SAMPLESyllabus - ESP 102

Fundamentals of Environmental Science Lab

Fall 2017

Instructor:

Sarah Darhower, M.S.

OFFICE: 105/106 Bailey Hall, or in the classroom (111 Bailey Hall)

PHONE: DES Main Office: 780.5390

EMAIL: sarah.darhower@maine.edu

OFFICE HOURS: By appointment.

Course Meetings:

Mondays, 1pm to 3:50pm, 111 Bailey Hall-USM Gorham Campus

Class will start in 111 Bailey, except in the case of a planned field trip (ie EcoMaine). Once

class starts, we might go outside or to the computer lab, depending on the planned activity.

Introduction:

This laboratory section accompanies ESP 101, a multi- and interdisciplinary lecture course

surveying major environmental science concepts, issues, and problems. In this lab-based

course, you will learn how to do science (i.e., employing the scientific method) by conducting

experiments, observations, and studies. An important aspect of this course is to develop

your critical thinking skills by connecting science to the broader context to answer the

general question of what you learned and how this information can be applied to solve

environmental problems.

Course Objectives:

Students who have successfully completed this course should be able to:

1. Demonstrate and describe the scientific method and laboratory procedures used in

designing and conducting basic environmental science experiments.

2. Locate and use peer-reviewed environmental science reference materials using

USM library resources.

3. Collect and properly organize data obtained in the field and lab.

4. Analyze and interpret data using Excel.

5. Recognize and explain the relevance of findings in environmental science

experiments and research in regard to our greater knowledge base, anthropogenic

impacts, and sustainability (i.e., discuss the broad implications of your findings).

Copyright 2018 Sarah Darhower

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Course Texts:

Required:

Wagner, T. and R. Sanford. 2010. Environmental Science: Active Learning Laboratories and Applied Problem Sets. 2nd ed., New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Recommended:

Hacker, D. (2006). A writer’s reference, 6th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Course Policies:

Attendance

Attendance is required. Missing or failing to submit 3 labs means an automatic F for the

course. Along these lines, it is important to be on time, as we won’t always stay in the

classroom. If you come late, you might not be able to find the class.

Laptops and I-Devices

Laptop computers (and tablets) can be a useful tool in learning. However, their abuse

(emailing, texting, Facebook, Twitter, watching exploding pepsi bottle videos, etc.) during

class time becomes a barrier to learning to the user and fellow students and is highly

distracting and disrespectful to me. Therefore, the laptop/handheld electronic use policy for

this is class is as follows:

1. Use of laptops, tablets, and handheld electronic devices are permitted only to

support your lab activities.

2. Do not display any material on the laptop that may be distracting or offensive to your

fellow students.

3. Emailing, texting, surfing, video watching, or other non-authorized

use/communication during class time is prohibited.

4. Texting, tweeting, or any other personal communication with such devices during

class time is strictly prohibited.

Grading:

80% of the course is your lab reports. 20% is your participation in the labs. The basic

grading rubric is presented in Table 1.

Table 1: ESP 102 Basic Grading Rubric.

Grade Classification Requirements

A Outstanding

Work

Demonstrated an outstanding understanding of the basics of

environmental science; outstanding experimental design,

execution, and interpretation skills; and outstanding written

communication skills.

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Grade Classification Requirements

B Above

Average Work

Demonstrated an above average understanding of the basics of

environmental science; above average experimental design,

execution, and interpretation skills; and above average written

communication skills.

C

Average (or

Acceptable)

Work

Demonstrated an acceptable understanding of the basics of

environmental science; acceptable experimental design,

execution, and interpretation skills; and acceptable average

written communication skills.

D

Below

Acceptable

Work

Demonstrated a below acceptable understanding of the basics

of environmental science; below acceptable experimental

design, execution, and interpretation skills; and below

acceptable written communication skills. In addition, this grade

is generally given to students with poor attendance, lab

submittal, attitude, or effort.

F Unacceptable Missed three or more lab sessions or failed to submit three or

more lab assignments in a timely manner.

Grading scale:

100-93 = A 76-73 = C

92-90 = A- 72-70 = C-

89-87 = B+ 69-67 = D+

86-83 = B 66-63 = D

82-80 = B- Below 63 = F

79-77 = C+

Lab Sessions:

No food or drinks are permitted in the lab.

You are expected to have read the lab assignment before coming to class. At the start of

each class you will receive additional information and an explanation of procedures.

Bring a calculator, lab notebook, and lab manual to each laboratory. Please leave the

laboratory and equipment clean and properly stored. Be sure to help clean-up and to check

in with the instructor before you leave. Please dress appropriately for field work (warm,

secure clothing, no open-toed shoes-EVER, etc); to do so otherwise jeopardizes your

grade for the lab. To be properly prepared, assume every class will involve some outdoor

time.

