CIV E 401 - CIVIL ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY

FALL 2009

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR TERM PAPERS

Choose a topic starting September 21 for Section 1 (Monday) and September 23 for Section 2 (Wednesday). Submit the following on that date (on a sheet of paper): Name, e-mail, and selected topics: first, second, and third choice (use short name). The instructor will inform you of your topic through e-mail.

  1. How does the Tragedy of the Commons influence society? (COMMONS)

  2. What have we learned from Hurricane Katrina? (KATRINA)

  3. What to do about the San Andreas fault? (SAN ANDREAS)

  4. What are we going to do about climate change? (CLIMATE)

  5. How to minimize the impact of gold mining on the environment? (GOLD)

  6. Where is Southern California going to get its water in the future? (WATER)

  7. What to do about groundwater depletion in California? (GROUNDWATER)

  8. How to manage coastal erosion in San Diego County? (EROSION)

  9. Should San Diego implement secondary treatment at Point Loma? (POINT LOMA)

  10. What should San Diego do about its solid waste disposal site at Miramar? (MIRAMAR)

  11. Are roundabouts good or bad? (ROUNDABOUTS)

  12. The plight of the San Joaquin Valley (SAN JOAQUIN)

  13. Earthquake resistance design in California (EARTHQUAKE)

  14. Usage of permeable pavements in California (PAVEMENTS)

  15. The future of sand mining in Southern California (SAND)

  16. The future of salinity control in California (SALINITY)

  17. The future of ecological architecture in California (ARCHITECTURE)

  18. The future of solar energy in California (SOLAR)

  19. The future of wind energy in California (WIND)

  20. The future of hydroelectric energy in the United States (HYDRO)