Classes

Subject Listings

EAPS faculty and instructors teach a wide range of undergraduate and graduate classes. Please visit the Registrar’s Subject Listing for a searchable, comprehensive list of our offered classes. Schedules of EAPS classes are provided below for convenience for each term.

EXPLORE REGISTRAR’S SUBJECT LISTING

EAPS also maintains a running spreadsheet of class offerings along with a 4-year projected subject plan. Disclaimer: this subject plan can change frequently and should be considered as a tentative, unofficial guideline only. The further out the subject occurs, there may be more uncertainty.

EXPLORE EAPS 4-YEAR SUBJECT PLAN

NOTE: the MIT-WHOI Joint Program manages the classes offered within the program. The Registrar’s subject listing and the EAPS 4-year subject plan are based on the information we have received to date. Visit the Joint Program classes page for the most reliable source of program information.

Questions? eaps-ed-office@mit.edu

PDFs of the EAPS class schedules are provided here for convenience, by term.

EAPS does not offer subjects during the Summer term other than those required for undergraduate and graduate thesis enrollment and those associated with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).

EAPS offers a variety of subjects using Special Topics subject numbers. They appear with an “S” in the subject listing (eg. 12.S590). The MIT subject listing will represent these as a generic description because the subject is considered a “repeating” subject number. These subjects may have different specialized topics within the discipline each term. Specific information on each subject from the last two academic years can be found below. Please refer to the MIT subject listing for up to date information on these classes. “Units arranged” means the student arranges the number of units with the instructor.

UPCOMING and PAST TOPICS

Fall 2025

12.S593: Special Seminar in EAPS: Mars Exploration-Rocked to the Core

Examines the scientific exploration of Mars through robotic missions and remote sensing. Focuses on the geologic, climatic, and potential astrobiological history of the Red Planet as revealed through orbital and surface investigations. The class traces Mars’ evolution from planetary formation through its potentially habitable early history to its current arid state. Topics include: Martian surface processes and landforms; mineralogical and geochemical evidence for past water activity; atmospheric evolution; current environmental conditions; habitability potential; and the technological challenges of Mars exploration. Course material draws from mission datasets (MRO, MSL, InSight, Perseverance, etc.) and current scientific literature. Emphasizes critical reading, student-led discussions, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding our neighboring planet.

Instructors: Gaia Stucky de Quay
Level: G (undergrads welcome, check in with instructors)
Schedule: TBA
Units: Arranged

PAST TERMS

Spring 2025

12.S492: Seminar in Geobiology: Slow Life, Dormancy, and Persistence

Microbes in the natural environment usually grow slowly, if at all. This dormant state allows microbial communities to persist as long as millions of years. Indeed, persistence appears to be one of life’s distinctive features, essential for its enduring presence on Earth. To explore this idea, this seminar begins by asking the fundamental question “What is life?” After reviewing recent advances in understanding dormancy and death, we then examine studies of slow growers in the sea, sediments, soils, and the lab, and consider the relation of persistence to evolution. In the final session, we explore how these ideas and observations inform the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Instructors: Tanja Bosak, Dan Rothman
Level: G (undergrads welcome, check in with instructors)
Schedule: R2.30-4pm (4-457)
Units: Arranged

12.S591: Seminar in Geophysics: Energy Transition – Geologic Hydrogen

Modern civilization depends on abundant and inexpensive energy. Carbon-based fuels currently supply approximately 60% of the 400 TWh of electricity consumed annually in the US, highlighting the urgent need for a transition to carbon-free energy sources. Hydrogen is expected to play an increasingly significant role in the future energy mix, as it emits no greenhouse gases when burned. However, current hydrogen production technologies, such as methane reforming and electrolysis, are inadequate for scaling up in a carbon-neutral and cost-effective manner. The potential for in situ hydrogen production through hydration reactions of iron-rich subsurface rocks at large, sustainable rates could revolutionize the energy landscape in a carbon-constrained future.

