Week 13 20% Overall
Attendance Weekly 10%
Midterm test 21 April 2023 20% Chapters 2–5
Final exam 9 June 2023 20% Chapters 6–10

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Grading Criteria
We will utilize an absolute grading policy for this course, which provides clear and specific cut-off
points for each letter grade. The following table outlines the percentage required for each letter grade,
with “A+” being the highest achievable grade (with a maximum score of 100):

% 90–100 80–89 75–79 70–74 65–69 60–64 55–59 50–54 0–49

Grade A+ A B+ B C+ C D+ D F

To ensure fairness and consistency in grading, any score with a decimal of 0.5 or higher will be
rounded up to the nearest whole number, while any score below 0.5 will be rounded down. We
strongly encourage you to stay engaged throughout the semester and put your best effort into your
coursework in order to achieve your desired grade.

Course Policies

Academic honesty
We emphasize the importance of academic integrity in this course. Cheating, plagiarism, collusion,
and any other forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. These behav-
iors not only undermine the educational mission of our university but also hinder your personal and
intellectual growth as students. It is essential that each of you take individual responsibility for your
own work, learn the rules and definitions of academic integrity, and uphold its ideals throughout this
course. Please be aware that ignorance of these rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them.
Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will face disciplinary
action. If you have any questions or concerns about academic integrity in this course, please do not
hesitate to reach out to me or the teaching assistants. We are here to support your learning and ensure
that you have a fair and successful academic experience.

Attendance policy
Regular attendance is crucial for academic success, as it ensures that students stay on track with
the course material and receive the necessary support from their instructors. Therefore, we strongly
encourage all students to attend every class session. Please note that attendance is mandatory, and
students are required to attend all classes throughout the semester in order to meet the course re-
quirements and expectations.

Tardiness policy
To ensure that all students are present and accounted for, attendance will be taken at the beginning
of each class session. Please be sure to arrive on time and check-in with your instructor or the smart
attendance system. Please note that any student who arrives after attendance has been taken will be
marked as absent for that class session, regardless of their actual arrival time. Therefore, we strongly
encourage all students to arrive on time and be present for the entire duration of each class session.

Classroom decorum
As a sign of respect and professionalism, students are expected to adhere to the dress code policy
when attending classes. Please refrain from wearing clothing that may cause distractions to the class
or may be deemed inappropriate for an academic setting. Your compliance in this matter is highly
appreciated.

Electronic devices
Please switch off all cellular phones or other electronic personal communication devices during class
to avoid disturbing others.

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Language
This course is conducted entirely in English. Therefore, all assignments, exams, and class discussions
are expected to be completed accurately and legibly in English.

Missed exams
It is the policy of this course that there will be no make-up examinations or deferrals. Students who
miss a midterm or final exam without a valid excuse will receive a grade of F. It is the responsibility
of the students to ensure that they are present for all exams as scheduled. Valid excuses must be sub-
mitted in a timely manner and will be reviewed by the instructor on a case-by-case basis.

Grade inquiry
Students are entitled to inquire about their marks and grades for all assessments, which can be done
after 10 working days from the submission date for project assignments and after 5 working days for
midterm and final exams. The final letter grade will be determined based on the students’ academic
achievement using the assessment criteria stated earlier. However, students cannot coerce or force
the instructor to change their letter grade. The only instance in which a grade change will be possible
is if any calculation errors are discovered either in the exam scripts or in the spreadsheet.

Class participation
Please fill in the front rows of the lecture hall to facilitate better communication and engagement with
the course materials. Active participation from individual students and teams is expected during the
class sessions. While the entire course material may not be covered in class due to time constraints,
students are encouraged to study independently outside of class. As a general guideline, for every
one hour of classroom instruction, students are expected to spend two hours on independent study.

Use of technology
To get the most out of this course, it is recommended that students have a basic familiarity with
mathematical software such as Maple, Mathematica, WolframAlpha, Matlab, Sage, Maxima, Octave,
Python, or other similar programs. Familiarity with these tools will greatly support the course activ-
ities and enhance the learning experience.

Late assignment
Late submissions for assignments will not be accepted unless there is a valid and verifiable extenu-
ating circumstance. In such cases, the student is required to contact the course instructor as soon as
possible and provide documentation to support the request for an extension. Failure to adhere to the
deadlines may result in a penalty that may affect the final grade.

Appeals policy
Any appeals regarding grades should be submitted within 10 working days of receiving the final
grade or in accordance with the university’s appeal policy.

Electronic resources
Please regularly monitor your email account and the Canvas-based learning management system
iCampus for important updates and announcements regarding the course.

Safety regulations
Please ensure that you follow the university’s safety regulations at all times to prevent accidents or
injuries. These regulations include but are not limited to wearing appropriate personal protective
equipment when necessary, following proper procedures when handling hazardous materials, and
reporting any unsafe conditions or incidents to the appropriate authority. Your cooperation in main-
taining a safe environment is highly appreciated.

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Important dates
Add and drop course: 27 February–3 March 2023
Credit cancellation request: 8–10 March 2023
Student suggestion week: 13–24 March 2023
Course withdrawal application: 15–17 March 2023
Midterm course evaluation: 17–28 April 2023
Midterm examination: 17–21 April 2023
Final course evaluation: 22 May–2 June 2023
Final examination: 5–9 June 2023
Grading period: 5–15 June 2023
Grade notification: 16–21 June 2023
Final grade confirmation: 26 June 2023

Course outline (All dates are subject to change.)

Week Date Topics Reference

1 3 March Introduction to sustainability 0.1–0.3
2 10 March Introduction to mathematical modeling Lecture slide
3 17 March Units, measurement, scientific notation 1.1–1.2
Estimates, precision, orders of magnitude 1.3–1.4
4 24 March Stocks, flows, equilibrium, energy 2.1–2.2
Equilibrium states, climate system 2.3–2.4
5 31 March Networks, connections, behavior 3.1–3.2
Feedback and dynamic networks, exponential model 3.3–3.4
6 7 April Logarithms, change, logistic models 4.1–4.2
Feedback strength, tipping points 4.3–4.4
7 14 April Review and problem solving 0.1–4.4
8 21 April Midterm Test 1.1–4.4
9 28 April Understanding data, probabilities, predictions 5.1–5.2
Expectations, payoffs, conditional probabilities 5.3–5.4
10 5 May Public holiday
11 12 May Market perspectives, large-scale change 6.1
Game theory, Nash equilibrium 6.2
Commons, decision-making 6.3–6.4
12 19 May Case study: recycling 7.3
Case study: population growth 7.4
Case study: electricity usage 7.7
13 26 May Presentation
14 2 June Review and problem solving 5.1–7.7
15 9 June Final Examination 6.1–7.7