SCI 112-01 Syllabus Summer 2021 Vilma Arriaran BB PDF

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This course examines the core topics in environmental science and how environmental science informs sustainability, environmental policies, economics, and personal choices. Students will learn principles from the sciences of ecology and toxicology to study the relationships between living organis...

Description

Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

SCI 112: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: A FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY Lecturer: Dr. Vilma Arriaran La Torre Email: [email protected] Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00-10:00 am by appointment PLEASE USE EMAIL FOR ALL COMMUNICATION, OR POST YOUR QUESTION ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM: “ASK A QUESTION” Course description: This course examines the core topics in environmental science and how environmental science informs sustainability, environmental policies, economics, and personal choices. Students will learn principles from the sciences of ecology and toxicology to study the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. The course will also consider environmental risks due to economic, political and cultural factors. Discussion will focus on how the Earth’s resources are limited, and how these resources can best be used to benefit ecosystems and leave the environment healthy for future generations. Project description Superfund Site Assignment You will complete one major research in lecture. This will be a traditional research report on a superfund site of your choice in the New York City area. This project is designed to encourage higher level thinking about big questions and problems that undergraduate students might find more relevant to their lives. Our goal, as educators, is to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills through analysis, synthesis and evaluation. In lecture and lab students are expected to become familiar with the entire process of performing water analysis, from sample collection to generating a formal deliverable scientific report. Students will work in groups to complete these projects. During this course of study, students will: 1. Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a life or physical science. • Develop scientific literacy • Acquire broad background knowledge in the physical and biological sciences. • Correctly use basic terminology in biology and chemistry. • Outline the basic concepts of environmental science, including: o sustainability o human impact o toxicology o ecology • Recognize fundamental concepts of risk assessment and management. 2. Apply the scientific method to explore natural phenomena, including hypothesis development, observation, experimentation, measurement, data analysis, and data presentation. • Critically evaluate major conflicts within the realm of the environmental sciences. • Understand the role of creativity in problem solving and the application of scientific principles in gathering and interpreting scientific data. 1

Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

• Recognize the significance of the scientific process in understanding controversial issues. • Learn how to draw appropriate scientific conclusions from evidence and experimental data in both research and legal settings. • Consider the dynamic relationship between politics, economics & societal issues that might influence scientific research. • Explain and demonstrate comprehension of how issues of social justice & ethics converge with scientific research and its applications. 3. Use the tools of a scientific discipline to carry out collaborative laboratory investigations. • Demonstrate lab safety and proper laboratory protocol. • Field work on water quality; in situ monitoring and samples for instrumental analysis • Students will practice the skills of collaborative learning in a laboratory environment by working in groups to fulfill laboratory and field exercises. They will do this by allocating specific responsibility to each lab member, discussing their procedure, and finalizing their results. Ultimately, students are responsible for completing their own lab report. Students will assess themselves on how responsible they are for their own work as well as how well the whole group works together. • Develop competence in oral and written forms of scientific communication 4. Gather, analyze, and interpret data and present it in an effective written laboratory or fieldwork report. • Students will practically apply observation and/or measurement in a larger scientific context and thereby assess the validity of the data they collect. • Participate in field studies in the NY City urban environment, including, but not limited to, Superfund cleanup sites and Jamaica Bay National Park. • Describe the basic practices of testing resource quality and the impacts of waste disposal on the environment. 5. Identify and apply research ethics and unbiased assessment in gathering and reporting scientific data. • Students will discriminate between scientific and non-scientific resources by describing the basic components of a scientific investigation, and contrast this with non-scientific statements. • Interpret environmental research findings as published in the popular media. • Interpret environmental research findings in primary documents. • Recognize and communicate the difference between research on environmental issues and nonresearch-based statements. Course website & Readings: Important course announcements, course readings, homework assignments, and other resources will be posted to the course Blackboard. There are extensive web links and news articles that students are responsible for reading. This course will be held

