Course Descriptions

  A one semester lecture and laboratory course for students interested in minor concentration in environmental science. The primary purpose of the course is to introduce students to the biological, chemical, political, economic and cultural factors that affect the environment, and the interaction of these factors with the ecosystem concepts of nature.
4.000 Credit hours

 This course is designed for students pursuing an environmental science minor or future health professions career. The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to the environment effects upon human health. The ecological position of human populations within the global ecosystem will be presented along with human populations with the local environment. Impacts of natural environmental factors and pollutants on human health will be explored including case studies. Subjects to be addressed will include effects of natural carcinogen, ultra-violet light, invertebrate disease vector, epidemiology, ecotoxicology, density-dependent disease transmission, food supply health, and water supply quantity and quality.
3.000 Credit hours

  A one semester lecture course for students interested in a minor in environmental science. Students will be introduced to zoning regulations, land ownership, and private and public management of land in the United States. The development and the proper use of environmental impact statements is emphasized. Prerequisite: ENV 300 - Introduction to Environmental Science.
4.000 Credit hours

  Designed for students interested in a comprehensive introduction to soil science from both an environmental and plant management perspective, this course is divided into three units. A unit on soil information introduces students to soil properties, characterization, mapping, classification, and land evaluation. A soil management unit addresses nutrient and water management, water, as well as management of soil biota and soil health. The unit on the role of soils in ecosystems considers topics such as soil erosion, nutrient leaching, soils as sinks and sources of greenhouse gases, and the impact of soils on land use. Labs will initially be field-oriented with an emphasis on learning practical skills needed to evaluate and manage soils. Subsequent labs will focus on accessing, interpreting, and applying soil information. Prerequisites: ENV 300 or Instructor permission. Sophomore standing. 

4.00 Credit Hours

  Plants are the base of the biological food chain and the key player in nutrient cycles of the planet, and as such knowledge of the plant community is important for beginning ecologists to learn about. The course would start with an introduction to plant life cycles which would include microscopic observation of plant structures - very especially flowers. Lab instruction would be followed by field trips to sites throughout the region around Aiken concentrating on sites within the Savannah River Site. Collections made either in the morning or afternoon would be followed by sessions in lab preparing specimens and identifying and recording collection locations. Pairs of students would be expected to build a plant collection of at least 50 species representing 25 families. Each student will carry a field notebook to the field and take notes. Notes will be transcribed in the evening and during lab into a formal field journal.

4.00 Credit Hours

A foundation course in agronomy applying crop, soil, and environmental sciences in understanding agricultural systems in the world. Course includes introductory concepts of plant, soil, tillage, pest, environmental, and sustainable aspects of crop production. Prerequisites: ENV 310 and junior standing.

4.00 Credit Hours

This course is designed to develop a working level knowledge of: (1) systems thinking  (2) fundamental chemistry; and (3) the basic principles and concepts of environmental chemistry. The participant will also acquire a familiarity level knowledge of: (1) field sample collections, (2) sample preparations, (3) analytical field analysis and, (4) water treatment. 

 4.00 Credit Hours

  Students are exposed to environmental engineering principles through standard and cutting edge technologies designed to manage, mitigate or remediate pollutants in soil, water and air. The technologies include waste water management from domestic and industrial sources, landfills, surface water containment, remediation of wastes by chemical and biological process, and transport of solid and hazardous wastes. Students obtain familiarity with database management, characterization of contaminants, sensors, survey procedures, and State and Federal regulations and permitting. Prerequisites: 3 semesters of chemistry, Instructor permission and junior standing.

4.00 Credit Hours

  This course will introduce students to the origin and development of wildlife management in the United States of America. The relationship between management and conservation practices and their link to sound ecological assessment will be addressed. Management practices in the USA will be compared and contrasted with those in Europe, Canada and Mexico. Class time will be divided equally between lecture and laboratory. Current journal articles will be used to supplement the text. Prerequisites: Instructor permission and junior standing.

4.00 Credit Hours

  This course is designed to teach students the fundamentals of nuclear science and the basic technologies in radiochemistry. The students will learn the theories and the principles of the radiochemical techniques. The basics of nuclear chemistry, radiation chemistry, health physics, and nuclear counting statistics that are closely related to radiochemistry will also be introduced in the course. The economic effects and social impacts of radiochemistry on the energy and environmental problems faced by human being will also be discussed in the class. The important applications of radiometric techniques in many fields such as nuclear energy, molecular imaging, radiotherapy, archaeological dating, and environmental sciences, are introduced as well.

4.00 Credit Hours

 The course provides students with fundamental knowledge of nuclear detection principles, nuclear counting statistics, as well as an intense training in operating nuclear instruments. Students are also trained on the basic radiochemistry procedures of preparing samples obtained from natural resources for radioanalysis.