ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Content-based learning Goals: After completing this course students should be able to:

Apply previous knowledge of chemistry to the study of relevant environmental issues.
Apply mass balances, chemical kinetics, and equilibrium theory to investigate environmental systems
Differentiate between natural cycles of chemicals and those influenced by human activities
Understand the role that chemical structure and reactivity plays in determining the behavior of chemicals in natural and man-made environments
Understand how chemicals can enter, move through, and be transformed by natural systems, and how they can impact environmental quality and human health
Understand how engineers use knowledge of chemistry to protect human and ecosystem health
Critically review news or technical articles, and evaluate the science presented therein

General Learning Goals: After completing this course students should be able to:

Synthesize information and concepts, and apply them to novel settings
Read and understand technical writing
Create, analyze, and interpret graphs and tables containing technical data
Solve problems using inductive and deductive reasoning, extrapolation, approximation, and rational estimation
Use the scientific method to gain insight into natural systems

Environmental Chemistry

Course Description:

This course applies chemical principles to the study of water, soil, and atmospheric environments. Our objective is to highlight the role these principles play in the environmental cycling of natural and man-made substances, in the proper functioning of ecosystems, and in determining the impact of humanity’s actions on natural processes. We will cover a number of case studies to illustrate these principles, including climate change and carbon cycling, toxic chemicals and their impact on ecosystem and human health, and ozone and air pollution chemistry. The course will be lab-oriented, emphasizing the chemical tools needed to understand environmental problems, and will have a strong math component.

This course focuses on real-life questions in areas of chemistry. The units cover water contamination, materials, petroleum, atmosphere, and biochemistry. Almost all traditional chemistry county indicators and some biology indicators are addressed. Content is investigated in a spiraling pattern in which concepts and skills are introduced as needed and deepened as the year continues. This hands-on course encourages students to ask questions about the world and solve them.