Environmental Science

This course will introduce you to the biological, chemical, physical, political, and social interactions which constitute environmental problems, such as food production, energy development, conservation, and pollution, and the consequences of proposed solutions. Fall

[Dist. NSM] This course is designed to provide an introduction to research methods in a friendly, approachable style. The goal is to learn how to enhance your research skills and includes discussions about scientific methods and the most common types of research in the behavioral, social, and science disciplines. For example, a biologist may gather data by way of the microscope, a sociologist by using a questionnaire or interview, and a psychologist through tests and observations of behavior. From there on, the basic procedure of each is identical: information is collected and analyzed, results are interpreted, and conclusions are made. Spring

[Dist. NSM] This course will introduce you to the basic application of system approaches to science and policy analysis of air, soil, and water environments, land use, energy supplies, and other resources using biological, ecological, physical, and chemical principles. Fall

[Dist. NSM] This course provides you with exercises to introduce system analysis of air, soil, and water environments, land use, energy supplies, and other resources using biological, ecological, physical, and chemical principles. Fall

[Dist. NSM] This course will focus primarily on the issue of human health as affected by the environment. Environmental effects may arise from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, or from exposures to communicable diseases or unsafe working conditions. Human health may also be affected by exposures to waste materials produced by industrialized societies. Unfortunately, every industry that has produced manufactured goods has also generated wastes. The quantity and diversity of such hazardous wastes has grown considerably with the progression of technology. This course will focus on sources and management of hazardous waste, sewage, and solids. A considerable amount of time will be devoted to discussing the effects of waste on human health. Spring

[Dist. NSM] This course will introduce undergraduate students to the basic concepts and principles of natural resource management with an emphasis on sustainable ecosystems. Students will learn selected important ecosystem management issues, including genetic diversity in ecosystem management, landscape-level conservation, single-species land management, and the skill and art of keeping fragile ecosystems in balance. Different case studies will be presented to demonstrate how ecological concepts and principles can be applied to the sustainable management of ecosystems. Fall

[Dist. SS] The subject of this class is the legal and regulatory framework that has developed around the protection of various aspects of the environment over the past thirty years in the United States. Subjects to be covered include some of the following: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Superfund (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation Recovery and Control Act (RCRA), Toxic Substance Control Act, Federal Insecticide Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the Endangered Species Act. In the process of looking at these subjects, this course will address the underlying kinds of consumption problems that have resulted in environmental pollution or deterioration, the political context in which ecological policies have been formulated, the resulting case work which has emerged from the statutory law, the administrative procedures required by recent judicial decisions, and the dynamic interests at play in the regulatory arenas where these policies are implemented. Finally, the regulations that have developed and been implemented in various settings to protect natural resources or remedy environmental degradation will address the following areas of law: constitutional, statutory, common, international and administrative. Fall

The course is intended to provide students with issues that evolve as science and policy evolve. More specifically, the course is about the human connections and impacts on the environment, and vice versa. Controversial issues will be the focus of a majority of the course. No matter whether the goal is to attempt an objective presentation or to encourage advocacy, it is necessary to present both sides of any argument. To be a successful proponent of any position, it is essential to understand your opponentsâ arguments. Each issue will be presented beginning with a historical perspective and some of the key questions that divide the disputants. The text provides essays from those in favor and those opposed to the issue. Spring

One of the most important aspects of environmental studies is to communicate your findings of scientific research experiments or environmental analysis on current environmental issues. In this course we will discuss and practice different steps and approaches necessary for giving an effective oral or poster presentation. Guest speakers and Faculty in the Environmental Sciences Program will demonstrate how to formulate a scientific presentation, and registered students will each make an oral and a poster presentation. Fall and Spring

One of the most critical aspects of environmental analysis is presentation/communication of the results. In this course we will discuss the steps and processes necessary for presenting the results of an environmental analysis or scientific experiment. Faculty in the Environmental Science Program will demonstrate how to formulate a scientific presentation and registered students will each make an ORAL presentation. Being able to effectively communicate the results of an environmental study is critical for evaluating environmental and ecological problems. Fall and Spring

One of the most interesting and important aspects of public and scientific debates on risk assessment and risk management is the difficulty of using scientific methods to provide firm knowledge about risk. Quite often it is not possible to fully test the potential hazardous consequences of a new chemical or a new technology under laboratory conditions. As a consequence, the risk of using new technologies and chemicals is assessed during use in everyday life. We will consider an in-depth view of current environmental issues with a scope that is both national and international in flavor. We will also consider the ambiguous nature of policy decisions regarding risk and the factors that drive risk assessment and management. In this ambiguity, politics often intersects with science to create environmental policy dilemmas. Fall

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a theoretical understanding of the policymaking processes through which modern societies attempt to cope with environmental and natural resource problems. The primary focus is on the American system, but a limited number of topics relating to international environmental issues are also explored. General themes include the relationship between political processes and policy outcomes, the correlation of environmental politics and science, and the need to balance trade-offs between legal, economic, political, social and environmental goals. This course also examines several major substantive areas in environmental policy to provide real world examples of environmental theory at work. As such, throughout the semester the theoretical writings of environmental thinkers will be explained and compared to the political practice of environmental planners. In accomplishing these core objectives students will learn how to think analytically about issues fundamental to the enduring environmental movement. Spring

