Lab instructors: John Bell and Steve Grey
Course Syllabus - Bot/Zoo 2404 - Ecology & Environmental Quality, Spring 1996.
Date Topic Reading Jan. 16 Group Work on Global Patternspgs. 73-91 Jan. 18 Ecological Hierarchies, ProcessesChapter 4, pgs. 71-73 Jan. 23 Applications of Scientific MethodChapter 3 Jan. 25 Population Issues Chapters 6, 7 Jan. 30 Exam 1 Feb. 1 Group Work:Ecosystem PreservationChapters 1, 11 Feb. 6 Continue Ecosystem PreservationChapter 13, 14 Feb. 8 Agricultural Ecosystems: Design Feb. 13 Continue Ag. Design Feb. 15 Exam 2 Feb. 20 What happens to your water & why?Chapter 15 Feb. 22 Group Work:Groundwater Protection Feb. 27 Solid Waste:Hazardous WastesChapter 18, 19 Feb. 29 Air Pollution:ChemistryChapter 17 Mar. 5 Group Work:Global Change Mar. 7 Exam 3 SPRING BREAK Mar. 19 Human Energy Needs Chapters 8, 9, 10 Mar. 21 Group Work:Fossil Fuel Cost/BenefitChapter 16 Mar. 26 Nuclear Energy Debate Mar. 28 Group:Design an Alternative Automobile Apr. 2 Group:Design an Energy Mix for the U.S. Apr. 4 Exam 4 Apr. 9 Urban Ecosystems Chapter 12 Apr. 11 Group Work:Design the `Perfect' City Apr. 16 Sustainable Economies Apr. 18 Environmental Ethics Chapter 2 Apr. 23 Debate: Is our society `ethical'? Apr. 25 Exam 5 May 30 Environmental Politics Chapter 20 May 2 Group Work:What is the most pressing environmental issue? May 7 FINAL EXAM 8:00 - 10:00 (optional) Grading: Each Hour Exam is worth 100 points. You may drop your lowest exam score. Therefore, there will be no make-up tests given, you just drop the grade of the hour exam you miss. The Final Exam is comprehensive, worth 100 points, and is optional. It can only be used to replace a poor hour exam score after you have already dropped your lowest score. Group Work/Quizzes 100 points Total Lecture Grade = 500 points Total Lab Grade = 200 points Class Grade = 700 points Grading Scale A = 700 - 630 B = 629 - 560 C = 559 - 490 D = 489 - 420 F = 419 and below Textbook: (Required) Enger and Smith, Environmental Science, 5th edition. Wm. C. Brown, Publishers. A copy is on reserve in the Library Lab Manual: (Required) Wallace, A Lab Manual for Bot/Zoo 2404 Instructors: Dr. Ernest M. Steinauer, Room 29 GLC Hall, 325-1651 Office Hours: M, T, W, Th 8:30 - 9:30, and by appointment. John Bell, Room 48 GLC Hall, 325-6354 Steven Grey, Room 48 GLC Hall, 325-6354
Course Philosophy and Goals: This course is designed to help you learn how to use information and to determine its accuracy as well as to learn of some of the most pressing environmental problems facing our society today. We will spend as little time as possible with the instructor lecturing to the class. Instead, you need to read the assigned readings before coming to class to learn the `facts' necessary to do other class activities. There will be several unannounced quizzes on these readings to encourage you. We will answer questions on the assigned readings, and then you will enter one of several group activities that will require you to know about this information well enough so that you can use it. You will be expected to participate in class discussions and group activities. Exams will be designed to test how well you can use the information, not just regurgitate it. Therefore, the exams will include short- answer essay questions. In lab, you will learn how to design scientific experiments and how then to use and communicate the results of those experiments. This will aid you in determining the accuracy of facts that you will later encounter and decide whether spokespeople are interpreting their data correctly. Lab grades will be based on six short lab reports and four mastery quizzes. Lab reports will help you develop your writing and interpretative skills as well as understand how environmental quality parameters are actually measured. One lab report will be based on a project of your lab groups choosing and will include an oral presentation of the project. Course Policies: There will be no make-ups given for exams, graded group activities or quizzes. If you must miss a group activity or quiz, you may do another activity with an excused absence for which you can produce proof of your reason for missing class. The same policy holds for lab (see laboratory syllabus). We encourage you to find a group of colleagues and start a study group. These make learning more fun as well as more efficient. While doing the reading assignment, write down the key points. This will help cement the information in your mind, help you define areas which are unclear to you, and help generate questions for class discussion. It will also improve your contribution to class discussions and group activities. If you have any problems or questions, then make sure you see one of the instructors! Please inform the instructors immediately if you contract a protracted illness, have family problems, or any other reason which will cause you to miss several classes. We can excuse these absenses and assign make up work. If you do not inform us at the time of the absense you will not be given special consideration.
