2007-2008 Academic Catalog

Course descriptions


Course descriptions index


Geological Engineering

A $25 per semester student computing facility user fee is assessed for CEM engineering courses. This fee is in addition to an lab/materials fee.


GE 101      1 Credit
Introduction to Geological Engineering
Multiple aspects of geological engineering as a profession; the area and scope of the field. (1 + 0) Offered Fall


GE 261      3 Credits
General Geology for Engineers
Study of common rocks and minerals, landforms and erosion. Geologic materials and engineering application of geology. (Prerequisite: Geology, science, or engineering majors, or permission of instructor.) (2 + 3) Offered Spring


GE 365      3 Credits
Geological Materials Engineering
Identification and classification of soils, physical and mechanical properties of soil, interaction of soils with subsurface water, subsurface exploration and case studies with an emphasis on permafrost. (Prerequisites: GE 261 or permission of instructor, and ES 208.) (2 + 3) Offered Fall


GE 372      3 Credits
Rock Engineering
Rock engineering related to tunnels, slope design and strata control. Some field work and student report. (Prerequisites: GEOS 101X or GE 261; ES 208 or 209.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


GE 375      3 Credits
Principles of Engineering Geology and Terrain Analysis
Evaluation of terrain characteristics using basic geomorphic and engineering principles. Alaskan applications are provided due consideration. (Prerequisite: GE 261.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall


GE 376      3 Credits
GIS Applications in Geological and Environmental Engineering
Fundamentals, concepts and components of geographic information systems (GIS) in engineering design. Introduction to acquiring, manipulating and analyzing digital terrain data for geological engineering and environmental applications, and the assessment to mineral resources. (Prerequisite: GE 261 or equivalent. Recommended: NRM 338. Note: Group projects on path and site selection for engineering projects are required.) (2 + 3) Offered Spring


GE 378      3 Credits
Introduction to Geoinformatics
(Cross-listed with GEOS 378)
A multidisciplinary course providing theoretical understanding and hands-on experience with acquiring field data using palmtops and hand-held GPS; processing of remote sensing data acquired from airplanes and satellites; concept of data integration in GIS mode; database management and cartographic visualization of final product. (Prerequisite: PHYS 103X or PHYS 211X or permission of instructor.) (2 + 3) Offered Spring


GE 381W       2 Credits
Field Methods and Applied Design I
Techniques and geologic mapping and geotechnical instrumentation applied to engineering design and resource evaluation. (Prerequisites: ENGL 111X; ENGL 212X or ENGL 213X or permission of instructor; GE 261, GEOS 421 and GEOS 332 or equivalent.) (0 + 9 + 3) Offered Summer, As Demand Warrants


GE 382W       4 Credits
Field Methods and Applied Design II
Techniques and geologic mapping and geotechnical instrumentation applied to engineering design and resource evaluation. (Prerequisites: ENGL 111X; ENGL 212X or ENGL 213X or permission of instructor; GE 261, GEOS 421 and GEOS 332 or equivalent.) (0 + 9) Offered Summer, As Demand Warrants


GE 384      4 Credits
Engineering Geology of Alaska
A survey of the geology of Alaska relevant to the definition of natural and human induced geological engineering hazards, the evaluation of sources of and specifications for engineering materials, and the evaluation of engineering construction sites. (Prerequisites: Admission by permission of instructor and upper-division standing.) (3 + 1 + 2) Offered Summer, As Demand Warrants


GE 400      1-3 Credits
Geological Engineering Internship
Supervised work experience in engineering organizations. Assignments will be individually arranged with cooperating organizations from the private and public sectors. A report of activities must be completed and reviewed by the sponsoring organization. The report may be held in confidence at the request of the sponsoring organization. (Prerequisites: Admission by permission of instructor and upper-division standing.) (1-3 + 0) Offered As Demand Warrants


GE 405W       3 Credits
Exploration Geophysics
Theory and application of gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, radioactive and seismic methods as used for geophysical exploration. Some field work. (Prerequisites: MATH 200X and PHYS 211X or equivalent, GE 375.) (2 + 3) Offered Fall


GE 420      3 Credits
Subsurface Hydrology
Hydrologic, geologic and other factors controlling groundwater flow, occurrence, development, chemistry and contamination. Elementary groundwater flow theory. Interactions between surface-subsurface hydrologic systems. Hydraulic characteristics of earth materials, engineering problems and models related to subsurface fluids, and properties of water. (Prerequisites: GE 365 or permission of instructor, PHYS 211X, and MATH 302.) (2 + 3) Offered Fall


GE 422      3 Credits
Unsaturated Soil Geoengineering
Engineering principles of unsaturated soils as the apply to geoenvironmental and geotechnical systems. Effect of soil water suction and stress on hydraulic conductivity, shear strength and compressibility of soil in the context of geoengineering problems of flow and stability. Fundamentals of flow and transport in unsaturated soils with non-isothermal conditions. Processes affecting ground water contamination. (Prerequisites: GE 420 or equivalent or permission of instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


GE 430      3 Credits
Geomechanical Instrumentation
Measurement of groundwater pressure, ground deformation, stress and temperature as well as the planning of monitoring programs, instrument calibration, maintenance and installation, data collection, interpretation and reporting. Case histories are used. (Prerequisites: GE 261 or GEOS 101X, ES 331. Next offered: 2007-08.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Fall


