Environmental Science

Interdepartmental Undergraduate Programs Environmental Science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. The magnitude and complexity of environmental problems are creating a growing need for scientists with rigorous, interdisciplinary training in environmental science. The Environmental Science program is designed to prepare students for positions of leadership in this rapidly changing discipline. Environmental Science graduates have a solid foundation in biological and physical natural sciences and the specialized training necessary for integrated analysis of environmental systems.


Interdepartmental Undergraduate Programs
Environmental Science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. The magnitude and complexity of environmental problems are creating a growing need for scientists with rigorous, interdisciplinary training in environmental science. The Environmental Science program is designed to prepare students for positions of leadership in this rapidly changing discipline. Environmental Science graduates have a solid foundation in biological and physical natural sciences and the specialized training necessary for integrated analysis of environmental systems.

Undergraduate Study
The Environmental Science undergraduate major is offered through both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Environmental Science majors complete foundation courses in biology, chemistry, earth science, geology, physics and mathematics, plus a major consisting of an integrated core of Environmental Science courses and additional advanced course work in Environmental Science. Scientific rigor is stressed throughout the program, beginning with the foundation courses in the first two years of the curriculum. The upper level core courses emphasize a dynamic systems approach that provides a framework for integrating physical, chemical, and biological aspects of environmental systems.
Students seeking an Environmental Science major complete the following: 1. A foundation of approved supporting courses in science and mathematics including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, calculus, and statistics.
2. 32 credits of course work in the major, including a required core of 20 credits.
A combined average grade of C or higher is required in courses applied in the major.

Prereq: ENSCI 381
Continuation of EnSci 381. Systems approach to the analysis of material and energy flows in natural environmental systems and the primary environmental factors controlling these systems.

Prereq: 12 credits of natural science including biology and chemistry
Biological and physical processes affecting material and energy flows in natural and managed ecosystems. Understanding and predicting climate and management impacts on ecosystem services and sustainability.

Prereq: A course in general biology
Managing human impacts on the hydrologic cycle. Field and watershed level best management practices for modifying the impacts on water quality, quantity and timing are discussed. Field project includes developing a management plan using landscape buffers.

Prereq: Courses in ecology, chemistry, and physics
Analysis of aquatic ecosystems; emphasis on basic ecological principles; ecological theories tested in the field; identification of common plants and animals.

Prereq: GEOL/ENSCI 402 or GEOL/ENSCI 411 or C E 473
Introduction to field methods used in groundwater investigations. In-field implementation of pumping tests, slug tests, monitoring well installation and drilling techniques, geochemical and water quality sampling, seepage meters, minipiezometers, stream gaging, and electronic instrumentation for data collection. Field trips to investigate water resource, water quality, and remediation projects. Introduction to the principles of modeling groundwater flow systems.
Finite-difference and analytic-element methods, spreadsheet models, boundary conditions, calibration, sensitivity analysis, parameter estimation, particle tracking, and post-audit analysis. Application of MODFLOW to regional flow-system analysis. Computer laboratory emphasizes assigned problems that illustrate topics discussed in the course.

Prereq: A ECL 486
Biological, chemical, physical, and geological processes that determine the structure and function of flowing water ecosystems. Current ecological theories as well as applications to stream management for water quality and fisheries. Introduction to thermodynamics and kinetics. Laboratory emphasizes chemical analysis of waters and computer modeling.

Prereq: C E 326, CHEM 178
Principles of chemical and physical phenomena applicable to the treatment of water and wastewater and natural waters; including chemical equilbria, reaction kinetics, acid-base equilibria, chemical precipitation, redox reactions, and mass transfer principles. Individual laboratory practicals and group projects required.

Prereq: Familiarity with basic principles in biological sciences and ecology
Basic patterns and underlying physical and biotic causes of both regional and local distributions of plants and animals of North American prairies; field and laboratory analyses and projects.  Descriptive and predictive GIS modeling techniques, spatial statistics, and map algebra. Application of GIS modeling techniques to environmental planning and resource management.

Prereq: C E 326, CHEM 178
Principles of chemical and physical phenomena applicable to the treatment of water and wastewater and natural waters; including chemical equilbria, reaction kinetics, acid-base equilibria, chemical precipitation, redox reactions, and mass transfer principles. Individual laboratory practicals and group projects required.

Prereq: C E 326
Fundamentals of biochemical and microbial processes applied to environmental engineering processes, role of microorganisms in wastewater treatment and bioremediation, bioenergetics and kinetics, metabolism of xenobiotic compounds, waterborne pathogens and parasites, and disinfection. Term paper and oral presentation.

Prereq: C E 421 or C E 521
Fundamentals of biochemical processes, aerobic growth in a single CSTR, multiple events in complex systems, and techniques for evaluating kinetic parameters; unit processes of activated sludge system, attached growth systems, stabilization and aerated lagoon systems, biosolids digestion and disposal, nutrient removal, and anaerobic treatment systems.