digitally using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra feature. Readings: All assignments can be found on the John Jay College Blackboard. Any changes or announcements will be made on that site. You should check Blackboard and your John Jay College 2 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

email regularly for course information. You must have a valid John Jay email account and have access to Blackboard for ongoing updates and notifications. Blackboard Student Support is provided by ITSS. Students should be directed to contact ITSS at [email protected] and through the Help Desk at 212.237.8200. Essentials of Environmental Science (The book is not mandatory, but highly recommended) Andrew Friedland (Dartmouth College), Rick Relyea (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) • ISBN10: 1-319-06566-X; ISBN-13: 978-1-319-06566-9; Format: Paper Text, 400 pages Optional Purchase an e-book through: https://www.vitalsource.com/educators/products/essentials-of-environmental-science-andrew friedland-v9781319070311 Lab Manual (REQUIRED): Will be posted on Blackboard. Must be downloaded, printed, and have it ready for each virtual lab session. Summary of Course Requirements: Students are responsible for checking email and accessing Blackboard once per day to check for new announcements. Students must learn how to use the Discussion Board, Assessment & Assignment portal sections on BB. See help options under Blackboard 9.1 Exams: Students must take exams during the scheduled times. No make-up exams. Students with a documented conflict should speak with the professor.

To access the live class session via Blackboard, sign in to BB with your username and password. On the right-hand panel, click on COURSE MANAGEMENT. Then click on BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE ULTRA. This is where the class will enter a session and view the slides provided by the instructor. A microphone and video device is necessary to participate in this session. The session access code/web link will be provided to you by the instructor (posted on BB). Participation is expected. To ask a question during the session, click on the small “raise hand” icon on the bottom of the screen. It is your responsibility to save any graded materials until the end of the semester. If a student is repeating this course: Please go to the SEEK Department website for academic support, for more information: https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/seek-academic-support-center Grading Scale: Note that grades posted on Blackboard are the raw scores and that your final grade will be weighted as shown below in the grading scale.

3 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

LECTURE (70%)

• ALL examinations must be taken in

Quizzes

10%

Midterm Exam

15%

Projects: Superfund Site Assignment

15%

Homework, BB assignments, and in-class projects (includes attendance/participation)

15%

Final Exam

15%

the class period in which you are registered. • Plagiarism or cheating will not be tolerated. Any student suspected of cheating will be recommended for expulsion. • All beepers, phones, headphones, etc. MUST be turned off in class.

LAB (30%) Weekly Lab Reports

30%

1. Attendance and participation lab and Lecture Lab participation includes adherence to safety rules, involvement in experimental procedures and station cleanup. Students will be required to work in groups and each student should participate in the laboratory exercises. The instructor will observe each student’s involvement in the laboratory recitations and exercises and the students will be evaluated accordingly. The lab safety rules will be strictly enforced at all times and students are expected to observe them while in the lab. In that respect, under no circumstance should food be brought into lab or dispose of food in waste receptacles. There are no make-up labs. If you miss more than 2 labs, then you risk failure in the lab section of the courses. 2 unexcused lateness in lecture class will result in 1 absent class. More than 2 absences from lecture class will result in one grade lower. 2. Lecture assignments There is one major assignments in lecture class that will account for 15% of your grade. Plenty of support will be given in order for you to successfully complete the assignments. The assignments will be submitted on Blackboard. A separate handout will provide additional details on the requirements for the successful completion of this assignment. In addition, you will have several small in-class or take-home assignments. All assignments and class work MUST BE SUBMITTED as PDF or Microsoft Word Documents; DO NOT submit PAGE or Google Documents because they are not supported by blackboard. 3. Lab Manual Reports Your comprehensive lab reports are worth 25% of your lab grade (total lab grade is 30% of the course). There are pre-lab and post-lab assignments as well as the lab report itself that needs to be completed. Work collaboratively with your group. Comprehensive Lab Report: a) Pre-lab Reports: Completing pre-lab reports before the day of the online lab is very important. We cannot move forward in our discussion and completion of the lab unless everyone has completed the pre-lab. b) Lab manual reports: based on the lab itself, are to be completed during the virtual lab session and submitted on Blackboard before you leave the virtual lab session. c) Post-lab reports: are due one week after the assigned lab, and must be submitted on Blackboard. Lab work must be written individually; you may share ideas but the Comprehensive Report must

