Instructor: Dr. Jim Houpis

e-mail: jhoupis@csuchico.edu

Office: Holt 285

Phone: 530-898-6121

Course Content

Course Objectives , Requirements and Policies

Syllabus

Assignments and Tests

Pollution is the result of human activity.  The production of pollution stems from industrial, agricultural, forestry, and other human-based activities, as well as from natural sources.  As a result of these activities, pollution has had a significant impact on environmental quality, human health, economics, and policy decisions.  In pollution ecology, we study; 1) the sources, extent, and characteristics of pollution, 2) the processes that affect the fate and transport of pollutants, and 3) methods for monitoring and remediating pollution.  This course will provide a base scientific knowledge that is necessary for assessing the impacts of pollution on both natural and human ecosystems.

Course Objectives and Policies
 
Course Objectives:

1) Increase our awareness and understanding of pollution ecology issues;
2) Enhance our critical thinking skills and develop knowledge beyond the stated course materials;
3) Enhance our skills in seeking information;
4) Enhance our skills in analyzing and conceptualizing information through the use of a computer; and
5) Enhance our written and oral communication skills

One year of college chemistry.
One year of college biology.

Textbook and Reading Materials:
The required textbook for this course is Pollution Science by Ian L. Pepper, Charles P. Gerba, and Mark L. Brusseau, Additionally, articles from journals and selected information will be required reading. Exams may use information from these reading sources to form the basis for test questions.
 

Class Exams:
Material presented in class lectures and required readings will form the basis for exam questions. Class exams will be composed of short essay questions and short-answer questions, which will require an understanding of lecture and reading material, and result in applications of this knowledge to new situations.

All exams will be given during the lecture portion of the class. Because exams will be returned during the following class period, if you must miss an exam because of an emergency or family circumstances, it must be made-up on the two days following the exam.
 

Attendance:
Regular prompt attendance is required for success in this course. The computer laboratory and group discussions involve individual and group work. Each individual must accept responsibility for her/his part in the group presentations; therefore, faithful attendance in the computer laboratory and group discussion is mandatory. For one absence, no penalty will be incurred, but after one absence, 15 points will be subtracted from the students laboratory grade; 30 additional points will be subtracted for a third absence, and the student will be dropped from the role after a fourth absence. Attendance in lecture will not be officially monitored; however, if you do miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from a classmate.
 

Grading System:
Exam 1: 75 points
Exam 2: 100 points
Exam 3: 100 points
Comprehensive final exam: 150 points
Homework and Computer Assignments: 100 points
Debates:
(Debate Team: 2 @ 50 points each): 100 points
(Debate Judge: 1 @ 25 points): 25 points
Student Presentations of a Case Study: 50
Total Points: 700 points

