Infrastructure Courses
Fundamentals, Experiments, and Applications of Corrosion | August 11-15, 2025
Corrosion’s annual estimated impact on our economy is over $1 trillion! The Fundamentals, Experiments, and Applications of Corrosion course is aimed at educating and training the workforce the nation needs to address this problem. This course will develop methodological approaches in characterizing existing and new materials performance in extreme and harsh environments. Learners will develop the knowledge to meet technological and scientific challenges in applications critical for our society.
Primer on the Planning and Operation of Large-Scale Electric Grids | September 9-11, 2025
The goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive introduction for those without an in-depth electric power engineering background on how such electric grids are designed and operated, and on how they are likely to change in the future. The electric grid of the past, which was primarily power by large-scale fossil-fuel generators, is no longer a reality and the current system is rapidly changing. The integration of vast amounts of renewable generation resources along with the addition of new technologies such as energy storage and large amounts of digital technology supporting its design and operation, also known as the smart grid, presents many new opportunities and challenges.
Fundamentals of Electric Transmission Planning | October 7-9, 2025
High-voltage electric grids are some of the world’s most complex machines, whose present high levels of reliability have been achieved through careful planning. The purpose of this three-day short course is to provide a comprehensive coverage of the processes used in doing this planning. The course philosophy is to provide a practical, hands-on approach to describing electric transmission grid planning, with abundant practical examples illustrating each stage in the process. Particular attention will be given to those studies driven by regulatory processes relevant to utilities in North America, such as those by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) or the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Throughout the course, concepts will be illustrated using common industrial planning tools, including PowerWorld Simulator, with some hands-on exercises. Collectively, the three course instructors have decades of experience in doing electric power system planning, planning software tool development, and engineering education.
Introduction to Engineering for Sustainable Development
Engineers in the industry workforce need to update their skills with a more standardized instruction focused on sustainable engineering to allow them to find sustainable solutions for engineering challenges with a holistic approach to problems of society, economy and environment. With the foundation and technical knowledge supported by systems thinking, multidisciplinary technical and business-oriented sustainability training, along with practical engineering applications, this short course will help the industry professional to analyze and confront the challenges found in modern engineering practice.