Environmental Science (ES200)
Environmental Studies Program
Instructor: Jill Bubier
Clapp Lab 308
phone: 538-2607
e-mail: jbubier@mtholyoke.edu
Office hours by appointment

Overview

Most of our society’s environmental problems are complex and interdisciplinary in nature.  Environmental science is a course designed to teach integrative thinking, the “scientific method” and problem solving.  Lectures will be drawn from a variety of scientific fields including ecology, hydrology, chemistry, geology, and biology with an emphasis on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.  The course will use case studies of regional environmental problems, practical “hands on” problem solving, and landscape analysis.  Training in field and laboratory techniques is an integral part of the course.

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Field/Lab Projects

Field and laboratory projects are the heart of the course with readings and lectures as supplementary to give the necessary background for the science projects. Attendance for all field trips is required because each exercise builds on the previous one. Most field trips will occur during the weekly class and lab times (using the 12:00-1:00 lunch hour), but there will also be one weekend all-day field trip to the Harvard Forest. Each exercise will be interdisciplinary in nature, but will have a particular focus. The first exercise will examine the effects of animal disturbance on forest structure and water quality at the Quabbin Reservoir. This part of course will emphasize ecosystems, biogeochemical cycling, succession and disturbance. The second part of the course will focus on geomorphology, hydrology and water quality. The main field site will be on the Connecticut River, but additional sites will also be used. The last part of the course will focus on atmospheric chemistry and climate. We will visit the Harvard Forest to see the long-term research that is being conducted there, but will use sites closer to campus for field projects.

Field/lab reports: Scientific reports are required for each project.   All field/lab reports are due by Monday or Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. depending on which lab section you’re in.  Some reports will be written individually and others as group reports.  All members of the group are expected to participate in the writing of group reports.

Exams: There will be a mid-term and an optional final exam. These will be based on the readings and class lectures.

Research project (see description): Each student will design and execute a research project that will be conducted in small groups (2-3 students).  The research project is a semester-long activity.

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SYLLABUS

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (ES 200) FALL 2011
Lecture: Tuesday-Thursday 11:00-12:15
Laboratory: Tuesday or Thursday 1:15-4:05
Instructor:  Jill Bubier, Environmental Studies Program
Office:  Clapp 308 (office hours by appointment)
Email: jbubier@mtholyoke.edu
Phone:  538-2607
Classroom:  Kendade 107 (lecture); Clapp 305 (laboratory)
Teaching assistants: Bethany Nagid (nagid20b) and Claire Gregg (gregg20c)

COURSE STRUCTURE
There will be two 75 minute lectures and one three hour lab per week. Also, one required weekend day field trip to the Harvard Forest.  On several occasions, we will use the 12:15-1:15 hour for longer field exercises.  Evaluation will be based on lab reports (50%); class participation (10%), a midterm exam (10%) and a research project (30%).

Labs will consist of both field and laboratory exercises and will include training in the scientific method, field and lab equipment, data analyses, scientific writing, and problem-solving techniques.  Students will work independently as well as in small groups. 

The background text for the course is Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, by Daniel B. Botkin and Edward A. Keller (6th ed., 2008), John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  Additional required and optional readings will include journal articles from the scientific literature. 

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