Undergraduate courses in Environmental Science (click links for syllabi)
(grad courses are here)
| # | Course Title | Instructor | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 375:101 | Introduction to Environmental Science | Phelps | Fall, Spring, Summer |
| The impact of physical, chemical, and biological assaults on man and environment in air, water, wastewater, streams, noise, occupational health, and solid wastes. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:201 | Environmental Biology | Dawson | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Biology (119:103 or 119:116) and Chemistry 1 (160:161) | |||
| Formerly "Biological Principles of Environmental Science". Hazardous agents, pollution, population interactions and dynamics; biogeochemical cycles in damaged and remediated ecosystems; environmental risk, management, and remediation; human health impacts. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:202 | Environmental Chemistry | Reinfelder | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Chemistry 1 & 2 (160:161 & 160:162) | |||
| Formerly "Chemical Principles of Environmental Science". Biogeochemical cycles: mass balances within and among environmental reservoirs; importance of water; chemical properties of water and aquatic chemistry. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:203 | Physical Principles of Environmental Science | Miskewitz | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Physics 1 (750:203 or equiv) and Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151); Co-requisite Physics 2 | |||
| Physical properties of water, air, and soils; energy and water in the earth system; kinetic and potential energy; and soil/plant/atmosphere relations. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:302 | Water and Wastewater Treatment | Fennell | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Chemistry 2 (160:162) and Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) | |||
| Introduction to unit operations that constitute the state-of-the-art of water and wastewater treatment. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:303 | Numerical Methods in Environmental Science | Passeport | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) | |||
| Formulation and solution of environmental science problems by applying analytical and numerical techniques. Principles of data analysis. Generation and solution of mass and energy balances. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:307 | Solid Waste Management and Treatment | Tsai | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Chem Principles (375:202) and Physics 1 (750:203 or equiv) | |||
| The generation, storage, transport, processing, ultimate disposal, and regulation of municipal solid wastes, including discussion of agricultural and hazardous wastes and recovery of resources. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:310 | Analytical Environmental Chemistry Lab | Schaefer | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Chem Principles (375:202) | |||
| Analysis of environmental samples; environmental sampling procedures; experimental ethics; data analysis; HPLC; GC; and atomic adsorption spectroscopic analysis of inorganic substances. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:312 | Environmental Microbiology Lab | Porter | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Biol Principles (375:201) and Chem Principles (375:202) | |||
| Hands-on introduction to microbiological techniques related to environmental issues. Bacterial growth and nutrition, nutrient cycles, waste treatment, and water quality testing. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:322 | Energy, Technology, and Environment | Both | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) | |||
| Critical consideration of energy technology acceptable in a world faced with global warming, environmental pollution, and declining supplies of oil. Examines traditional (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear), renewable (solar, wind, biomass), and reduced carbon emission sources (co-generation, fuel cells). | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:340 | Environmental Applications of Organic Chemistry | Rodenburg | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Organic Chemistry (640:209 or 308) | |||
| Concepts from organic chemistry applied to environmental systems: physico-chemical properties; acid-base, nucleophilic substitution, and redox reactions; prediction of lifetimes of organic chemicals in the environment; whether chiral compounds (PCBs, pesticides) have undergone biotransformation. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:346 | Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry | Whelan | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) and Chemistry 1 (160:161) | |||
| Components of the atmosphere, the processes within, and how the atmosphere interacts with the earth's surface and outer space. Topics include the Antarctic ozone hole, ozone smog, acid rain, air toxics, greenhouse gases, and aerosols. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:360 | Soils and Water | Gimenez | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Chemistry 1 (160:161) or Intro to Geology (460:101) | |||
| Physical and chemical properties of soils, soil-water interactions, erosion, etc. Soil properties important to environmental planning. Soil survey interpretation and use. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:380 | Tropical Environments and Society | Lintner | Spring |