This seminar comprises lectures that introduce key topics, followed by a literature review and student presentations on selected subjects. We will delve into the intricacies of fluid-rock interactions and the metamorphic reactions that occur when mafic and ultramafic rocks are exposed to aqueous fluids, liberating hydrogen. We will investigate the natural production of hydrogen during tectonic processes and discuss potential strategies for engineering hydrogen production. This PhD-level seminar is designed for students interested in the energy transition, though undergraduates may participate with prior approval from the instructors.

I plan it as 1.5h lecture and ~3h homework (paper reading) per week for the whole semester whatever the credit value for that is. I can adjust the homework load if needed. The grading would be pass / fail.
Instructors: M. Pec and O. Jagoutz
Level: G (undergrads welcome, check with instructors)
Schedule: W10-11:30am (E25-605)
Units: Arranged

IAP 2025

12.S590: Special Seminar in Geophysics – Geosciences and the Energy Transition Challenge

The ‘Geosciences and the Energy Transition Challenge‘ course provides the participants with a broad understanding of technical, economic, and societal issues relevant to energy resource developments such as carbon storage (CCS), shallow and very deep geothermal, and hydrocarbon extraction, in the context of designing a range of various production/use scenarios ranging from carbon-free, -neutral and -negative. Emphasis is on practical work and involves the assessment of a single site in a densely populated area in NW Europe as a case study for the development and planning of a geothermal project (shallow for district heating, or deep for large scale power generation, as end-member cases), a carbon sequestration store, or a hydrocarbon field. The participants analyze hands-on technical and basic economic evaluations, risks and uncertainties, scenario analysis, dilemmas and stakeholder expectations, as well as wider socio-economic challenges related to developing an industrial scale subsurface energy resource. These case study projects are placed in the context of the Paris Climate goals to get an appreciation of the scope of the challenges that lie ahead.

This week-long course is set up for teamwork and is designed using a problem-based learning approach. The participants will interpret some basic technical data, create production- and cashflow profiles, take on technical and non-technical challenges, and think about the feasibility and risks of subsurface energy projects. Four lecture sessions (3 hour each) will cover the basics of subsurface resource development, practical team-work modules (4 afternoons), and class discussions of interim results. No prior subsurface experience is required. The fifth day is reserved for group presentations and discussion.

Instructor: R.C.M.W. Franssen & Ben Holtzman (MIT)
Schedule: January 13-17, 2025; 9:00am-12:00pm
Level: G (Undergraduates welcome!)
Units: 6 Units

12.S594: Special Seminar in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science – Auditory Perception of Natural Data, Part I (Direct Sonification of Oscillatory Signals)

Most of the wave-like phenomena in nature are far outside of the range of our direct perception, above and below, in spatial and temporal scales. Data representing such processes comes from sensors with often sparse, incomplete information. Usually, as scientists, we look at these signals and then design processing schemes to make inferences. However, our visual perception is not necessarily optimized for extracting meaning from waves. Often, we can gain significant, complementary or deeper insight by listening to it. So why don’t we? Sonification is the process of turning data of any kind into an audible representation. Any oscillatory signal can be frequency-shifted into our audible range and played as a sound. Our auditory perception has better temporal resolution than our visual perception, and is particularly attuned to interpretation of dynamics, including cause and effect, forcing and response. Combining visual and auditory representations of data can help us understand complex spatial-temporal interactions among events.

In this short, project-based course, we will first provide methods for sonification of oscillatory data (in python), and discuss simple to increasingly complex implementations (filtering, time compression/expansion), and spatialized audio for listening to multiple sensors simultaneously. We will also discuss when these methods break down (for non-oscillatory, non-stationary data). During the first two class sessions, we will explain and illustrate these methods with some of our current work on the wide range of length and time scales of earthquakes in a range of settings (including volcanoes, geothermal heat mines, tectonic faults, and the laboratory). Most of the class (days 3-5) will be for student projects. Please bring ideas for your own datasets to sonify, from your research or otherwise, from any domain. I can also provide datasets. At the end of the week, everyone will present their sounds and explain the phenomenon and research questions, method of sensing that it, and questions generated in the process of making and listening.

