Online New York Times eLearning

Building Security Initiatives Energy Savings and Trade-offs Overview Since September 2001, most public agencies and many private firms have focused (or sometimes re-focused) attention on security issues, especially in high-visibility public gathering places and government workplaces. For DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE/EERE), this new focus on security may create both opportunities and challenges for its primary mission  more...

Laboratory Building Energy Analysis Overview Because laboratories use a high amount of energy, often more than five times as much per square foot as an office building, it is important to find cost-effective ways to reduce their energy use and costs. In this course the student will learn about energy efficiency strategies including reducing the air flow during unoccupied periods, variable-air-volume systems, lower static  more...

Financial Analysis for the Professional Engineer The course advances the professionalism of engineers and engineering-managers/owners through the language of finance and accounting. Financial mathematical tools are introduced or re-introduced into the engineer? s project planning and budgeting analysis so that the PE can interact with other professions including senior and executive management and stakeholders of the operations. Participants  more...

Delegation and Empowerment What Why When and How There are many management topics that will teach you about coping in a world of rapid change, managing productivity, tips on goal setting, and the need for dividing the existing work among employees via delegation. It doesn? t take a rocket scientist to realize that a shared workload gets accomplished quicker with less wear-and-tear on each participant. There aren? t as many resources, though,  more...

Geothermal Energy Basics Overview Geothermal energy uses the flow of thermal energy from beneath the Earth's surface to heat homes and businesses and generate electricity. Geothermal energy is also used in many industrial and commercial applications, such as agriculture, fish farming, food dehydration, gold processing and milk pasteurizing. Geothermal energy has many advantages over other forms of energy. It is  more...

History of Coastal Engineering Overview The history of coastal engineering reaches back over five thousand years to the ancient world bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Coastal engineering, as it relates to harbors, started with the development of maritime traffic, perhaps before 3500 B.C. Recently, archaeologists, using modern survey techniques, excavations, and old documents, have revealed  more...

Structural Design of Concrete Lined Flood Control Channels Overview Concrete lined flood control channels are used to convey rapid and tranquil storm water and prevent flooding. You have probably noticed concrete lined flood control channels while driving along the interstate, state highway, or being used in large land development projects. Often times they are used where storm water pipes would not be a feasible option from an engineering and economic  more...

Selecting an Energy-Efficient Motor Overview Over half of all electrical energy consumed in the U.S. is used by electric motors. Energy savings amounting to many times the initial cost of a motor can be realized by selecting an energy-efficient motor for a new application. Substantial savings can also be realized by replacing older, inefficient motors with new energy-efficient models. However, selection of an energy-efficient  more...

RFID Fundamentals Overview RFID (radio frequency identification) modules, small self contained wireless devices used for years in retail as anti-theft devices, are increasingly being used in warehousing, shipping, and manufacturing to store vital "on-board" data about the materials they are stored/integrated with. The most common implementations of RFID uses passive wireless communication, and thus do  more...

Alternating Current Fundamentals A transformer is an electrical device that transfers energy from one circuit to another purely by magnetic coupling. Transformers are often used to convert between high and low voltages, to change impedance, and to provide electrical isolation between circuits. A basic transformer consists of two sets of coils or windings close to each other (sometimes wrapped around an iron or ferrite  more...

Transformer Fundamentals A transformer is an electrical device that transfers energy from one circuit to another purely by magnetic coupling. Transformers are often used to convert between high and low voltages, to change impedance, and to provide electrical isolation between circuits. A basic transformer consists of two sets of coils or windings close to each other (sometimes wrapped around an iron or ferrite  more...

How Harmonics are Generated The intention of this course is to show how harmonics are generated by modern electrical and electronic systems. It starts with classical harmonic generators and some older electronic devices. It emphasizes single phase systems and how harmonics are generated by diodes, silicon controlled rectifiers, and triacs. Special emphasis is made of the fact that it is the harmonic currents that flow  more...

Copyright of Engineering Drawings Plans and Designs Overview You've no doubt seen them many times. Those little © symbols at the bottom of the page in books, magazines and even on websites. But, have you ever thought about whether your engineering drawings can be copyrighted? What about your designs? If so, do you have to do anything to obtain a copyright? And just what kind of protection can you get by obtaining a copyright? Can  more...

Applying for a Patent Online How many times have you heard a friend or a colleague say, "I've got this great new invention, but I can't afford to patent it"? We've been conditioned to believe that the patent process has to be long, drawn-out and expensive. But, getting a patent doesn't have to be as difficult as you think. This course will show you how you can apply for a patent online with the U.S. Patent Office  more...

New Advances in Geothermal Technology Overview The geothermal energy potential beneath our feet is vast. This tremendous resource amounts to 50,000 times the energy of all oil and gas resources in the world, and geothermal energy is clean; it represents a promising solution for the nation and the world as we become ever more concerned about global warming, pollution, and rising fossil energy prices. Increased development of  more...

HVAC - Boiler Systems Water is a useful and cheap medium for transferring heat to the process. Boilers are fuel-burning appliances that provide a means for generating hot water or steam under pressure, which is then usable for transferring heat to the process or used as a hydronic heating system for large buildings. There are virtually an infinite number of boiler designs, but generally they fit into one of the two  more...