| Contemporary challenges facing the environments and people of the tropics, including climate change, threats to ecosystem function and biodiversity, deforestation, and agriculture and food security. This lecture course coordinates with a separate Study Abroad course where students can participate in a separate field component in Costa Rica during Spring Break. Note: this is a stand-alone lecture course, studetns do not need to participate in the 1-week study abroad course to take this course. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:390 | Careers in Environmental Sciences | Schaefer/Porter | Fall |
| Prepares students for a professional life after Rutgers: set career goals, prepare job and graduate school application materials, practice the interview process, and network with past alumni. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:407 | Environmental Toxicology | Bugel | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Organic Chemistry (640:209 or 307) | |||
| Basic principles and applications of toxicology to environmental problems. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:411 | Environmental Microbiology | Young/Porter | Spring |
| Prerequisites: One semester of introductory microbiology (375:312 or 680:201 or similar). Chemistry 1 is strongly recommended. | |||
| Microorganisms in carbon, nitrogen, sulfur cycling, biogeochemical processes, and water and wastewater treatment systems; biodegradation strategies and pathways; and bioremediation of toxic contaminants in the environment. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:421 | Principles of Air Pollution | Mainelis | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Chemistry 1 & 2 (160:161 & 160:162) | |||
| Fundamental factors of atmospheric contamination; effect of pollution on man and environment; principles of measurement and survey; methods of control; air cleaning; legal aspects. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:423 | Environmental Fate and Transport | Miskewitz | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Phys Principles (375:203) and Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) | |||
| The fate and transport of chemicals to determine chemical exposures in aquatic systems and predict future conditions. Emphasis on water quality problems introduced by addition of nutrients, metals, and toxic organic chemicals to water, soil, and air. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:424 | Air Sampling Techniques | Mainelis | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Air Pollution (375:421) taken concurrently | |||
| Theory and laboratory experience in ambient and indoor air sampling. Calibration, classical air sampling, direct-reading instrumentation. Measurement and analysis of airborne nanoparticles and biological agents. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:430 | Hazardous Wastes | Talimcioglu | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Water & WW Treatment (375:302) and Solid Waste (375:307) | |||
| Hazardous waste management: case studies, RCRA and other legislation and regulations, treatment and disposal technology, sampling and analysis, fate in the environment, site cleanup. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:434 | Principles of Industrial Hygiene | Schwartz | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Biology (119:103 or 119:115) | |||
| Identification, evaluation, and control of chemical and physical stresses of an industrial environment. Gases, aerosols, nonionizing radiation, noise, lighting, ergonomics, industrial ventilation, heat, and health standards. Includes 40-h OSHA HA"WOPER certification. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:444 | Water Chemistry | Reinfelder/Yee | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Chemistry 2 (160:162) and Calculus 1 (640:135 or 151) | |||
| Chemistry of natural and polluted waters; water quality; equilibrium models for several chemical systems in natural waters; stability of organic compounds. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:450 | The Terrestrial Carbon Cycle | Whelan | Spring (even years) |
| Prerequisites: Biology (119:103 or 119:115) and Chemistry 1 (160:161) | |||
| Major land processes that affect the amount of carbon in the global atmosphere. Topics include: a simplified global carbon cycle, general land use change, wetlands, peatlands, and "blue carbon", de-/re-forestation and carbon offset schemes, agricultural practices and urban landscapes all through the lens of carbon cycle impacts. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:453 | Soil Ecology | Schaefer | Fall |
| Prerequisites: Biology (119:103 or 119:116) and Chemistry 1 (160:161) | |||
| Soil microbial contribution to ecosystem function, microbial diversity, nutrient cycling, soil enzymes, fate of soil amendments, soil flora and fauna, energy cycling, quantification of soil biological processes. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||
| 375:474 | Coastal Biogeochemical Cycles in a Changing World | Dawson/Sikes | Spring |
| Prerequisites: Biol Principles (375:201) and Chem Principles (375:202) | |||
| Coastal environments are dynamic zones where terrestrial and marine environments meet. They are high productivity regions of intense biogeochemical cycling that are increasingly challenged by anthropogenic changes including: Sea level rise, ocean acidification, and eutrophication. We will explore 4 coastal environments from the poles to the tropics while building skills in analysis software. | |||
| Syllabus file | |||