Prereq: C E 520
Material and energy balances. Principles and design of physicalchemical unit processes; including screening, coagulation, flocculation, chemical precipitation, sedimentation, filtration, lime softening and stabilization, oxidation, adsorption, membrane processes, ion exchange and disinfection; recovery of resources from residuals and sludges; laboratory exercises and demonstrations; case studies in mineral processing and secondary industries.

Prereq: E M 378 or CH E 356
Hydrology and hydraulics in agricultural and urbanizing watersheds.
Design and evaluation of systems for the conservation and quality preservation of soil and water resources. Use and analysis of hydrologic data in engineering design; relationship of topography, soils, crops, climate, and cultural practices in conservation and quality preservation of soil and water for agriculture. Small watershed hydrology, water movement and utilization in the soil-plant-atmosphere system, agricultural water management, best management practices, and agricultural water quality. Graduate students will prepare several research literature reviews on topics covered in the class in addition to the other assignments.

Prereq: A B E 431 or C E 372
Characteristics and mechanisms of non-point source (NPS) pollution in agricultural and urban watersheds, modeling of NPS pollution for terrestrial and aquatic systems, statistical tools to assess environmental datasets, strategies to control and manage NPS pollution of water bodies, and integrated watershed management. Graduate students are required to develop/deliver lecture models on assigned topics and/or complete additional assignments. forests, prairies and reintroduced species populations will be used as case studies.

Prereq: A course in ecology
Ecological principles for the restoration of native ecosystems; establishment (site preparation, selection of seed mixes, planting techniques) and management (fire, mowing, weed control) of native vegetation; evaluation of restorations. Emphasis on the restoration of prairie and wetland vegetation. Hands-on experiences with GIS-interfaced models, data sources, calibration/validation, statistical assessment of model results, and simulation using multiple tools. In addition to other assignments, graduate students will present case studies of TMDLs using different modeling tools.

Prereq: AGRON 354
Composition and properties of soils in relation to the nutrition and growth of plants.

Prereq: AGRON 354 and CHEM 211
Experimental and descriptive inorganic and organic analyses.
Operational theory and principles of applicable instruments, including spectrophotometry, atomic and molecular absorption and emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, gas and ion chromatography, and ion-selective electrodes. SS., offered even-numbered years.
Soil description, classification, geography, mapping, and interpretation for land use. Credit for only Agron 563 or 563I may be applied for graduation. Ecology, classification, creation and restoration, and management of wetlands. Emphasis on North American temperate wetlands.

Prereq: Ia LL 312I
Ecology, classification, creation, restoration, and management of wetlands. Field studies will examine the composition, structure and functions of local natural wetlands and restored prairie pothole wetlands.
Individual or group projects. Alt. S., offered odd-numbered years.

Prereq: permission of instructor
Land use and conservation techniques for improving ecosystem services including: pollination of crops, biological control of pests, prevention of erosion and water quality improvement. Introduction to geospatial data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation. Geospatial techniques including geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and global positioning systems (GPS). Study of applied geostatistical analysis (e.g., interpolation and spatial regression).

Prereq: C E 372
Analysis of hydrologic data including precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, direct runoff and streamflow; theory and use of frequency analysis; theory of streamflow and reservoir routing; use of deterministic and statistical hydrologic models. Fundamentals of surface water quality modeling, point and non-point sources of contamination.

Prereq: C E 372
Principles of surface water flows and mixing. Introduction to hydrologic transport and water quality simulation in natural water systems.
Advection, diffusion and dispersion, chemical and biologic kinetics, and water quality dynamics. Applications to temperature, dissolved oxygen, primary productivity, and other water quality problems in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Deterministic vs. stochastic models.

Prereq: C E 372
Principles of groundwater flow, hydraulics of wells, superposition, slug and pumping tests, streamlines and flownets, and regional groundwater flow. Contaminant transport. Computer modeling. Design project. Extra assignments required for graduate students.

Prereq: AGRON 463 or equivalent
Advanced study of soil formation, emphasizing relationships among soils, landscapes, environment, humans, and land use.

Prereq: AGRON 182 or equivalent and MATH 166 recommended
The physical soil system: the soil components and their physical interactions; transport processes involving water, air, and heat.

Prereq: concurrent enrollment in AGRON 477 or AGRON 577
Methods of measuring soil physical properties such as texture, density, and water content, and transport of heat, water, and gases. Structure and function of aquatic ecosystems with application to fishery and pollution problems. Emphasis on lacustrine, riverine, and wetland ecology.

Prereq: Concurrent enrollment in BIOL 486
Field trips and laboratory exercises to accompany 486. Hands-on experience with aquatic research and monitoring techniques and concepts.

Prereq: Six credits in biology and 6 credits in chemistry
Introduction to major functional groups of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms and their roles in natural and environmental systems.
Consequences of microbial activity on water chemistry, weathering, and precipitation/dissolution reactions will be emphasized.