Your participation in all pre-lab discussions is expected.

Take careful notes because information presented in the lecture will likely be necessary

to complete the exercise and your lab write-up.

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Record everything you observe regarding your experiment. Follow procedures exactly so

that experimental results will be valid. Record your data in a neat and logical format.

Present all data in graphical (e.g., table or chart as appropriate).

The instructor is present to provide assistance if needed. However, it is the student’s

responsibility to ask for help and show initiative in completing lab tasks.

Students are expected to work in a group for each activity. Group members are

expected to work together and be respectful.

Homework:

You have one week to finish each assignment. Homework is to be posted on Blackboard (as

a Word or PDF file) by midnight of the day it is due. (I cannot open .pages files!!) You will be

required to write a formal lab report or answer a set of lab questions, complete with figures

and tables, as well as proper citations. Anything that is turned in must be typed. Please DO

NOT email assignments to me. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Student Support:

At any point in the semester, if you encounter difficulty with the course or feel that you could

be performing at a higher level, please do not hesitate to consult with me. Students

experience difficulty in courses for a variety of reasons. The following are resources on

campus for students.

For writing skills or time management, you can make an appointment to see a student

tutor at the Learning Commons located in both the Portland and Gorham libraries. For

more information, visit http://www.usm.maine.edu/learningcommons. The Writing

Center at LAC is also available to all USM students and is a great option for students

living in the greater Lewiston/Auburn area. For more information, please visit

http://usm.maine.edu/writingcenter.

If you need accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Disability Services

Center for confidential assistance and accommodation authorization. Timely notification

of accommodations is essential. The Disability Services Center can be reached by

calling 207-780-4706 or by email at dsc-usm@maine.edu. If you have already received

a faculty accommodation letter from the Disability Services Center, please provide me

with that information as soon as possible. Please make a private appointment so that we

can review your accommodations. For more information, visit http://usm.maine.edu/dsc.

University Health and Counseling Services is a student resource that promotes the

health and well-being of the USM community. More information can be found at

www.usm.maine.edu/uhcs.

If you are having problems with computing or Blackboard contact the Help Line at 780-

4029 or by email: helpdesk@usm.maine.edu.

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Academic Integrity:

Academic integrity is taken very seriously in this course. You will be working in teams and

groups. Thus, you must exercise caution to demonstrate that you have done your own work.

Instances of Academic Integrity will be dealt in accordance with USM’s Academic Integrity

Code. When in doubt, ask me!

Forms of academic integrity include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism = Submitting material that in part or whole is not entirely your own work without

proper attribution (for example, copying information from textbooks or the Internet in your lab

discussion without proper referencing). This also includes attempting to submit your lab

partner’s data/results as your own without authorization from the instructor.

Fabrication = Falsifying or inventing any information, data, or citation.

Cheating = Using unauthorized notes, study aids, or information on a lab.

Tentative Laboratory Schedule (may change depending on weather and/or logistics):

Date Topic Lab

Manual Write-up1

Aug 28 Environmental Awareness Lab Lab #1

NF

Sept 4 NO CLASS: LABOR DAY

Sept 11

Experimental Design: Range of Tolerance

– Part 1

Lab #7

FLR

1. Introduction

2. Materials

3. Methods

4. Works Cited

*Bring printed version to

class for peer review

Sept 18 Experimental Design: Range of Tolerance

– Part 2 Lab #7

FLR

Complete Lab Report

Sept 25 Aquatics Species Diversity Lab Lab #12 NF

Oct 2 Human Survivorship Lab #10 NF

Oct 9 NO CLASS: COLUMBUS DAY

Oct 16 Experimental Design: Environmental Contamination – Part 1

Lab #8

FLR

1. Introduction

2. Materials

3. Methods

1 FLR = Formal Lab Report, NF = Non-formal Lab Report (i.e., as directed). All reports must be uploaded into BB no later than 11:00 PM on the day following the designated class meeting.

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Date Topic Lab

Manual Write-up1

4. Works Cited

*Bring printed version to

class for peer review

Oct 23 Wind Energy Handout NF

Oct 30 Experimental Design: Environmental Contamination – Part 2

Lab #8 Complete lab report

Nov 6

EcoMaine field trip

The class will meet at the EcoMaine facility at 64 Blueberry Road in Portland at 1:00 pm.

Handout NF

Nov 13

Pollution Prevention: Solid Waste

With guest speaker Steve Sweeney (USM’s Resource Recovery Supervisor)

Lab #21 NF

Nov 20 Global Climate Change and Automobiles Lab #17 NF

Nov 27 Human Contribution to Climate Change Handout NF

Dec 4 Sustainability on the Gorham Campus Handout NF

Copyright 2018 Sarah Darhower