The
University of Vermont Spring
Semester, 2012
PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCE
269: SOIL and WATER POLLUTION and BIOREMEDIATION
Schedule: MWF, 9:35-10:20, 110 Jeffords
Instructor: Don
Ross
Plant
and Soil Science
260
Jeffords
Phone:
802-656-0138
Service-learning TA:
Ryan Melnichuk, 212 Hills, ryan.melnichuk@uvm.edu
Text:
Nothing required
but this is a good resource: Soils and Environmental Quality, 3rd
ed. 2005. Pierzynski, Sims and Vance. CRC Press,
Course
Goal: Topics in Soil and Water Pollution and Bioremediation
encompass a broad range. The focus will
be more on soils than water but the two are often interrelated. Students who have successfully completed this
course should be able to demonstrate their understanding of the behavior and
possible bioremediation of different classes of pollutants in soils and
associated waters.
Course
Objectives:
The
objectives of this course are to help students:
1) learn
the various classes of pollutants and how they react in the soil and water
environment;
2) understand the basics of how
water moves through soil, transporting pollutants;
3) study specific topical
pollutants such as Pb, P and Hg;
4) learn
about various approaches to bioremediation, including case studies and
mechanisms; and
5) participate
in a service-learning project focused on remediation.
Course activities include: lectures, student
presentations, weekly web and in-person guest presentations, discussions, and
work on a service-learning project. Assignments will include reflective writing on
presentations, a class presentation on a self-selected aspect of
bioremediation, a take-home midterm and final (both focused on critical
thinking) and products related to the service-learning project.
Course Requirements:
There will
be two take-home examinations –a
midterm and a final. Both will ask you
to critically think and write about case studies and/or research papers related
to the course material.
Reflective
writing will be required in response to class presentations and
service-learning activities. Specific
guidelines will be supplied to focus the writing.
Each
student will be asked to research and post a short report on some specific
aspect of bioremediation, e.g. phytoremediation of arsenic by ferns. Reports should be a concise review of the
topic, including recent literature.
Length of the report body should be 3-5 pages, single spaced. All will be posted on Blackboard after
editing suggestions.
Work on
the service-learning aspect of the course will require effort both in and out
of class. More details are given under
Course Materials.
Course
Grading:
The
final course letter grades will be a percentile average made up of the scores
on your activities listed below. Course grades may be curved at our discretion.
Grading
System:
Effort,
attendance and participation 10%
Writing 10%
Report on bioremediation topic 10%
Mid-term 20%
Final 20%
Service-Learning project
activities 30%
Academic
Integrity: Integrity in all aspects of your academic and
professional life is central to the meaning of the university, to the life of a
professional, and to personal relationships between colleagues and friends. We
expect you to follow the code of academic integrity set by this institution in
the work that you submit to us for this class. We encourage you to review the
UVM Academic Integrity Policy at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.pdf.
You really should read the policy so you know what is expected of you. If you
are having problems understanding material or completing assignments, please
talk with us. We are here to help you, and we want you to succeed!
Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance to make up this work.