Instructor: Dr. Zhi-Qing Lin
Office: 0328 Science Building
Email: zhlin@siue.edu
Phone: 618-650-2650
Class schedule: Wednesdays, 6:00-8:50 pm, 3225 SL
TA office hours: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm on Wednesdays in 3231 SL (Lin Lab)
Course Description:
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.
Course Prerequisites: One year of biology and chemistry, or consent of Instructor
Textbooks: Environmental Pollution Science (second edition), by I.L. Pepper, C.P. Gerba, and M.L. Brusseau. Academic Press, 2006; Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment, 2nd Edition, by H. F. Hemond and E.J. Fechner-Levy. Academic Press, 2000.
Additional handouts (e.g., recent peer-reviewed research publications) will be given during the lecture time.
Course Objectives:
1) To study the fundamental concepts and principles of mass transport, chemical partitioning, and biological transformation in the environment;
2) To examine the influence of physical, chemical, and biological processes on the transport of pollutants in the environment;
3) To explore the potential impact of chemical pollutants on the structure and function of ecosystems.
Grading Policy:
Class exams (two midterms and one final exams): Material presented in class lectures and required readings will form the basis for examination questions. Class examinations will require an understanding of lecture and reading materials, and result in applications of the knowledge to practical situations. One group research presentation will be given during the class lectures.
Grading: Midterm I: 20%; Midterm II: 35%; Research presentation (group): 10%; Assignments: 10%; Final exam: 25%; Total Points: 100. A: >90, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, D: 60-69, and F:<60.
Late assignments will be marked down 10% a day, unless arrangements are made with the instructor prior to the due date. Assignments more than 5 days late will not be accepted.
Graduate students will be required to prepare their research presentations more thoroughly and in depth. Each exam will also have at least one extra question for graduate students to answer. To answer those extra questions, a more comprehensive understanding of the text book and materials will be required.
Attendance Policy:
Regular prompt attendance is required for success in this course. Only University approved absences will be accepted. However, excessive absences may result in a 10% reduction of your overall grade or your being dropped from the course.
Academic Misconduct:
"Acts of academic misconduct for which students are subject to sanctions include, without limitation, plagiarism, cheating, failure or refusal to follow clinical practice standards, falsifying or manufacturing scientific or educational data and/or representing manufactured data to be the result of scientific or scholarly experiment or research, and soliciting, aiding, abetting, concealing, or attempting such act. Plagiarism is defined as including, without limitation, the act of representing the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism may consist of copying, paraphrasing, or otherwise using the written, electronic, or oral work of another without proper acknowledgement or consent of the source or presenting oral, electronic, or written material prepared by another as one's own. Plagiarism also includes using information from electronic resources, including the Internet, without the use of proper citations." (SIUE Student Academic Code)
In the event of academic misconduct, the student is subject to a number of penalties, including a failing grade for a plagiarized assignment or for a course.
Students with
Disabilities
Students with disabilities should visit the Disability Support Services (DDS) located in the Student Success Center, Room 1270, at their earliest convenience to meet the director and discuss available services. The student with a documented disability and a disability ID card from DSS should also notify the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements, including assistance in case of emergency evacuation.
Lecture Schedule:
Week 1, August 22:
Course introduction: basic concepts, pollution and population
Week 2, August 29:
Air pollution: physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere, characteristics of air pollution
Week 3, September 5:
Transport of pollutants in the atmosphere: effects of atmospheric conditions and pollution sources, atmospheric deposition, long-range transport
Week 4, September 12:
Soil pollution: abiotic characteristics of soil, biotic activity in soil
Week 5, September 19:
Midterm I: Covers
materials from Weeks 1 – 3
Student research
discussion
Week 6, September 26:
Physical and chemical processes affecting pollutant transport in soil
Week 7, October 3:
Water pollution: characteristics of pollutants in inland water, groundwater, and the Oceans
Week 8, October 10:
Transport of pollutants in water: physical transport,
air-water exchange
Outline of group research project due
Week 9, October 17:
Structure and function of ecosystem: food webs, energy flow, biogeochemical cycling of mineral nutrients
Biological processes affecting pollutant transport in ecosystems: degradation, bioaccumulation, magnification, transformation
Week 10, October 24:
Pollutants in ecosystems: pathways and fate of pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Week 11, October 31: 11-4-8
Ecotoxicology of pollutants: biomagnification and biotransformation of pollutants through the food chain
Week 12, November 7:
Midterm II: Covers
materials from Weeks 4 – 10
Student research
discussion
Week 13, November 14:
Special topics: Waste disposal, agricultural sources of pollution
Week 14, November 21:
Thanksgiving break (no class)
Week 15, November 28:
Biogeochemistry of environmentally important trace elements - case studies and classroom discussion
Week 16, December 5:
Student research
presentations
Week 17, December 12:
Final Exam: Covers
materials from Weeks 11 – 16