Syllabus - Laboratory Bot/Zoo 2404
Week Laboratory Activity 1 Introduction to the scientific method - sampling experiments, how to write lab reports, video - Understanding Ecosystems. 2 Write-up on sampling experiment due, establish fast-plant experiments. 3 Collect data on fast-plants, work through math exercises, role- playing. 4 Harvest fast-plant experiments, set up Integrated Pest Management experiments, video - IPM, NPR Audio Report. 5 Weigh and analyze data from fast-plant experiments, complete write- ups (team critiques done), measure IPM experiments. 6 Write-up on fast-plant experiments due, measure IPM experiments, run BOTP Third World Bias, video - Acid Rain. 7 Water pollution - Measures of water quality from different sources, pass Mastery Quiz, measure IPM experiments. 8 Harvest IPM experiments, video - Deadly Chemicals 9 Spring Break, no lab. 10 Weigh and analyze data from IPM experiments, complete write-ups on IPM experiments in class, begin solid-waste inventory. 11 Solid Waste Inventory due, write-ups on IPM experiment due, video - radiation principles, video - Chernobyl, pass Mastery Quiz. 12 Air pollution - measures of air quality on campus, pass Mastery Quiz, discuss campus environmental problems project. 13 Plant irradiated seeds, monitor noise pollution levels around campus, pass Mastery Quiz, decide on campus environmental problem. 14 Analyze growth of irradiated seeds, work on environmental problem. 15 Write-up on irradiated seeds due, run BOTP pro-nuclear bias, work on environmental problem. 16 Write-up and oral presentation of environmental problem due. Evaluation: Lab write-ups and quizzes 20 points each, 200 points total
Laboratory Policies Read the following and be prepared to sign a sheet given to you by the instructor, designating that you have read and understand the following protocols. Attendance at all labs is mandatory! Non-attendance (without a written excuse given to the instructor) will result in the loss of 10 points from your lab grade for each absence. Coming to lab late or leaving early (without a written excuse) will result in the loss of 5 points from your grade for each event. When necessary, groups will submit a written schedule of planned activities that need to occur outside of regularly scheduled laboratory time. This schedule will include a list of the names of the people responsible for each activity at a given time and date. Groups will each post a sign-up sheet for the responsible parties to sign when they do their assigned task. Any failure of a group member to perform their assigned task or to notify the group so that someone else could do their work will result in a loss of 10 points from that member's grade. A written excuse will be required for the instructor to waive this penalty. Mastery quizzes will be given at the end of certain labs. Each group will be allowed a brief review time and then one individual from each group will take the quiz. This individual will be chosen by a random drawing run by the instructor. If that individual does not pass the quiz, the group is allowed more review time. Following a new drawing, a second quiz is given. The group then earns the higher grade posted on the quiz. All group members will get the same grade. Even though experiments in lab will be done by groups, each student will be expected to write her/his own lab report! Read the appropriate materials in the lab manual prior to lab. ******************************************************************************* Note: Laboratory activities can sometimes be messy and occasionally potentially harmful to clothing. It is the student's responsibility to dress and prepare for this eventuality. If possible, don't wear your best clothes to the lab, and leave your coats on the coat rack outside of the classroom. Note the laboratories in which you are asked not to wear contact lenses and make sure that you take them off before entering lab. Make sure you carefully wash your hands before putting them back in! In most labs, snacking is fine, but please, please, clean up the lab before leaving! Recycle those cans! *******************************************************************************
Fast Plant Results Analysis of Variance Procedure To analyze the dry weight of your plants, we used a procedure known as the Analysis of Variance Procedure or ANOVA. We examined the data in two different ways. First we looked at the weights of your plants on the basis of total weight per pot. Then we looked at the average weight of each plant. To find the average weight per plant, we divided the total weight of each pot by the number of plants the pot contained. Several statisitcal values for both total pot weight and per plant analyses are provided below. Your TA will explain the meaning of these numbers in class. ANOVA FOR TOTAL POT WEIGHT F=26.77; p=.0001 at df=3 Duncan Test Means with the same letter are not significantly different. Duncan Grouping Mean N TREATMENT A 0.06150 20 control B 0.02359 20 dry B B 0.01830 3 fert B B 0.01257 18 shade TREATMENT=control -------------------------------- total weight per pot: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.0212000g 0.117200g 0.061505g 0.0250148g TREATMENT=dry ---------------------------------- total weight per pot: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.0024000 0.0647000 0.0235900 0.0172833 TREATMENT=fert --------------------------------- total weight per pot: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.0123000 0.0239000 0.0183000 0.0058103 TREATMENT=shade --------------------------------- total weight per pot: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev .0025000 0.0275000 0.0125722 0.0074441 ANOVA FOR PER PLANT WEIGHT F=27.11; p=.0001 at df=3 Duncan Test Means with the same letter are not significantly different. Duncan Grouping Mean N TRT A 0.01236 20 control A A 0.01137 3 fert B 0.00556 20 dry B B 0.00209 18 shade TREATMENT=control -------------------------------- weight per plant: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.0031000 0.0241000 0.0123650 0.0051995 TREATMENT=dry ---------------------------------- weight per plant: Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.000900000 0.0175000 0.0055600 0.0035404 TREATMENT=fert --------------------------------- Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.0093000 0.0125000 0.0113667 0.0017926 TREATMENT=shade --------------------------------- Minimum Maximum Mean Std Dev 0.000800000 0.0042000 0.0020889 0.0010414