Course Description:

Environmental geochemistry deals with the application of chemical principles to environmental problems. This is an essential course in the curriculum and employers always cite this course as a must-have course. Many of the problems you will deal with when you enter the work force involve chemical impacts on the environment. This is an expansive course which includes equilibrium thermodynamics, kinetics, acid-base equilibria, redox reactions, carbon chemistry, mineral chemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, the chemistry of the atmosphere and airborne particulates, water-rock interactions, and the impact of contaminants on the aquatic environment.

Communication:

For all class-related e-mails I will use your UMass Lowell Student e-mail account. Such e-mails may include, but are not limited to, change in homework assignments and due dates, changes in exam dates, changes in class schedule, etc. It is your responsibility to monitor your UMass Lowell Student e-mail account on a regular basis. “I didn’t know because I don’t ever look at my student account” is NOT an acceptable excuse for not knowing about important changes in the course.

The course web site is found at the URL –

http://faculty.uml.edu/nelson_eby/89.315/Home page.htm

Assignments, handouts, course schedule (which is most certainly subject to change) can be found on this site. I would suggest that you bookmark this page and check frequently for new information.

General Course Information:

Attendance is mandatory for the Quizzes and Mid-term exam. Except in the case of personal illness or a death in the immediate family, the learner MUST seek prior approval from the instructor if they will be absent on a quiz/exam day. Ski trips, hunting trips, extended weekends, an exam in another course, etc. are NOT legitimate excuses for missing a quiz/exam. Any special pleading must be done before the missed quiz/exam, not after. Any un-excused absence will result in a grade of zero being recorded for the missed quiz/exam. And of course, all of the above applies to the Final Exam.

The class is not a mecca for social media. Cell phones, iPhones, and any other type of electronic communication device are not to be used during class. The only exception is if you are using the device to look-up information directly related to the classroom activity.

The learner's attention is called to the definitions and regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism. The instructor shall assign a grade of zero to any portion of a quiz/exam on which he determines cheating has occurred.

Written and Oral Communication (WOC):

This course meets the Essential Learning Outcome of Written and Oral Communication as defined under the Core Curriculum requirements. As such, the course will help students to enhance their abilities to develop and express ideas in written and/or oral formats, requiring the student to draw upon appropriate genres and styles with an emphasis on writing within the discipline.

Applied and Integrative Learning (AIL):

This course meets the Essential Learning Outcome of Applied and Integrative Learning as defined under the Core Curriculum requirements. As such, the course will enhance the student’s learning across their curriculum and co-curriculum, fostering connections between courses or by connecting courses to experiential learning opportunities.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course you should 

• have an understanding of equilibrium thermodynamics and how kinetics affects the path of chemical reactions;

• have an understanding of acid-base equilibria and how these equilibria affect the biosphere;

• have an understanding of redox reactions which are critical in determining the mobility of metals in the environment;

• have an understanding of the relationship between carbon chemistry and the environment;

• have some understanding of the role of mineralogy in both environmental interactions and human health;

• have an understanding of how stable and radiogenic isotopes can be used to address environmental problems and map the function of natural systems;

• have an understanding of the reactions and processes that take place between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere;

• and know basic sampling procedures and the role of various analytical methods in determining elemental chemistry of liquids and solids.

Textbook:

The relevant textbook chapters will be available on the course web site. Note that there is additional supplemental material which will be found on the Supplemental Materials page

Grading Policy:

Your grade will be determined as follows:

    Homework = 5%

    Six quizzes = 15%

    Mid-term Exam = 20%

    Laboratory Exercises = 25%

    In-class Professional Paper presentation = 10%

    Final Exam = 25%

In-class Professional Paper Presentation – During the course of the semester each learner will be assigned a professional paper. The learner will give a 10 minute oral presentation, using PowerPoint, which conveys the essence of the paper. The PowerPoint presentations will be posted on the course web site. For each presentation, the other learners in the class will write a one paragraph summary of the talk emphasizing the take-away message(s) of the presentation. Note: I will treat these summary paragraphs as extra credit with a maximum of 5 points added to your final numerical grade.

The mid-term exam is scheduled for October 21. The Final Exam will be inclusive, i.e. it will cover all the topics discussed in the course.

Contacting the Instructor:

The instructor's Office Hours are M 1:00 PM, W 3:00 PM, and F 12:00 noon. The instructor's office is OLN 302b. Additional hours are available by appointment. If you have problems, or want to make an appointment, you can reach me either by telephone, 978-934-3907 (I have voice mail), or better yet by e-mail, Nelson_Eby@uml.edu. I log on to my e-mail account when I come in each day and thus will get your message first thing in the morning.