Four Course Major within the Engineering Cluster at AAST

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

Honors Marine Science is a lab science elective course in which students explore all aspects of the ocean.  Major units include:  1. Introduction (science, safety, & geography review) 2. Oceanic Exploration (history and engineering/technology), 3. Marine Geology (plate tectonics and bathymetry), 4. Coasts (sediments and coastal dynamics), 5. Marine Chemistry (abiotic factors and water quality), 6. Physical Oceanography (weather/hurricanes, climate, currents, waves, and tides), 7. Marine Biology/Ecology (plankton, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals), and 8. Conservation. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one semester, introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other introductory-level college science courses, environmental science includes a wide variety of subjects, including geology, biology, marine science, chemistry, and geography. Students may receive college credit with a passing score on the advanced placement examination given in May. Upon completing this course, students will be aware of the role humans play in the biosphere and should be prepared to make informed decisions about some of today’s most pressing environmental issues.  Through lectures, discussions, labs, case studies, videos, research projects, guest speakers, and field trips, students will develop the basic scientific skills necessary to understand the interrelationships in our natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-caused, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.