Environmental Science Syllabus & Homework Assignments
**Note! All information on this page is subject to change as we go along...so don't work too far ahead!
| Date |
Topic |
HW Assigned (Due next class unless otherwise noted) |
|---|---|---|
Sept 3 |
Course Intro; Most pressing enviro issue; 2-day lifestyle change | Read A Year Without Toilet Paper (NY Times); Choose 2-day lifestyle change & journal about it (due Mon. Sept 15); Confirm ArcGIS 9 is on your computer. |
Sept 5/6 |
Article discussion; Sustainability; Jonesboro Intro | Read your assigned climate article (on Souk) & take reading notes. (Email to me before class on W/Th.) |
Sept 8/9 |
NO CLASS - Senior Retreat | |
Sept 10/11 |
Climate change - What does it all mean? (article discussions) | Download Climate of Man II and Assignment 2 - Article Focus Questions from the Souk. Email completed Focus Questions to me before class on Friday. (Remember: notes / bulleted format is fine.) |
Sept 12 |
Climate continued & discussion of common article | Complete journal of 2-day lifestyle change |
Sept 15/16 |
Finish Climate | Write "Case for Change" section for your Jonesboro group. See instructions & grading rubric on the Souk. |
Sept 17/18 |
Learning to use ArcMap | Complete one of the two ArcMap options on the homework sheet (on the Souk: Assignment 4 - Introduction to ArcGIS - Global Energy - Homework Assignment). Coordinate with your Jonesboro group to make sure that both maps are done. (But EACH PERSON needs to complete one map and email it to me as a jpeg.) |
Sept 19 |
Power & Energy Problem Sets | Complete the second handout from today ("Generating Electricity in Jonesboro") |
Sept 22/23 |
Review problem sets; Energy & electricity production | Read your assigned article from the Souk AND complete the Article Focus Questions (also on Souk). Email focus questions to me before next class - include complicated / encompassing in the subject line and your name as part of the file name. (Articles: When Mountains Move (Nat. Geo); What to Do About Coal (Sci. Am.); Nuclear Power - Comeback (Nat. Geo); High Cost of Cheap Coal (Nat. Geo.)) |
Sept 24/25 |
Finish energy & electricity production; jigsaw groups on coal & nuclear power | Read article (on Souk) summarizing different alternative energy technologies (Nature): "Assignment 7 - Energy without Carbon..." |
Sept 26 |
Overview of acid deposition & mercury; introduce Jonesboro ArcMap; Jonesboro teams divvie-up alternative energies. | Become an expert in your assigned alternative energy technology (research online): solar; hydroelectric & geothermal; wind & plasma; tidal & wave. |
Sept 29/30 |
Common energy groups work together to compare / develop understanding of technology; work on practice problem worksheets (on Souk) | Complete practice problems on the worksheet(s) for your alternative energy, and do as much as possible of Jonesboro-specific calculations. Worksheets available on the Souk as "Assignment 8..." |
Oct 1/2 |
Common energy groups work together to complete calculations for Jonesboro and discuss possible plant locations | Write a draft of Energy Summary section for your particular alternative energy(ies). See grading rubric (on Souk) for details of expectations ("Assignment 9..."). Draft needs to be complete by END of class on Friday. (But don't leave it all to do in class!) |
Oct 3 |
Common energy groups work on Alternative Energy Summaries. | Within your Jonesboro group, edit TWO PEOPLE's energy summaries (as decided in class). Write comments in Wiki - using italics / bold to designate your comments & include electronic signature. Also, complete the grading rubric (available on Souk) and give a copy to author AND Dr. Abrey. |
Oct 6/7 |
Jonesboro Group Work | Finish Jonesboro Final Project & Presentation (due Oct 15/16) |
Oct 8/9 |
Jonesboro Group Work | " " |
Oct 10 |
NO CLASS (Prof. Dev.) |
" " |
Oct 13/14 |
Jonesboro Group Work | Complete Jonesboro write-up and post on your Wiki site BEFORE THE START OF CLASS ON WEDS/THURS. (Extensions are not available for this project.) |
Oct 15/16 |
Jonesboro Final Projects & Presentations Due | None. (Assuming you have completed your self & group evaluations in class. Evalution form available on the Souk.) |
Oct 17 |
Jonesboro debrief | None. |
Oct 20/21 |
Fish Banks! | Read Tragedy of the Commons (on the Souk) |
Oct 22/23 |
Fish Banks! | Read Yaquina Head from Song for a Blue Ocean (Carl Safina) AND This Place on Earth. Both on the Souk. |
Oct 24 |
