11:375:201  Biological Principles of Environmental Science

Fall 2009, Index No. 25282

 

Time/Place:     Tuesday & Thursday, 5th period, 3:55-5:15 p.m.

                        Room 223, Environmental & Natural Resource Science (ENR) Building, Cook Campus

 

Instructors:     Dr. Donna Fennell,  e-mail: fennell@envsci.rutgers.edu

                        231 Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences Bldg,  phone 2-9800 ext. 6204

                        Office Hours:  drop by any time - at your own risk & by appointment

 

                        Dr. Peter Strom,  e-mail: strom@aesop.rutgers.edu (course coordinator)

                        228 Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences Bldg.,  phone 2-9800 ext. 6216

                        Office Hours:  Tue & Wed 2-3 pm & by appointment

                                    (or drop by any time - at your own risk)

 

                        Dr. George van Orden,  e-mail: gvanorden@hanovertownship.com

                        phone: 973-428-2485;    Office Hours:  by appointment

 

Course Assistant:       Sarat Kannepalli, e-mail: saratk@eden.rutgers.edu

                                    108 Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences Bldg.

 

Students with a disability: please see us immediately so that we may make any necessary arrangements to support a successful learning experience.

 

Class website:  http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~strom/201;    usernames and passwords provided in class

 

Resources:

Davis, M.L., & D. A. Cornwell. 1998. Introduction to Environmental Engineering. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, Boston. (assigned pages only, available on class website)

Hardin, G. 1968. The Tragedy of the Commons. Science 162:1243-1248. (available on class website)

Miller, G.T., Jr. 2007. Living in the Environment, 15th ed. Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning, Pacific Grove, CA. (assigned pages only, available on class website)

Vaccari, D.A., P.F. Strom, & J.E. Alleman. 2006. Environmental Biology for Engineers and Scientists. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (available for optional purchase at Cook-Douglass Coop Bookstore; on reserve in Chang).

 

Requirements:

1.  Three exams:  Exam 1, 60 pts.; study guide for exam 1;  review for exam 1 scheduled for Monday, Sept 28, 7-8 pm, room 223

      Exam 2, 100 pts.; Exam 3, 80 pts. = 240 pts. total

2.  Problem sets (2):  15 pts. each = 30 pts. total

                  Problem Set #1;  Answer Sheet

3.  Commons Game: 20 pts.

4.  Poster presentation & evaluations:  60 pts.  Poster Instructions;   Poster Template

5.  Class participation:  10 pts.

 

Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is a serious problem at Rutgers and nationwide. This includes cheating on tests and assignments, and plagiarism. This is of particular concern in Environmental Science and Engineering because of the need for integrity in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. Rutgers deals with academic dishonesty in the Code of Student Conduct (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~polcomp/judaff/ucsc.shtml) and Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students (http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html); penalties are stern, as is fitting for the seriousness of the offense. This can mean separation from the University even for a first offense.

         While most students understand cheating, many students seem uncertain about plagiarism. Of course, you may not copy anything word for word without putting it in quotes and referencing it. However, it is also plagiarism to report on someone else’s idea without referencing it. These requirements refer to anything from the Internet as well as from printed sources.

Every sentence or paragraph in a paper, poster, or presentation that you write or present will fall into one of three categories: 1) a direct quote from an article (or other source) that you read, which should be used sparingly (if at all), and which must be in quotes and referenced; 2) an idea from an article you read, expressed in your own words, which must be referenced; or 3) your own idea, or very general knowledge (such as the atomic mass of carbon), which need not be referenced.  Often, it is desirable to include a few relevant figures and tables from other sources in your paper or poster or presentation. However, each figure or table caption must include a reference to its source. If you have questions, please ask! This is an important part of learning to be a scientist/engineer.

 

 

Printing PowerPoint Presentations

 

                             Tentative Class Schedule

 

 

Class #

Date (speak.)

Topic

Reading Assignment*

 

1

9/1 (DF)

The hydrological cycle and water quality

V ch.14: 456-457;

M ch.3: 70-72 & ch.14: 305-334;

Meeting China’s Water Shortage;

Three Gorges Dam

 

2

9/3 (DF)

Biogeochemical cycles I: The C, N, S and P cycles and their impact on contaminant fate

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

9/8

Monday Classes

 

 

3

9/10 (DF)

Biogeochemical cycles II:  Quantification/redox reactions

V ch.13: 389-397, ch.14: 442-456;

M ch.3: 72-74

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

9/15 (DF)

Environmental contaminants I: 

Sources and types of contaminants

V ch.13: 414-428, ch.14: 457-463;

M ch.3: 74-79;  NYT articles (Gertner, Love Canal, DDT)

 

5

9/17 (DF)

Environmental contaminants II:

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification

V ch.13: 397-414;

M ch.22: 533-547

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

9/22 (DF)

Environmental contaminants III:

Attenuation and remediation

Chlorinated Solvents in US GW;

Ewaste in China

 

7

9/24 (PS)

Introduction to wastewater

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

9/29 (SK)

EXAM 1 (classes 1-6)

 

 

9

10/1 (PS)

Water pollution – public health

V ch.12: 342-364

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

10/6 (PS)

The Commons Game

Hardin

 

11

10/8 (PS)

Water pollution – indicator organisms

V ch.12: 382-5; ch.11: 305-309

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

10/13 (PS)

Water pollution – stream sanitation

D 35-41, 288-320;

V ch.15: 530-536

 

13

10/15 (PS)

Overview of wastewater treatment;

Settling

V ch.16: 577-582

 

 

 

 

 

 

14

10/20 (PS)

Wastewater – secondary treatment

V ch.16: 582-633

 

15

10/22 (PS)

Sludge management; anaerobic digestion; and composting

V ch.16: 633-659

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

10/27 (PS)

Microscope lab – activated sludge

 

 

17

10/29 (PS)

Potable water

V ch.16: 659-662

 

 

 

 

 

 

18

11/3 (PS)

Disinfection

V ch.16: 662-668

 

19

11/5 (GV)

Video: “The Estrogen Effect”

PowerPoint;  EPA-Removal of EDCs

 

 

 

 

 

 

20

11/10 (SK)

EXAM 2 (classes 9-18)

 

 

21

11/12 (GV)

What is environmental toxicology?

V ch.17

 

 

 

 

 

 

22

11/17 (GV)

Dose response

V ch.19

 

23

11/19 (GV)

Toxicity test methods

V ch.20

 

 

 

 

 

 

24

11/24 (GV)

Route of exposure

V ch.18: 734-747

 

-

11/26

Thanksgiving Holiday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25

12/1 (GV)

Fate of toxins

V ch.18: 747-758

 

26

12/3 (GV)

Risk assessment

V ch.22

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

12/8

Poster Session 1

 

 

28

12/10

Poster Session 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/21 (Mon)

EXAM 3 (classes 19, 21-26)  -  4:00 pm

 

 

* D= Davis & Cornwell 1998; M = Miller 2007; V = Vaccari et al. 2006; ch. = chapter, other numbers = pages.