not be copied from your group members or any other sources. Please refer to this web site for extra help in writing your lab 4 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

reports. https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/e-resource-center and possibly this: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-lab-report-606052 ***ALL WORK MUST BE SUBMITTED ON BLACKBOARD AS PDF OR MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENTS. WORK SUBMITTED BY EMAIL WILL NOT BE GRADED. *** ATTENDANCE Attending class sessions via Blackboard Collaborate : Please join the synchronous sessions at least 5 minutes early. You will be able to participate by “raising the hand” and by chat. Attendance will be taken during class time via Blackboard Collaborate. It is important that you know your lab section and your specific lab schedule as it may vary for the students you sit near in lecture. An important part of the course grade is earned through in-class participation and laboratory work; therefore, it is essential for students to attend virtual lectures and labs if they wish to be successful. More than two absences from virtual labs will result in at least one grade lower; three missed labs could result in failure. No make-ups will be given for missed in-class activities and laboratory work unless there is a documented medical excuse. Two late attendances will result in one absence. If you miss an exam (or foresee that you will miss an exam) for any reason, you MUST contact the instructor as soon as possible. Course Structure: SCI 112 consists of a lecture component and a laboratory component, completion of both is mandatory. There are two (2) quizzes and 2 lecture exams (midterm and final) consisting of 50 questions. All students must take the exams during the indicated periods. If you have a documented emergency, please CONTACT ME to discuss options. All exams count; no grade is dropped. The laboratory portion, worth 30% of the final grade, will be derived from the scores of a final project and presentation, lab reports, in-class activities, and class participation. Any student having difficulty with the class should contact the instructor as soon as possible. No extra help can be given after the final exam is administered. Grade of INC (Incomplete) An Incomplete Grade may be given only to those students who would pass the course if they were to satisfactorily complete course requirements. It is within the discretion of the faculty member as to whether or not to give the grade of Incomplete. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with hearing, visual, or mobility impairments, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, chronic illnesses and psychological impairments may be entitled to special accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In order to receive accommodation, students must register with the Office of Accessibility Services (O.A.S., Room 1233-N, 212-237-8031, http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/2023.php) which will define, for both students and faculty, the appropriate accommodations. Faculty are not allowed to work directly with students to attempt to accommodate disabilities, and accommodations cannot be applied retroactively (after-the-fact). Statement of the College Policy on Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas, words, or artistic, scientific, or technical work as one’s own creation. Using the ideas or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for

plagiarism. It is the student’s responsibility to recognize the difference between statements that are common knowledge (which do not require documentations) and restatements of the ideas of others. 5 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation are acceptable forms of restatement, as long as the source is cited. Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The library has free guides designed to help students with problems of documentation. This course will utilize the services of SafeAssign, a plagiarism prevention system approved by the College Council. All students must submit an electronic copy of their final paper using either the Word or PDF format (including the reference page) to SafeAssign for processing by the date listed. All electronic files should be scanned for viruses before submission. Students transmitting electronic viruses will be heavily penalized.

