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Understanding how the earth and environment works requires the careful analysis and interpretation of scientific data. Increasingly, the limitations to our understanding lie not in the availability of data, but rather in our ability to analyze and find meaning in it. Deriving insight from environmental data, in particular large and complex datasets, requires new tools, methods, and ways of thinking. In this class we are going to learn how to code in the programming language R and use it to analyze environmental data in order to better understand the Earth’s systems. This course will feature a hands-on classroom with programming and data analysis occurring interactively during the class. Students will learn how to analyze and visualize large datasets and how to write code, while also covering interesting components of environmental and earth sciences. In each section of the course will explore and analyze a large, research-quality, dataset to introduce environmental concepts and develop skills in data analysis, visualization, and scientific understanding. Throughout the term, we will progressively build upon our analysis and add additional layers of insight and understanding as new tools and techniques are introduced.
Groundwater Hydrology (ENS/GEO 210)
Groundwater Hydrology (ENS/GEO 210)
Groundwater accounts for 97% of the available freshwater on earth and is a vital source of water for household, industrial, and agricultural uses worldwide. The well-being and prosperity of human civilization requires the sound stewardship and sustainable use of our groundwater supplies. In addition to serving as an essential resource for humanity, groundwater plays a central role in many environmental and geologic processes, including the maintenance of river flows between rainfall events, the occurrence of earthquakes, and the genesis of certain types of ore deposits and landforms. Groundwater is also a key consideration in many engineering operations such as the construction of dams and tunnels and the assessment of landslide and land subsidence risk.
Groundwater hydrology is a highly interdisciplinary field that brings together the geologic and environmental sciences with engineering. This course will begin by exploring the physical properties of groundwater and the geologic media through which it flows, the physical laws that govern groundwater flow and transport, and techniques for modeling groundwater flow patterns. The mid-part of the course will focus on the engineering aspects of groundwater, covering topics such as the hydraulics of pumping wells, the transport of contaminants within aquifers, the remediation of contaminated aquifers, and well-drilling technology. Later we will cover the role groundwater plays in geologic processes and the role of geology in determining groundwater chemistry and quality. We will also discuss the connections between groundwater and human health and the importance of groundwater in the global food supply. Students will leave this course with the fundamental knowledge needed to begin answering scientific and engineering questions in the fascinating world of groundwater hydrology.
Introduction to Environmental Studies (ENS 100)
Introduction to Environmental Studies (ENS 100)
ENS-100 is a core requirement for the Environmental Studies major, though many students use the course to fulfill their General Education science requirement. There is no prerequisite except an interest in the environment. This course is truly multi-disciplinary and brings together ideas from science, economics, engineering, policy, politics, and technology.
We will explore the functioning of the earth system by examining the complex interactions between the four principle spheres—land, air, water, and life—and examine how human activities affect these systems. We will apply fundamental concepts from chemistry, biology, geology, and physics to understand the science behind the environmental issues facing humanity. Throughout the course, I will use case studies ranging in scale from local to global to elucidate key environmental topics. Now more than ever, it is important to understand the consequences of human activities on the Earth. Some of the consequences of human activity – including climate change, loss of ecosystem function & biodiversity, and the loss of arable cropland – will likely be among the most important issues facing your generation.
Senior Capstone Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy (ENS-460)
Senior Capstone Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy (ENS-460)
The Senior Seminar (ENS-460) is central to the ESPE curriculum – acting as the capstone experience in which ESPE students come together to explore an environmental topic and its scientific, policy, and engineering dimensions. As a seminar, this class will differ from the more traditional lecture format, with more time devoted to discussions, student-driven activities, and experiences. Throughout the term you will apply the concepts, tools, and knowledge you have gained as an ESPE major to the pressing environmental issues facing humanity.
Past themes:
Feeding the World (2023): Providing a sufficient supply of nutritious food to the world’s population is a monumental goal that we have not yet fully achieved. Furthermore, the production of food through agriculture is a dominant driver behind many of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. With global population expected to reach 9 billion by mid-century and with rising standards of living across many parts of the world, food production will likely need to increase substantially to ensure food security for the global population. However, the need for increased food production in coming decades poses a serious dilemma – namely, how can we increase production sustainably to ensure that we do not damage our environment in ways that threatens food production and the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems? In this course, we will examine key issues in agriculture facing humanity and we will explore the scientific, engineering, and policy approaches to understanding and addressing these challenges.
Water resources in a changing world (2020): As the world population continues to grow and as we continue to modify the Earth’s environment through our activities, we increasingly face challenges related to our water resources. Through activities such as the construction of dams and reservoirs, the draining of wetlands, and the intensive pumping of surface water and groundwater, humankind has dramatically altered the Earth’s hydrologic cycle. All of our lives directly depend on the hydrologic cycle to provide the water needed for drinking, growing our crops and raising livestock, industrial activities, powering our society, and regulating the Earth’s climate and ecosystems. Given the centrality of water in nearly every human activity and environmental process on this planet, there is widespread agreement among the scientific and policy communities that “the provision of adequate fresh-water resources for people and ecosystems will be one of the most critical and potentially contentious issues facing society and governments at all levels during the 21st century” . In this course, we will examine key issues in water resources facing humanity and we will explore the scientific, engineering, and policy approaches to understanding and addressing these challenges.
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