ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNIQUES
EARTH SCIENCE 4313
SPRING 2015
Instructor: Dr. Carol Thompson
Office: 139D Science--ext. 9739
Asst: Joree Burnett, 139B
Office Hours: 10-11 W, 9-11 TH; other times email to set up an appt
cthompson@tarleton.edu
Meeting Place: 122 Science, 1-6 PM Friday
This is a field course. We will be cold, wet and dirty so be prepared. Wear appropriate clothing.
Drivers training is required for anyone transporting students and we need several drivers for this
class. Most of the labs will take the entire time, sometimes more, so do not plan to be somewhere
on Friday afternoon before 6 PM!
Text: None, readings on reserve in the library, internet readings and BB. This does not mean
there is no reading to do. You must do the readings before you come to class. They will allow
you to formulate your strategy for the field exercises that week. You also have to read to learn
professional language for your reports.
Blackboard
The syllabus with links to internet readings are on Blackboard
Other announcements will be there as well, pertaining to that week's activities.
Check this frequently for updates
Materials Needed
(make up a pack with what you need for this class, that way you won’t forget something)
Field Notebook (waterproof is nice, but they are more expensive). Your field notebook should
have permanent pages, not tear-out.
A clipboard for field forms
Field clothes - this includes wet boots/waders, be prepared to get wet and dirty. I have a lot, but
maybe not in your size.
Water, snacks
Personal items related to your comfort-sunscreen, hats, insect stuff
Spare clothes especially for the days in the water
Work gloves, clipper for brush and thorns
A calculator, ruler, tape measure if you have one
A couple of colored pencils, pens
Nice to have: camera, photographic records are often required in environmental work, so this
would be a good time to learn how and what to take.
You are responsible for all equipment including waders used in the field. That means taking care
of it, not losing it, and cleaning it when we return. I will assign a clean-up crew every week as
needed.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will:
 know the proper handling and utilization of a variety of field equipment
 understand the proper methods of water quality collection, handling, and storage in
environmental work
 understand QA/QC procedures in environmental work
 know how to store samples for transport and QA/QC requirements
Skill outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will:
 be able to keep good field notes
 be able to communicate results of a field investigation in a efficient and clear manner
 know how to develop a technical report in a timely manner
 know the proper methods of citation and figure labeling for a professional document
 be able to work efficiently as part of a team
 be able to use a variety of field equipment
Value outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will:
 understand the importance of accurate field notes
 understand the value of good communication skills
 appreciate the many available data collection techniques in the environmental field
Class Participation
This is a course designed specifically for advanced undergraduates who think that one day they may need
to gather data in the field. This is not a correspondence course! All students are expected to attend every
class period, and have read the assigned materials. This is also not a lecture course. At the beginning of
each meeting, we will meet and discuss what we are going to do in the lab or field. I may lecture, I may
not – but you are still responsible for the lecture material. All students are expected to be active
participants. There is a reason for doing the class this way. When you are working, you will be asked to
do things you may not know how to do. Being able to find relevant material, absorb it quickly, and figure
out how to do the task will make you a valuable asset.
Assigned work will involve exercises to be completed in small groups, usually outside of class hours, and
will be due the date given. Late work is not acceptable because if you are working in a group, you are
affecting everyone. Group exercises are fundamental because not only does it help in the learning process,
but you need to be able to work effectively with anyone. For that reason, I will also shuffle the groups
throughout the class. For each group you will each be asked to fill out a group member evaluation form.
The evaluation is part of your grade. Although we will be working in groups, everyone is responsible for
learning the material.
Each person is responsible for recording field data. Your group may assign someone to copy certain
information while others do the collecting. Make sure you write the day’s field data in your notebook
before leaving the field site. Indicate that it is copied data and who has the original data. Your field notes
are part of your grade. Make sure it reflects what should be in field notes. Write the field data and notes
as if you were going to present them in court. Your field notes will be graded.
Some of the lab exercises may require additional trips to complete, particularly if you are not prepared
when we go out and mess things up. Be forewarned and read the material before class. Reports will be
due from each of you. The report IS NOT a team exercise. Each of you will write your own report, in
English. Communication is essential in the Environmental Field. You will be writing reports for others to
read. If they are unclear, you will not last long at any job.
