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Water, Water Everywhere: Biology Professor Brings Interdisciplinary Seminar Series to Campus - September 25, 2012 - Sterling, VA

Loudoun students struggling with a required laboratory science may have an alternative option available soon. Dr. Gillian Backus, a biology professor at Northern Virginia Community College, is working hard to establish an environmental science course with a focus on water.

The course was catalogued as a “pilot course” in the fall of 2011. Though only 9 students enrolled, the four laboratory science credits they earned were successfully transferred to George Mason University. Backus wants to establish the course as a permanent, transferable science class.

It was hoped that a full course would be available this semester, but unfortunately it was not.

Guest speakers had been booked in advanced, so rather than let their work go to waste, Backus arranged a series of seminars on water.

The seminars are currently taking place most Wednesdays from 4:00-5:15 pm in LC 309. Students and the rest of the public can attend, and there is no charge.

Dr. Backus’s goals are to increase awareness of her course, to increase the public’s awareness of water usage, and to attract individuals interested in water. Listeners are introduced to a wide range of subjects on the topic, from literature and art, to chemistry, biology, geology, toxicology, and even national security issues.

When asked why she chose the topic of water, Dr. Backus replied, “You can’t live without it, and yet it’s getting scarcer.”

Backus advises staying away from bottled water to limit water usage as producing plastic requires water. She also points out that due to the way water is regulated, bottled water could be distilled or from the tap, though consumers are charged more for it.

Voting is another way Dr. Backus suggests to be more active on this issue. She advises writing letters to politicians asking about their stances on water resources, infrastructure, emergency planning and sewer systems. “Questions like these,” Backus says, “are uncommon in debates and candidates rarely address them.”

“Rationing water and installing rain barrels may become more common in the future as water becomes scarcer,” says Dr. Backus. “Water, as common as the kind falling from your roof after a storm, may be the subject of legal issues regarding who owns it.” Her seminars present these possibilities and more to audiences because she predicts water usage will soon be “one of our biggest global concerns.”

Backus has applied to the state of Virginia’s community college system, and is awaiting approval to become a permanent course. If successful, the course would be a 100 level with an “ENV” prefix and titled “Science Appreciation” or “Science in Society.”

The future curriculum may not focus solely on water, with topics such as cancer, obesity and forensics also being considered. Backus says that including a variety of topics would make the information more “digestible” for students.

Readers who want more information are free to email Dr. Backus at gbackus@nvcc.edu. A schedule of the seminars can be found posted outside of her LS 158 office.

[Article written for The Loudoun Lantern, Northern Virginia Community College's Loudoun campus newspaper]

Posted 7/11/2018