Science & Engineering for Sustainable Solutions (SESS) Track Requirements

Full details on the ENCE - SESS Track requirements can be found in the Harvard College Fields of Concentration. The Track requirements are also listed below, and are summarized on the plan of study form.

Science and Engineering for Sustainable Solutions (SESS) Track Requirements

1. ENCE Common Core (same for all ENCE Tracks): 2 courses
   • Foundation: ENCE 10 (typically taken in the first semester of first year)
   • Senior-Year Team Project: ENCE 100
2. SESS Gateway: 1 course
   • ENCE 50: Gateway to Science and Engineering for Sustainable Solutions (typically taken in the second semester of first year)
3. Fundamentals: 6 courses
   • Mathematics:
     • Required: Math 21a & 21b 
       • Begin your math according to placement
       • You may substitute proof-based alternatives: Math 22a & 22b; Math 25a & 25b; or Math 55a & 55b.
   • Mechanics:
     • Select one from: PS 12a, Physics 15a, 16, or 19
   • Chemistry:
     • Select one from: PS 11, Chem 10, 20, or 40
   • Additional science:
     • Select one additional course from: PS 12b, Physics 15b, Physics 143a, ES 123, PS 11, Chem 10, 20, 40, 
   • Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science:
     • Select one from: AM 10, 101,105, 111; CS 32, 50, 1090a;  ECE 150; EPS 102, or Stat 110, 111
4. SESS Track Braid - Must select one Braid (see descriptions below): 4 courses
   • Braid in Energy Systems
     • Thermodynamics: Select one from ES 112, ES 181, or Physics 181
     • Energy Systems Core: Select three from ECE 145, ESE 133, ESE 164, PHYS 129, APPHY 236, CS 2490R, ENG-SCI 215, ENG-SCI 231
   • Braid in Sustainable Computing
     • Sustainable Computing Core: Select four from ECE 141, ECE 145, ECE 152, ECE 148, ENG-SCI 192, ENG-SCI 215, ESE 161, CS 1411, CS 1450, CS 2430, CS 2490R
   • Braid in Climate and Environmental Systems and Modeling
     • Braid core: Select four from ECE 145, ESE 133, ESE/EPS 135, ESE 161, ESE 163, ESE 164, ESE 166, ENG-SCI 192, ENG-SCI 268/EPS 208, AP 236, CS 2490R
5. Track Distribution: 2 courses
   • Select two courses from this list (encouraged to consider ENCE 51): 
     • ENCE 51, ENCE 52, ENCE 130
     • ECON 1661, ECON 1644
     • GOV 1722
     • HIST 1936
     • HISTSCI 101, 1385, 1410
     • OEB 120
     • SCI 6486
     • No more than one from: GENED 1015, GENED 1103, GENED 1117

Advising Notes:

• SESS Track students are encouraged to take ENCE 10 in their first semester, and ENCE 50 in their second semester. 
• SESS Track students are encouraged to begin taking foundational math (following your placement) in the first year.
• SESS Track students are encouraged to start taking physics by the spring of th first year or fall of the second year (PS 12a or Physics 15a)

• Students interested in the Sustainable Computing Braid should plan to take a Physics B course for the Additional Science course, to ensure they will meet prerequisites for Braid Core

   

SESS Track Braid Descriptions

• Energy Systems Braid: The focus is on the complex systems that are associated with decarbonization and electrification of the energy, chemical manufacturing, and transport sectors. Students gain an end-to-end understanding of energy sources, energy storage, energy grid infrastructure, and end use. Topics include non-fossil energy sources, battery technology and materials, optimization of the electrical grid with use of remote sensing and AI, and climate modeling for long-term planning of the energy system. Aspects of energy markets are also covered. Decarbonization of industrial chemical manufacturing, such as ammonia, cement, and steel production, is a core topic, and students will learn about carbon capture with conversion to high value products, including green fuels. These aspects involve identification and discovery of chemical routes that are driven by renewable electricity, in particular with the use of electrochemistry.
• Sustainable Computing Braid: The focus is on reducing the energy needs, effects on electrical-grid stability, and environmental impacts of state-of-the-art computing systems, e.g., datacenters running Artificial Intelligence applications. Computing systems are analyzed across their entire lifetime, including the manufacturing stage as well as the operational stage. Students will gain an end-to-end understanding of how computing systems are designed, fabricated, and operated, and topics include fundamentals of semiconductor materials selection, circuit analysis, design and fabrication of very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits and systems, power delivery, computer architecture, data center networks, AI algorithms, and the associated influence on the electric grid and the environment. Students will gain the skills needed for designing future computing systems that are optimized from the perspectives of both conventional compute performance metrics and electric-grid and environmental impacts.
• Climate and Environmnetal Systems and Modeling Braid: The focus is on understanding natural environmental systems and the human impacts of energy consumption, industrial processes and manufacturing, as well as the effect of environmental mitigation efforts. Students will explore the design of environmental monitoring technology and modeling methods that blend physical and AI approaches, including for statistical risk analysis and disaster prediction. Students will learn how to quantitatively relate mitigation action to outcomes ranging from climate to public health, and they will examine and analyze a range of climate solutions, including energy-decarbonization efforts, carbon capture, and solar geoengineering.  Students will learn to integrate information from multiple observational data streams into analytical frameworks to advance understanding, and examples of student work are the design of a satellite system for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and the quantification of source-receptor linkages for persistent pollutants.