Sample Assignments

Assignment	Description
Debate	Class Debate #1:   Percent of Grade: 7%  Date Assigned: 9/15/97  Date Due: 10/22/97  Title: Atmospheric Pollution   Problem Statement: The year is 2005. The United States Government is under severe pressure to tighten air quality standards set under the Clean Air Act, in particular the primary and secondary air quality standards for tropospheric ozone. A United States Senate sub-committee has proposed lowering the national primary air quality standard to 85ppb for ozone and the establishment of a commission to determine the secondary air quality standard. Before the full senate is to vote on any proposed tightening of air quality standards, they enacted a series of fact finding processes which they hope will allow them to intelligently set these new standards. One of these processes is a public debate, consisting of those that advocate a tightening of the air quality standards versus those that oppose it. The debate will be moderated by members of the government and media.     The Debate   Directions:   · Each group is to determine the make-up of its panel. The panel should represent a wide breadth of interests. For example, some business groups will be in favor of stricter regulation (i.e. air pollution causes economic damage), and some environmental groups may be against stricter regulation (i.e. the technology used in decreasing air pollution may cause another adverse environmental impact).   · Each member of the panel must prepare a two-page executive summary of their organizationís position. Three copies of this statement are due October 15th. On October 15th, each panel will exchange executive summaries and the moderators will receive all executive summaries.   · Each member of a panel must prepare a two minute statement, summarizing his/her organizationís position. Thus, a six-member panel will have six two-minute presentations, each representing the position of a separate organization. As part of this presentation, the presenter must use an overhead generated from Microsoft PowerPoint. A paper copy of this overhead is due October 22nd. The two-minute time limit will be strictly enforced by the moderators.   · The panel of moderators should include Senators from broad political backgrounds, representatives from appropriate government agencies, and members from the media. Before the debate begins, the moderators will introduce themselves, their agency (if appropriate), their state (if they are a Senator), or the name of their media organization.   · The Debate:   · The Debate will last approximately 2 hours.   · First 10 minutes: the Moderators will introduce themselves, and will set the stage for the debate, using overheads generated from Microsoft PowerPoint. A paper copy of these overheads are due October 22nd.   · Next 30 minutes: Each panel member will present his/her organizationís position.   · Next 1 hour and 15 minutes: The Debate.   · Last 10 minutes: Each panel will give a collective closing statement.   · The moderators will prepare a series of questions that will last the length of the debate. The questions that a moderator asks should represent his/her political slant and/or his/her organizationís interests.   · The moderators will ask a question of panel members. Each panel member will be given 2 minutes to respond. The opposing panel will be given a one-minute rebuttal. This sequence will alternate between the two debating panels. Over the course of the debate, all panel members must be equally questioned by the moderators. Moderators will take turns asking questions.   Due on October 29th, each member of the moderating panel must write a one-page summary , stating which side won the debate and why.
Presentations	Guidelines for Student Presentation - 50 points   Percent of Grade: 7%  Date Assigned: 10/15/97  Date Due: 11/22/97  I. Presentation   A) Your presentation should address a ìcase studyî. The book for our course has some examples of case studies. These presentations are not to be a general overview of a pollution topic (e.g. the effects of acid rain on forest), but rather an examination of an impact(s) of pollution at a specific site (e.g. the effects of acid rain on red spruce regeneration at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks, New York).   B) One third of the class will make their presentations on October 29th, the next third on November 12th, and the final third on November 26th. All students must select a date by October 22nd. Those that go first will receive 8 bonus points, those that go second will receive 4 bonus points, and those that go last will receive no bonus points. Presentation dates will be allotted on a first come first serve basis (you must have determined your case study before you can select a date), and in the case of a tie additional information will be used to break the tie.   C) Your presentation should last approximately 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions and comments.   D) You are to use at least 7 Microsoft PowerPoint designed overheads. You must provide a paper copy of your overheads.   E) Your presentation can be interactive or lecture style.   F) Presentation Requirements:   1) Present opposing points of view as well as your own.   2) Obtain supportive literature.   a) Literature must be from a scientific or technical journal.   b) You must find at least 3 articles from opposing points of view (a total of six articles), and cite them in your talk.   II. Presentation and Paper Components   The following list contains topics that need to be covered in your presentation, but not necessarily have to be presented in the order listed - be creative, include other areas that are not listed.   A) Title of presentation   B) Premise of the case study you will be addressing.   C) Introduction   1. Historical background   2. Analysis of current situation   D) Critical analysis of information (and previous research)   1. Provide opposite points of view of the problem or if the problem is not disputed, opposing solutions (analyze published data and results - do they support conclusions offered by the authors of the published papers).   2. Using your interpretation of published papers, provided your estimate of possible mechanisms, directions, and magnitude of potential ecological changes (support your rationale - do not make unsupported statements).   3. Discuss what is not known, and what type of experiments are needed to address these unknowns (reduce the level of uncertainty).   4. Provide an analysis of possible future trends.   5. Provide several possible solutions or management/policy alternatives, and provide an analysis of each.   E) Conclusion   Remember, science is the pursuit of the truth. As scientists, we must seek to prove ourselves wrong. Therefore, it is better to make a statement based on our current knowledge and eventually be proved wrong, then to never make a statement, and have not learned anything at all.

Weeks 1-2

Topics: Basic Concepts; Units and Conversion; Statistics. Chapters 1 and 8.
Topics: Factors Affecting Atmospheric Pollution. Chapter 3.

Weeks 3-4

Topics: Soil Characteristics. Chapters 2 and 4.
First Exam: Covers material from Week 1 through Week 3.

Weeks 5-6

Topics: Soil and Water Contamination. Chapters 5 and 6.
Topics: Environmental Monitoring. Chapters 7 and 9.

Weeks 7-8

Topics: Disposal and Remediation. Chapters 10 and 11.
Second Exam: Covers material from Week 5 through Week 7.

Weeks 9-10

Topics: Atmospheric Pollution. Chapter 12.
Topics: Class Debate.
Topics: Water Pollution. Chapter 13.
Topics: Student Presentations.

Weeks 11-12

Topics: Fertilizer and Pesticide Sources of Pollution. Chapters 14 and 17.
Topics: Student Presentations.
Topic: Class Debate.

Weeks 13-14

Third Exam: Covers material from Week 9 through Week 12.
Topics: Soil Erosion; Animal Waste. Chapters 15 and 16.
Topic: Student Presentations.

Weeks 15-16

Topics: Industrial Pollution. Chapter 18.
Topics: Class Debate.
Topics: Pathogens and Municipal Waste. Chapters 19 and 20.

Week 17

Final Exam: Covers material from Week 1 through Week 16.