The major objective of the course is to provide students theoretical and practical information on environmental sampling techniques. This should help ensure consideration of the many variables and special techniques that are needed to plan and carry out sampling activities that will provide representative environmental samples for analysis. A number of field techniques will be covered for the sampling of soil, air, water, vegetation, and biota. Students will have the opportunity for ãhands-onä experience with most of the sampling techniques. Fall

The course will focus on the theory and application of procedures used in the separation, detection, identification, and quantitation of toxicants in environmental samples. Discussion of the laboratory instrumentation, procedures, and experimental methods used for identification and quantitation of toxic substances, as well as their transformation products in environmental and biological samples. Spring

Applications in environmental analysis, including: extraction, cleanup, and quantitative analysis of authentic samples. Experiments are designed to reinforce and apply theories taught in ENSC 528 (lecture). Hands on experience with the procedures, experimental methods, and instrumentation used for identification and quantitation of toxic substances and their transformation products in environmental and biological samples. Spring

This course presents the biochemical and cellular basis for target site specificity of toxic agents in living organisms. Students will learn toxicant routes of entry, absorption, distribution throughout the body, Phase I and Phase II metabolism, organ specific toxicities, and defense mechanisms. Special attention will be given to environmental contaminants. Throughout the semester there will be applied toxicology topics covered in between the first and third hours of lecture. Topics will include: Toxicity testing and ecotoxicological approaches in the field, biological and chemical warfare agents, chlorinated insecticides, natural toxins, case histories and ecosystem surveys, and other topics.

This course covers a wide range of topics in the environmental sciences, with particular emphasis on the transport and fate of pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The course examines the influence of physical, chemical, and biological processes on the transport of pollutants in the environment. Students will explore ecological effects of selected environmental pollution problems; particularly those related to chemical contaminants. This course will provide the base scientific knowledge that is essential for assessing the impact of pollution on the structure and function of ecosystems. Fall

The focus of this course is the use of treatment wetlands and phytoremediation technology to clean up contaminated environments. The course will introduce graduate or senior-level undergraduate students to basic concepts and principles on the hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes, and the development of different treatment wetlands and phytoremediation systems. Various case studies will be given to illustrate the application of the remediation technologies in the cleanup of different polluted environmental substrates, including inorganic and/or organic contaminants in water, sediment, and soil.

This graduate/senior-undergraduate course will explore the ways in which ecological science can be applied to solving some of the most important environmental problems facing our world today, such as the conservation of species, wetland restoration, and mitigation of environmental impacts. We will draw together, in a single course, major topics in environmental and resource management that traditionally have been presented amongst several different courses so that we will look at those difficult conflicts and choices in a balanced way. Students will be encouraged to explore current and emerging fields in applied ecology. Spring

Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agricultural ecosystems. This graduate course provides the theoretical and conceptual framework for the study and analysis of agroecosystems. We will focus on interactions and interrelationships among the different components of agroecosystems (populations, communities, and ecosystems) to understand the complex factors of the environment as they affect crops, animals, and agricultural production system. Different case studies will be discussed to demonstrate how ecology can be applied to sustainable agriculture.

Changes in the environment in which we live are occurring at an unprecedented rate. These changes can be local, for instance development or dumping of toxic waste, or global in nature such as increased tropospheric ozone or atmospheric carbon dioxide. Many environmental changes are the result of either new technologies necessary to support an increasingly populated world or an increased use of older technology. Unfortunately, the environmental consequences of utilizing technological advances are often overlooked or poorly understood in the haste to solve a pending crisis or improve quality of life. Scientists who examine these environmental consequences now commonly employ computer-based models representing dynamic systems. The purpose of this course is to learn how to conceptualize, model, and analyze the dynamic nature of many real-life environmental problems and to assess the impact man is having within these systems. Spring

One of the most critical aspects of scientific and statistical analysis is experimental design. In this course we will define the steps and processes necessary for a well-planned experiment. We will study analysis of variance (AOV) of standard experimental designs, AOV of unbalanced designs, AOV of fixed- and random-effects models, and experiments with repeated measures used in biological and environmental sciences. Understanding the appropriate experimental design and proper statistical analysis is critical for evaluating environmental and ecological problems. Spring

ENSC 580 (Environmental Education):

Environmental education history, practices, curriculum, organization, evaluation, project development and research required of successful practitioners in the field. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Ecological risk assessment is a process for collecting, organizing, and analyzing information to estimate the likelihood of undesired effects on nonhuman organisms, populations, or ecosystems. The primary purpose for conducting such assessments is to provide information needed to make decisions concerning site remediation. The course presents a conceptual approach and specific methods for assessing the ecological risks posed by contaminated sites. Spring