The purpose of this course is to provide the basic scientific knowledge and understanding of how our world works from an environmental perspective. Toward this end, we will touch on topics as broad as general issues on the environment, basic principles of ecology and ecosystem function, water resources and pollution, hazardous chemicals, air pollution and climate change, biodiversity, energy resources, and sustainability. The limited scope of this course will allow us to only cover basic techniques in the analysis of water, air, and soil quality using a hands-on approach. The discussion of processes and topics, as well as techniques studied will include: chlorine, alkalinity, hardness, nutrients, suspended solids, dissolved solids, sedimentable solids, biochemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, total organic carbon, fecal coliforms, turbidity, oils and fats, and long-term monitoring.
- Teacher: Clifford Louimé