Intro to Salmon - up close! | Read "Assignment 3" documents on Souk (Resource Management folder) on salmon life history & outline of this unit's project. |
Oct 27/28 |
Salmon life history & mapping exercise; project overview | Read one of the Assignment 4 articles (salmon life history or steelhead life history) - two people from each group read one of each. Draw a food web diagram for your article. |
Oct 29/30 |
Food webs, Biomass pyramids, & Biodiversity | Read your assigned article (Assignment 5): Keystone Species; Gift of Salmon, or Salmon Bring it all Back Home. |
Oct 31 |
MDN & Oh Chum! | Assignment 6: Make a graph of sockeye salmon return data from Ballard Locks (instructions in Excel file on Souk) AND read Ecologically Sustainable Yield article. |
Nov 3/4 |
Oh Chum!; Salmon Population Dynamics; MSY & ESY | Each member of your salmon team choose one of the following options (two people do each option), and use the information in the article(s) to generate a list of benefits & drawbacks to salmon hatcheries. Email list to me before class on Weds/Thurs (remember magic word and your name as part of file name). Option A: Assn #7 Myers AND ISAB articles (use information from both) Option B: Assn. #7 Brannon article |
Nov 5/6 |
Hatcheries Overview; Jigsaw of benefits & drawbacks | Within Salmon groups, divide up areas of expertise (social, economic, ecological). Use Assignment 8 articles on Souk to assess the short & long term impacts of the hatchery / no hatchery decision. Come to class Friday with specific points to share with group. |
Nov 7 |
Salmon group decision day. (What will you recommend? Who will be responsible for different aspects of the project?) | Each person write a draft of some section of the report. Post on Wiki AND email a copy to me, before class on Monday/Tuesday. (Remember "encompassing" or "complicated" and your name as part of Word doc name.) |
Nov 10/11 |
Work day: writing & editing | Work on salmon report |
Nov 12/13 |
Work day: writing & editing | Salmon wiki due at start of class on Friday |
Nov 14 |
Hatchery vs. wild roundtable discussion | Read "Easter's End" (on the Souk) & complete self & group evaluation for salmon project (emailed to you this weekend - please return by Weds). |
Nov 17/18 |
Discuss Easter's End | Read Cohen (Scientific American) article - on Souk & read summary of human population project (also on Souk) |
Nov 19/20 |
Population growth rates; doubling times; ecological footprint | Read EO Wilson article (on Souk) & find 3 population pyramids (one each from a developed, developing, and under-developed country) using this website: http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/pyramids.html |
Nov 21 |
Population pyramids; Demographic transition | Assignment 4 articles on Souk. Make ArcGIS map of human population, GNI & fertility, and a scatterplot of GNI vs. fertility. *** Save maps & scatterplot as jpg's and email to me before class!***Step-by-step instructions for how to do all of this is contained in the documents on the Souk. Note: if you are not logging into the remote server, then you will need to follow the instructions on "joining tables" first. |
Nov 24/25 |
Fertility scatterplots in ArcGIS | Finish scatterplots |
Nov 26 |
Discuss scatterplots; Millenium Development Goals | None! |
Nov 28 |
NO SCHOOL | |
Dec 1/2 |
NO SCHOOL | |
Dec 3/4 |
ArcGIS: location identification & feasibility | Find an article related to your project goal & develop an annotated citation (email to me before next class). |
Dec 5 |
Project Work Day | Find a 2nd article related to your project & develop an annotated citation (email to me before next class). |
Dec 8/9 |
Project Work Day | Email presentation & talking points for each person to me BEFORE start of class. |
Dec 10/11 |
Group Presentations - 15 minutes per group | Group & self evaluation for project |
Dec 12 |
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Dec 15/16 |
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Dec 17/18 |
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Dec 19 |
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Dec 22 - Jan 2 |
NO SCHOOL | |
Jan 5/6 |
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Jan 7/8 |
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Jan 9 |
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Jan 12/13 |
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Jan 14/15 |
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Jan 16 |
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