Syllabus (AATM 320, Fall 2024)

Course information¶

Class number:: 5153
Meeting time:: Monday / Wednesday / Friday, 10:35 - 11:30 AM in ETEC 482
Instructor:: Brian Rose; email: brose -at- albany.edu; office: ETEC 425; office hours: Mondays 1:00 - 2:00 PM and Tuesdays 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Teaching Assistant:: Ada Ellingworth; email: aellingworth -at- albany.edu; office: ETEC 424F; office hours: Wednesdays 12:00 - 1:00 PM and Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Prerequisites:: A ATM 211, A PHY 150 or 151 or T PHY151, A MAT 214
Corequisites:: A ATM 316, A MAT 311 or A MAT 215
Course description (from the Undergraduate Bulletin):: Equation of state; principles of thermodynamics; water vapor and moist air thermodynamics; changes of phase and latent heat; hydrostatic equilibrium; atmospheric convection; thermodynamic diagrams; atmospheric stability and severe weather events.
Course Objective:: The goal of this course is to understand the physical laws that govern how energy and heat are transmitted in the atmosphere.
Course website:: https://brian-rose.github.io/atm320-thermodynamics; Some content will be served through the access-controlled Brightspace page for this course

Grading¶

Grading scheme (A-E, 3 credit)¶

Homework assignments (roughly 6): 30%
Reading responses: 10%
Two in-class exams: 15% each
Final exam: 30%

The final exam will be held Tuesday December 17 2024, 1:00 - 3:00 pm)

Grading policies¶

Late assignments and off-time exams are only allowed for University-recognized reasons (https://www.albany.edu/health_center/medicalexcuse.shtml)
Homework assignments lose 20% of their value per late day (i.e., an assignment turned in two days late cannot get better than 60%).
- Exception: one late day per student to be used at your discretion during the semester.
Percentage grades will be converted into letter grades based on the following formula:
- A > 87.0
- 83.3 < A- <= 87.0
- 79.6 < B+ <= 83.3
- 75.9 < B <= 79.6
- 72.2 < B- <= 75.9
- 68.5 < C+ <= 72.2
- 64.8 < C <= 68.5
- 61.1 < C- <= 64.8
- 57.4 < D+ <= 61.1
- 53.7 < D <= 57.4
- 50.0 < D- <= 53.7
- E <= 50.0

Textbooks and reading¶

Required text¶

The required text is A First Course in Atmospheric Thermodynamics by Grant W. Petty, Sundog Publishing, 2008.

The course will closely follow this book, and students will be reading it cover-to-cover. Having your own copy is highly recommended. One copy is on reserve at the University Library.

Reading assignments¶

Reading assignments will be clearly posted on Brightspace. The reading is required, and must be completed the night before class.

To incentivize this, 10% of the course grade is given for reading responses. We will use a Discussion Board on Brightspace for this purpose. To earn their full 10%, each student must post at least one substantive comment, question, or response on the Discussion board for every assigned reading unit.

Due dates and times are clearly indicated on Brightspace. It is important for every student to keep up with this schedule. Responses are due the night before class so that I have a chance to address your questions and comments in lecture.

Homework assignments¶

Homework assignments will form an essential part of the learning process in this course. Assignments will require students to apply concepts and methods developed in class and in the required reading to solving quantitative problems in atmospheric thermodynamics.

In some cases, assigned problems may require students to access some observed data and carry out some computer-based analysis. We will provide plenty of guidance on any required computations. No special software beyond a web browser will be needed for this work.

Assignments will be distributed in class and on Brightspace, and will typically be due one week after they are handed out. Assignments are due by the beginning of class on the stated due date.

Students may hand in their work on paper at the beginning of class, or electronically via Brightspace. Either way, students are responsible for making sure that their work is legible and clearly communicated.

We will provide substantial guidance on the principes of physical problem solving, and hold students to a high standard of clarity.

Both the TA and instructor will hold regular office hours each week for help outside of class time.

Exams¶

There will be two in-class mid-term exams and a final exam during the University exam period.

Tentative dates for the mid-term exams are:

Friday October 4
Friday November 8

Dates are subject to change, but will be posted on Brightspace and announced numerous times.

The Final Exam will be held Tuesday December 17 2024, 1:00 - 3:00 pm (per the University exam calendar)

Attendance¶

This is an in-person course, and attending class is an essential component of the learning process. All students are expected to attend all classes on time unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. There may be occasional hands-on exercises during class time.

If you need to miss a class for a University-recognized reason, you must email Professor Rose ahead of time if at all possible and let me know.

Lectures will be recorded to the extent possible, and provided to students who miss class for justified reasons.

Academic integrity¶

Although students may discuss their work together, all homework assignments must be completed independently. Homework assignments that are substantially similar to other students or substantially similar to online sources without appropriate attribution will receive a zero for that assignment. Copying from other students on quizzes and exams will result in a zero for that work. Consistent with University regulations, the instructor will complete and file a Violoation of Academic Integrity Report in all such cases.

It is every student’s responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at UAlbany. Claims of ignorance, of unintentional error, or of academic or personal pressures are not sufficient reasons for violations of academic integrity. Please refer to the UAlbany academic integrity policies here: https://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html

Professor Rose is happy and willing to discuss these issues at any time!

Mental Health and Well-being¶

As a student, there may be times when personal stressors interfere with your academic performance and/or negatively impact your daily life. The University at Albany Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides free, confidential services including individual and group psychological counseling and evaluation for emotional, social and academic concerns. Students may consult with CAPS staff remotely by telephone, email or Zoom appointments regarding issues that impact them or someone they care about. For questions or to make an appointment, call (518) 442-5800 or email consultation@albany.edu. Visit https://www.albany.edu/health-well-being/mental-health/caps for hours of operation and additional information

If your life or someone else’s life is in danger, please call 911. If you are in a crisis and need help right away, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Students dealing with heightened feelings of sadness or hopelessness, increased anxiety, or thoughts of suicide may also text “HOME” to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).

https://988lifeline.org/?scrlybrkr=4617837b https://www.albany.edu/health-well-being/emergencies

Course outline¶

The outline of the course closely follows the chapters in Petty’s book. The precise timing of each section is TBD but a detailed reading and assignment schedule will be made available to students and kept up to date.