Civil Engineering

This six-week summer course provides individual research training through the experience of belonging to a specific laboratory at Tohoku University. Students are assigned to a laboratory research group with Japanese and international students under the supervision of Tohoku University faculty. They participate in various group activities, including seminars, for the purpose of training in research methods and developing teamwork skills. The specific topic studied depends on the instructor in charge of the laboratory to which each student is assigned. The methods of assessment vary with the student's project and laboratory instructor. Students submit an abstract concerning the results of their individual research each semester and present the results near the end of this program.

This project focuses on exploring Berlin through analog hand drawing, and then using drawing and model making methods to design and construct a small building project. The course offers participants an in-depth knowledge of the design professional's important tool of hand drawing, a skill that equips them for their studies and later professional work. It begins with the basics of hand drawing to establish a foundation and then moves on to apply drawing to observe, analyze and design the environment. Students learn drawing forms such as perspective, isometry, section, pictogram, and others. The subject of analysis is the city of Berlin, the city fabric, micro urban situations, and the Design-Build project site. The Design-Build part of the project focuses on the realization of a small building project for a special community in Berlin. The students develop an idea from the design stage to the built project. An examination of the context and discussions with the clients and users form the basis for the final design. In a competitive design workshop, the best and most feasible solution(s) are selected and developed. In collaboration with the users and under the guidance of a craftsman, the design is built and inaugurated. The community is the client for this Design-Build project. They actively participate in guiding the project from the design phase to on-site construction. This project is carried out in an academic environment, engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration between students of various disciplines and the community. Through designing and building together, the students gain insights into the world that the people they are designing for are facing, with the goal of making students more sensitive to the social, cultural and ecological implications of their work. The challenge is to integrate "low-cost" and "high efficiency" requirements with considerations for sustainability, aesthetics, appropriateness, participation, and education. In order to profit from the high potential of these small-scale projects, the focus has to be the quality of the space that is created. This course primarily takes place off campus, with the drawing sessions happening throughout Berlin and the construction activities conducted on-site.

Pollution prevention solutions are attractive both to society in general and to industry but require knowledge in the fields of processes, products, and management in modern business organizations. The course explores solutions that use technical as well as managerial tools and methods. The course reviews the key aspects of process integrated environmental protection, including technical strategies to increase efficiency in water- energy- and material flows (exploring methods such as monitoring, maintenance, cleaner technology, process modification, on-site recycling, good housekeeping) and environmental management (including supply chain management and an introduction to current environmental management standards such as ISO 14000). Product related issues constitute a central part of the course looking into life cycle analysis, eco-design, and eco-labeling. The course also takes a wider perspective at industrial development and the engineer’s role and responsibility to work with industry to reduce environmental impacts. The course consists of lectures in combination with seminars, exercises, and a major assignment.

This course introduces the classical methods of analysis for statically indeterminate structures, especially structures comprising line elements, namely beam, truss, and frame structures. It firstly extends from earlier structural mechanics knowledge on deflection of beams to the general analysis of deflections in statically determinate structures, with an emphasis on the method of virtual work. This is followed by the analysis of indeterminate structures using the force method (flexibility method); analysis of indeterminate structures using the displacement method, including the slope-deflection method and moment distribution method. It then proceeds to the matrix stiffness method for structural analysis using the direct stiffness approach, and the general aspects of structural modelling and computer analysis. The course provides a comprehensive cover of the fundamental principles, analysis techniques and practical skills that are required in modern structural analysis applications. 

This course examines engineering hydrology and its application in water resources management and flood estimation. Topics discussed include hydrological cycle, climatology, atmospheric circulation, meteorological measurements, precipitation, streamflow measurement, runoff components, hydrograph analysis, loss rates, IFD and design  storm hyetographs, flood frequency analysis, unit hydrographs concepts and linear reservoir method, groundwater, hydraulic conductivity, Darcy's law, intrinsic permeability, water potential, hydraulic head, unsaturated zone, aquifers, aquicludes, aquitards, steady state flow, transient flow, effective stress, transmissitivity, storativity, pump test interpretation.

This course introduces the dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, focusing on kinematics and kinetics. The course explores motion characteristics, force applications, and analytical methods in the contexts of engineering applications, such as rigid body movements. This course serves as a cornerstone for learning advanced civil engineering dynamics, and the course materials integrate theoretical principles with practical applications. 

Course Prerequisite: Calculus  

This course examines the implications of a finite biosphere and the complexities inherent in environmental decision-making.

In this course, the issues of water quality and water and wastewater treatment systems are examined. Advanced physical and chemical technologies, as well as bioengineering processes for water and wastewater treatment are introduced and studied. Emphasis is on state of the art solutions to tackle global challenges regarding water and wastewater treatment systems operation and effectiveness.

This course introduces soil mechanics and engineering geology for geotechnical engineering applications such as foundations, rail construction, and tunnels. It considers the fundamental mechanics of soils as a heterogeneous mixture of air, water, and solid particles and the origin of these materials from their parent rocks. It analyses the deformation of natural and man-made structures that comprise or are built upon soil, and the flow of fluids within them. It develops an understanding of how the fundamental principles of geological sciences influence the design and construction of engineering structures.
 

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an emerging technology that employs digital information models in the virtual space to achieve better quality and efficiency of construction and management work throughout lifecycle of a facility. Through lectures and case studies, this course is designed to teach students the knowledge of BIM Technology and its development and application potential.