6 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

COURSE OUTLINE Lecture (Synchronous/Asynchronous) – 10:00 am – 12:40 pm (Instructor: Vilma Arriaran La Torre) Lab (Synchronous) – 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm (Instructor: Kate Good) 1

06/08 (Tu) k

e

e

W

06/08 (Tu)

06/09 (W)

06/09 (W) 06/10 (Th)

Lecture Topics (Synchronous) • Discuss course requirements and review syllabus • Chapter 1 - Introduction to Environmental Science Assignments • Introduce yourselves on Blackboard (Discussion Board) •I n t r oduc t i ont oSCI112La b • Perils of Plagiarism (Handouts) Lecture Topics (Asynchronous) • Chapter 2 - Matter, Energy, and Change Assignments • HW 1 - Lake of Salt and Water (due 06/14 on Blackboard) • Lab: The Metric System and Unit Conversion (Handouts) Lecture Topics • Ecological Footprint (in class activity) (Synchronous) • Chapter 3 - Ecosystems and Biomes Assignments • HW 2 - Biomes (due 06/14 on Blackboard)

06/10 (Th)

• Lab: Density (Pg. 1)

2

06/15 (Tu) k

e

e

W

06/15 (Tu) 06/16 (W)

06/16 (W) 06/17 (Th)

Lecture Topics • Documentary: Planet Earth Cities (Synchronous) • Ch. 4 - Evolution, Biodiversity and Community Ecology (Asynchronous) Assignments • HW 3 - Planet Earth questions (due 06/21 on blackboard) • Lab: Evolution by Natural Selection (Pg. 5) Lecture Topics • Lecture Quiz 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4) (1hr exam, open in Blackboard from 10:00 am – 11:45 am) • Chapter 5 - Human Population Growth (Asynchronous) Assignments • HW 4 - Human Population (due 06/21 on blackboard) • Lab: Human Population Growth (Pg. 8) Lecture Topics • Chapter 11 - Solid Waste Generation and Disposal

(Synchronous) • Discuss Superfund Assignment Assignments • HW 5 - NYC Solid Waste (due 06/21 on blackboard) 06/17 (Tu)

• Lab: Environmental Statistics (Pg. 2)

7 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 3

06/22 (Tu) k

e

e

Lecture Topics • Chapter 9 - Water Resources and Pollution (Synchronous) • Lecture Midterm Exam Review

W

Assignments • HW 6 - Wastewater Treatment (due 06/28 on blackboard) 06/22 (Tu) 06/23 (W)

06/23 (W) 06/24 (Th)

• Lab: Tides and Currents (Pg. 5) Lecture Topic • Lecture Midterm Exam (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 11) (1hr exam, open in Blackboard from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm) • Lab: Analyzing Hudson River Data (Pg. 22) Lecture Topics • Chapter 10 - Air Pollution (Synchronous) • Work on Superfund Site Assignment (Asynchronous) Assignments • HW 7 - New York State Air Pollution (due 06/28 on blackboard)

06/24 (Th)

• Lab: Hudson River Student Data – pH, temperature, salinity (Pg. 13)

4

06/29 (Tu) k

e

e

Lecture Topics • Chapter 12 - Human Health Risk (Synchronous) • Work on Superfund Site Assignment (Asynchronous)

W

Assignments • HW 8 - Covid-19 – How viruses spread through a population? (due 07/05 on blackboard) 06/29 (Tu)

06/30 (W)

06/30 (W)

• Lab: Hudson River Professional Data – turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and phosphate (Pg. 19) Lecture Topics • Lecture Quiz 2 (Chapter 10 and 12) (1hr exam, open from 10:00 am – 11:30 am) • Work on Superfund Site Assignment (Asynchronous)

• Lab: Peer Reviewed Article (Handouts)

07/01 (Th)

Lecture Topic • Chapter 14 - Climate Change (Synchronous) Assignments • Superfund Site Assignment (due 07/05 on Blackboard)

07/01 (Tu)

• Lab: Climate Change Data Analysis (Pg. 30)

8 Spring 2021 SCI 112 Lecture Section 01: 10:00 PM – 12:30 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 5

07/06 (Tu) k

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07/06 (Tu) 07/07 (W)

Lecture Topics • Chapter 8 - Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy (Synchronous) • Extra credit Superfund Assignment Prese...