The assigned readings/internet notes constitute part of this course. There is a lot of material to be covered.
You need to learn to skim the material to pick out relevant information. You don't have to read it as
though you had to recall every last bit of it.
The exams will cover the readings, material presented in class, and lessons learned during the field
exercises.
Grading
This class is designated as a WI class. Most of the emphasis will be on writing and in this class that will
be your field notes and your reports. We may do some peer review as well as rewrites.
For referencing we will use an article I specify. There is no standard in geology or environmental science
per se. Each journal adapts its own style as will your employer.
A useful discussion of content and methodology in research papers can be found at
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html, and
http://umech.mit.edu/freeman/6.021J/2000/writing.pdf. Reports are often similar to a research paper.
There is a lot of good information in here about writing.
All graded work must be demonstrably your own. Feel free to discuss the lab with your group or
classmates, but your lab report must be clearly distinguishable from others. Copying others' lab reports
will constitute academic dishonesty, and will generally cause a grade of zero to be entered for that lab
and/or the course.
Completion of and performance on field and lab exercises 48% (see grading rubric)
The lab exercises have variable weights. You will have chances to re-write some of the reports, more at
first. Always turn in the originals with the newer version. Note this means that you will be writing a new
report and re-writing an older report at the same time. Time management is essential.
Field notes for the course 10%
Team evaluation 2%
Two exams 40%
There will be a handout detailing what needs to be turned in for that week and what topic. Every exercise
will be due on the assigned day and time, usually by the following class period. After that time a 10%-day
reduction is in effect will be assessed. No work will be accepted that is more than 5 days old.
A complete field report will normally contain the following criteria, there may be exceptions:
Introduction - what are we doing, why. Material for this section is from any lecture material and
background reading complete with references. There might be a few labs where these are detailed, for the
most part they will be cursory.
Methods - discussion of the methods we actually used, details of how the equipment/method worked, site
description
Data Results: the data collected
Data Analysis: what did you find
Summary and Conclusion: What did we do, what worked, what didn't, sources of error, other comments
Unless there is a monsoon, we will go out when scheduled. Dates below to do the labs are
somewhat flexible since some involve other people.
Date
Topic
Due date
1/16/2015
Introduction, Field Notes, Writing, Field safety (lab)
1/16
QA/QC, sampling SOPs, instrument calibration (lab) 4% 1/30
1/23/2015
SOP write-up
Limnological sampling (field/lab)
4% 2/6
1/30/2015
Methods
Rewrite-2/20
WQ in lab
GPS and general field/well problems (lab/field)
5% 2/13, rewrite
2/06/2015
Methods, Results, Analysis
2/27
Well design, installation, sampling - well purging,
2/13/2015
water levels, stabilization criteria, soil water sampling
(lab/field)
Soil (field/lab) (lysimeter installation)
6% 3/6
2/20/2015
Methods, Results, Analysis
Stream assessment methods (field), TIAER
6% 3/20
2/27/2015
Intro, Methods, Results
3/06/2015
Midterm
3/13/2015
SPRING BREAK
Biological analysis (lab) TIAER
5% 3/27
3/20/2015
Results, Analysis
Water quality sampling- streams (field) WQ lab
8% 4/10
3/27/2015
Full report
4/3/2015
Good Friday No school
10% 4/24
Colorado River trip
4/10-11/2015
Final Full report
4/17/2015
4/24/2015
5/1/2015 or
5/5/2015
IG-MET trip
Water quality analysis (lab)
FINAL 3:00-5:30 PM
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
I. Tarleton State University's Policy on Cheating: Tarleton State University expects its students to maintain high
standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonesty, cheating, or plagiarism in
academic work shall be subject to disciplinary action. Refer to the Student Handbook for detailed information.
II. It is the policy of Tarleton State University to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other
applicable laws. If you are a student with a disability seeking accommodations for this course, please contact the
Center for Access and Academic Testing, at 254.968.9400 or caat@tarleton.edu. The office is located in Math 201.
More information can be found at www.tarleton.edu/caat or in the University Catalog.