Instructor: Ben Holtzman
Schedule: January 6-10, 2025; 2:00-5:00pm
Level: G (Undergraduates welcome!)
Units: 6 Units

Fall 2024

12.S680/12.S681 Special Topics in Planetary Science: Exoplanet Atmospheres

Description: This class aims to focus on current results on exoplanet atmospheres from the James Webb Space Telescopes. Lectures in the first half of each class will cover fundamentals needed to understand the details of current results. Discussion in the second half of the class will be based on recently published papers. Instructional topics include transmission, reflection, and emission spectroscopy, molecular cross sections, equilibrium chemistry, 1D temperature structure, cloud formation, retrieval and telescope noise. Students will gain a working knowledge of exoplanet atmospheres as well as participate in leading discussion on current results.

Instructor: S. Seager
Level: G
Units: 6

12.S592 Special Seminar in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

There is extraordinary interest in Machine Learning across Science and Engineering that traditionally has heavily relied on theory to develop models for prediction and discovery. However, many aspects of how to couple data-driven approaches (that ML is based on) and theory-driven approaches (that much of science and engineering is based on) must be better understood in a rapidly developing field. In this seminar, we will study the many ways “theory-driven” (such as with the availability of governing equations) and “data-driven” (e.g., through statistical or deep learning) approaches have been coupled to understand where the optimal combination might be, particularly, for the earth, atmospheric, and planetary applications. The primary material will be drawn from current literature presented by authors and students and supplemented with in-class lectures to dive deeper into the methodology, investigating its value using a stochastic process and information-theoretic perspective. The seminar includes reading papers, discussion in class, and finishing a project or three PSETs. In this new offering, topics emerging within several grand climate challenge areas are emphasized. However, variations are possible. So, please come to the first two classes, where the topics will be set based partly on participant interest and experience.

The course is geared towards students with an engineering, science, or mathematics background and initial exposure to machine learning.

Instructor: S. Ravela
Level: G
Units: Units arranged

Spring 2024

12.S680, 12.S681 Special Seminar in Planetary Science: From Grains to Gas Giants-The Formation of Planetary Systems

Through reading and class discussions, students explore the physical and chemical processes which grow small interstellar dust grains to the super-Jovian planets common in outer space which set the stage for the origins of life. Students will investigate how planetary systems form and which factors are most influential during this process. Specific topics include: the thermophysical and chemical structure of protoplanetary disks, grain evolution, planet-disk interactions, atmospheric accretion, and astronomical observations. Students are required to synthesize information, develop analytical and critical skills in paper reading and writing. 12.S680 is letter-graded.

Instructors: R. Teague, B. Weiss
Level: G
Units: 6
Prereq: Permission of instructor

IAP 2024

12.S590 Special Seminar in Geophysics: The Energy Transition Challenge for Geosciences

The ‘Geosciences and the Energy Transition Challenge‘ course provides the participants with a broad understanding of technical, economic, and societal issues relevant to subsurface energy resource developments. For instructional purposes we will work on carbon storage (CCS), geothermal, and hydrocarbon extraction examples, and consider a range of various production/use scenarios in the context of impact: carbon-free, -neutral and -negative production/use scenarios.

Emphasis is on practical work and involves the assessment and development planning of a geothermal project, a carbon sequestration store, and a hydrocarbon field. The participants analyze hands-on practical and realistic examples that involve technical and basic economic evaluations; risks and uncertainties; dilemmas and stakeholder expectations, and wider socio-economic challenges related to developing an industrial scale subsurface energy resource.

The participants will interpret some basic technical data, create production- and cashflow profiles, take on technical and non-technical challenges, and think about the feasibility and risks of subsurface energy projects from technical, economic, and societal perspectives. By the end of the course the participants will present a development plan for an underground energy resource covering all aspects addressed during class thereby demonstrating an understanding of the complexities involved in the energy transition.

Also, the contributions of these case study projects are placed in the context of the energy system and of the Paris Climate goals to get an appreciation of the scope of the challenges that lie ahead.

This course is set-up for teamwork and is designed using a problem-based learning approach. Learning is through a blend of lectures (5 lecture sessions, 3 hour each) covering the basics of subsurface resource development, practical team-work modules (4 afternoons), and class discussions of interim results. No prior subsurface experience is required.

Instructor: R. Franssen, E. Hoogerduijn-Strating
Level: G
Units: 3