GE 431      2 Credits
Applied Ore Microscopy
Preparation of polished sections of ores. Identification of ore materials in reflected light by physical, optical and chemical methods. Applications to ore genesis, drill core interpretation, beneficiation and process control. (Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Next offered: 2008-09.) (3 + 1) Offered Alternate Fall


GE 435      3 Credits
Exploration Design
Geologic, engineering and economic considerations applied to the design and development of mineral exploration programs. (Prerequisites: GEOS 314 or permission of instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


GE 440      3 Credits
Slope Stability
Slope design for open pit mining and other excavations. Stability analysis by various methods and on-site measuring and monitoring techniques. (Prerequisite: ES 331. Next offered: 2007-08.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring


GE 441      3 Credits
Geohazard Analysis
Procedures and techniques to evaluate geological factors for geohazards. Includes landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, coastal hazards and permafrost-related problems. (Prerequisite: GE 365, equivalent, or permission of instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall


GE 471      3 Credits
Remote Sensing for Engineering
Applications of remote sensing to geological engineering problems. Introduction to digital satellite image processing with hands-on practice. (Prerequisites: GE 375 or permission of instructor and PHYS 212X.) (2 + 3) Offered Fall


GE 480W       3 Credits
Senior Design
Design factors and procedures for the solution of geological engineering problems. A design project is the focus of the course. (Prerequisite: ENGL 111X, ENGL 211X or ENGL 213X, senior standing or permission of instructor.) (1 + 6) Offered Spring


GE 620      3 Credits
Advanced Groundwater Hydrology
Study of groundwater hydrology with emphasis on solute and contaminant transport, chemical reaction and ion exchange, advection and diffusion, and computer modeling. (Prerequisite: GE 420 or similar training in groundwater hydrology.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall


GE 630      3 Credits
Advanced Applied Mining Geology
Investigative procedures used in mining geology from pre-production to terminal phases of an operation. Models ranging from open-pit to deep underground mining will be examined. Methods of mapping, sampling, ongoing evaluation and geotechnical aspects of water and ground control are examined. (Prerequisite: GE 435.) (2 + 3) Offered Alternate Fall


GE 631      3 Credits
Electron Microprobe Methods
Applications of electron microanalysis to mineralogy, petrology and mineral exploration development, evaluation and processing. Physics of x-rays, x-ray spectrometry and measurement; qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis using wave length and energy dispersive spectra. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing.) (2 + 3) Offered Spring


GE 633      3 Credits
Fluid Inclusion Methods in Mineral and Petroleum Exploration
Study of fluid inclusions in minerals. Thermodynamics, chemical and physical properties of fluids trapped in rock forming minerals or petroleum-bearing rocks. Laboratory work includes sample preparation, thermometric and direct-current plasma emission spectrographic analysis. (Prerequisite: CHEM 331.) (2 + 3) Offered Fall


GE 635      3 Credits
Advanced Geostatistical Applications
(Cross-listed with MIN 635)
Introduction to the theory and application of geostatistics. Review of classical statistics, continuous and discrete districutions, hypothesis testing and global estimation. Presentation of fundamental geostatistical concepts including: variogram, estimation variance, block variance, kriging, geostatistical simulation. Emphasis on the practical application of geostatistical techniques. (Prerequisites: MIN 408 or equivalent, graduate standing, or permission of instructor.) (2 + 3) Offered Spring


GE 649      3 Credits
Hazardous and Toxic Waste Management
(Cross-listed with ENVE 649)
In-depth coverage of hazardous and toxic substance management including legal, economic and technical issues. Taught by an interdisciplinary faculty group using case studies of current waste management issues. Topics include characterization of hazardous materials; economics of toxics minimization; hazardous materials use, storage and disposal; technical aspects of landfill siting; and selection and design of treatment technologies. (Recommended: Bachelor's degree in science or engineering. Next offered: 2008-09.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Fall


GE 665      3 Credits
Advanced Geological Materials Engineering
In-depth study of geological materials (aggregates-sand, gravel and crushed rock for construction purposes) exploration, evaluation, testing and production. Emphasis placed on geological materials used for construction in arctic and sub-arctic environments, economic analysis of pit and quarry operations and availability of materials in Alaska. (Prerequisites: GE 365 or equivalent and permission of instructor. Recommended: MIN 408.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


GE 666      3 Credits
Advanced Engineering Geology
The interaction between geology and engineering case histories. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing, GE 365 and GE 372 or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2008-09.) (2 + 3) Offered Alternate Fall


GE 668      3 Credits
Tunneling Geotechniques
Tunnel design, case histories, student report. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2008-09.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring


GE 671      3 Credits
Engineering Application of Digital Image Processing
Quantitative methods of using digital image processing and engineering information system. Applications include, but are not limited to, evaluation of the engineering properties of geo-materials, characterization of joint-surface conditions, enhancement of photoelastic stress patterns and identification of critical slope failure surfaces. (Prerequisite: GE 471 or equivalent or permission of instructor.) (2 + 3) Offered Alternate Spring


GE 692      1 Credit
Graduate Seminar
Topics in geological engineering explored through talks, group discussions and guest speakers with a high level of student participation. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.) (1 + 0) Offered Fall, Spring