Geological Engineering
A per semester student computing facility user fee is assessed for CEM engineering courses. This fee is in addition to any lab/material fees. Please see the class schedule for details.
GE F101 Introduction to Geological Engineering
1 Credit
Multiple aspects of geological engineering as a profession; the area and scope of the field. Graded Pass/Fail. Special fees apply. (1+0)
GE F261 General Geology for Engineers
3 Credits
Study of common rocks and minerals, landforms and erosion. Geologic materials and engineering application of geology. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Geology, science, or engineering majors, or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F365 Geological Materials Engineering
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: ES F208; GEOS F261; or permission of instructor. (2+3)
GE F372 Rock Engineering
3 Credits
Rock engineering related to tunnels, slope design and strata control. Some field work and student report. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GEOS F101X or GE F261; ES F208 or ES F209. (3+0)
GE F375 Principles of Engineering Geology and Terrain Analysis
3 Credits
Evaluation of terrain characteristics using basic geomorphic and engineering principles. Alaskan applications are provided due consideration. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F261. (3+0)
GE F376 GIS Applications in Geological and Environmental Engineering
3 Credits
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. Group projects on path and site selection for engineering projects are required. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F261 or equivalent. Recommended: NRM F338. (2+3)
GE F378 Introduction to Geoinformatics
3 Credits Offered Spring
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: PHYS F103X or PHYS F211X or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with GEOS F378.) (2+3)
GE F381W Field Methods and Applied Design I
2 Credits
Techniques and geologic mapping and geotechnical instrumentation applied to engineering design and resource evaluation. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor; GE F261; GEOS F421; GEOS F332 or equivalent. (0+9+3)
GE F382W Field Methods and Applied Design II
4 Credits
Techniques and geologic mapping and geotechnical instrumentation applied to engineering design and resource evaluation. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor; GE F261; GEOS F421; GEOS F332 or equivalent. (0+9)
GE F384 Engineering Geology of Alaska
4 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; permission of instructor. (3+1+2)
GE F400 Geological Engineering Internship
1 - 3 Credits
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. Graded Pass/Fail. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; permission of instructor. (1 - 3+0)
GE F405 Exploration Geophysics
3 Credits
Theory and application of gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, radioactive and seismic methods as used for geophysical exploration. Some field work. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F375; MATH F200X; PHYS F211X or equivalent. (2+3)
GE F420 Subsurface Hydrology
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F365 or permission of instructor; MATH F302; PHYS F211X. (2+3)
GE F422 Unsaturated Soil Geoengineering
3 Credits
Engineering principles of unsaturated soils as they 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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F420 or equivalent course or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F430 Geomechanical Instrumentation
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F261 or GEOS F101X; ES F331. (3+0)
GE F431 Applied Ore Microscopy
2 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. (1+3)
GE F435 Exploration Design
3 Credits
Geologic, engineering and economic considerations applied to the design and development of mineral exploration programs. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GEOS F314 or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F440 Slope Stability
3 Credits
Slope design for open pit mining and other excavations. Stability analysis by various methods and on-site measuring and monitoring techniques. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: ES F331. (3+0)
GE F441 Geohazard Analysis
3 Credits
Procedures and techniques to evaluate geological factors for geohazards, such as landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, coastal hazards and permafrost-related problems. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F365 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F471 Remote Sensing for Engineering
3 Credits
Applications of remote sensing to geological engineering problems. Introduction to digital satellite image processing with hands-on practice. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F375 or permission of instructor; PHYS F212X. (2+3)
GE F480W Senior Design
3 Credits
Design factors and procedures for the solution of geological engineering problems. A design project is the focus of the course. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor; senior standing in the geological engineering program with completion of GE F261; GE F365; GE F375; GE F381 or equivalent; GE F382 or equivalent; GE F405; GE F420; and GE F471. (1+6)
GE F620 Advanced Groundwater Hydrology
3 Credits
Study of groundwater hydrology with emphasis on solute and contaminant transport, chemical reaction and ion exchange, advection and diffusion, and computer modeling. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F420 or similar training in groundwater hydrology. (3+0)
GE F630 Advanced Applied Mining Geology
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F435. (2+3)
GE F631 Electron Microprobe Methods
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. (2+3)
GE F633 Fluid Inclusion Methods in Mineral and Petroleum Exploration
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: CHEM F331. (2+3)
GE F635 Advanced Geostatistical Applications
3 Credits
Introduction to the theory and application of geostatistics. Review of classical statistics, continuous and discrete distributions, 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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: MIN F408 or equivalent, graduate standing, or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with MIN F635.) (2+3)
GE F649 Hazardous and Toxic Waste Management
3 Credits Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Course provides in-depth coverage of hazardous and toxic substance management including legal, economic and technical issues. Topics will 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. Includes case studies of current waste management issues. Special fees apply. Recommended: Bachelor's degree in science or engineering. (Cross-listed with ENVE F649.) (3+0)
GE F665 Advanced Geological Materials Engineering
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F365 or equivalent and permission of instructor. Recommended: MIN F408. (3+0)
GE F666 Advanced Engineering Geology
3 Credits
The interaction between geology and engineering case histories. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F365; GE F372; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (2+3)
GE F668 Tunneling Geotechniques
3 Credits
Tunnel design, case histories, student report. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F671 Engineering Application of Digital Image Processing
3 Credits
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: GE F471 or equivalent or permission of instructor. (3+0)
GE F692 Graduate Seminar
1 Credit
Topics in geological engineering explored through talks, group discussions and guest speakers with a high level of student participation. Graded Pass/Fail. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (1+0)