This video, based on ideas of Donella Meadows (Thinking in Systems: A Primer | 2008, Chelsea Green Publishing), describes different types of interventions that are possible in a system and their potential leverage. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives, Assessment, and Activities.

This course is an introduction to the analytical tools that support design and decision-making in real estate and infrastructure development. There is a particular focus on identifying and valuing sources of flexibility using “real options”, Monte-Carlo simulation, and other techniques from the field of engineering systems. This course integrates economic and engineering perspectives, and is suitable for students with various backgrounds. It serves to provide useful preparation for thesis work in the area. The course applies the approach to the design and phasing of a mega infrastructure real estate project.
Note
This MIT OpenCourseWare site is based, in part, on materials on Design for Real Estate and Infrastructure Development from Professor de Neufville’s and Professor Geltner’s Web site.

Toy Product Design is an introduction to the product design process with a focus on designing for play and entertainment. It is a project-centric class offered in the Spring semester. Students work in small teams of 5–6 members to design and prototype new toys. Students will be introduced to various design topics, including: brainstorming; estimation; sketching; graphic design; drawing and marker rendering; sketch modeling; concept development; design aesthetics; prototyping; and written, visual, and oral communication.

This video is an introduction to the global issue of water. It examines questions like "How can there be a water shortage when we are surrounded by water?". This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

This video looks at how water is provided for our use through the hydrologic cycle. It also explains how global climate change disturbs the storage of water in the various global compartments. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

How do we account for water use? What is the difference between water consumed and water withdrawn? What is the water footprint tool? This video examines these questions. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

This video looks at how water use and energy use are connected when industrial era technologies are used as the primary means of supplying process energy. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

Student teams act as engineers and learn about systems thinking and scale by reassembling the separated pages of the engaging picture book, “Zoom,” by Istvan Banyai. The book is a series of 31 wordless pictures that start very close-up and then zoom out—from a rooster’s comb to outer space. Like a movie camera, each subsequent page pulls back to reveal the context of the previous scene as something different than what you originally thought. When the 31 un-numbered pages are jumbled, it is a surprising challenge for teams to figure out how the pictures connect. The task prompts students to pause and look closer so as to adjust to new points of view and problem solve to find a logical sequence. It requires them to step back and take a broader view. Students learn that engineers work together as teams and look at things very closely so that they see different things and come up with more than one solution when problem solving. To conclude, students go outside and practice their skills by imagining and then drawing their own Zoom-like small booklet stories inspired by items found in nature. The classic duck/rabbit ambiguous drawing is provided as a kickoff visual aid.