ENVS 440/540 - Environmental Modeling - Syllabus - 25 Aug 2015
CSU Monterey Bay. Copyright (C) Dr Fred Watson.
Course Description from Catalog
Teaches the process of designing, building, and using computer models for use within applied environmental
science. Covers key examples within ecological and hydrological modeling e.g. population dynamics, and water
flow. Introduces students to different modeling paradigms, including: systems dynamics, statistical habitat
selection, and simulated vs analytical solutions. Software usage draws from Stella, VenSim, Excel, Visual Basic,
and statistical packages. Includes individual student projects. Must have received a grade of B- or better in Math
151. (Offered fall semester as demand warrants.)
Instructor, time, location
Dr Fred Watson
Building 53, Room E112, (831) 582-4452, fwatson@csumb.edu
Office hours: By appointment set up by email.
Tuesdays 4:00 – 5:50. Thursdays 4:00 – 5:50. Building 53/S119
Prerequisites
Students must have completed:
 MATH 151 (or equivalent of 1 year of calculus) (with grade of B- of better)
 A 300 level ecology or geology or similar physical science course
You are expected to have a good understanding of Excel 2010, Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, and Acrobat
Standard, and you should be able to utilize and combine all of these programs to create a single document for the
completion of your course assignments.
Grad students should have a basic knowledge of the R programming language / statistical package; or be taking
an R-related course (like ENVS550) at the same time.
Useful text
Ford, A. (1999) Modeling the Environment: An Introduction to System Dynamics Modeling of Environmental
Systems. Island Press, ISBN 1-55963-601-7
Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
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


As a user of model results, critically interpret the results of a modeling exercise.
 Identify the underlying assumptions in any model and discuss their implications.
As a user of a model, understand the process of using models to make predictions or test hypotheses (for a
variety of different types of model).
 Explain the relationship between models and scientific hypotheses.*
 List and explain the major uses of scientific models. *
 Be able to describe a modeling project using written and oral communication
As a developer of a model, construct new models in order to better understand a system that they are studying
 Outline the concepts and steps involved in constructing and applying models.
 Prescribe an appropriate model to address a particular question about a particular system.
 Develop a simple model using Stella/VenSim, MS Excel, ArcMap Model Builder, or simple algebra &
calculus
Explicitly list and explain limitations and pitfalls associated with modeling and how to avoid each of these
potential problems.
Classify scientific models e.g. into categories such as:
 dynamic vs. static
 continuous vs. discrete
 spatial vs. point
 mechanistic vs. conceptual
 deterministic vs. stochastic

Be able to follow instructions (e.g. assignment instructions; analogous in the professional world to project
briefs and scopes of work)
Skills developed will include:
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Graphical systems-dynamics modeling (Stella / Vensim)
Spreadsheet modeling (Excel)
Statistical model comparison (habitat selection)
Relation of Course to ESTP Major Learning Outcomes:
This course partially satisfies:
 The “Natural Science Competency” MLO or the “Advanced” elective in the Applied Ecology
concentration in the ESTP bachelor’s degree.
 The “Advanced” elective in the Marine Science bachelor’s degree
 The “Advanced knowledge in ecology…” elective or the “Biology capstone” elective in the Biology
bachelor’s degree
 The “Elective” MLO in the CWSP master’s degree
Assessment
This course must be taken for a letter grade. Student learning will be assessed through a combination of
assignments, project papers, presentations and (possibly) quizzes. Grades will be based on scores summed as
follows:
Assignments
Quizzes
Term Project:
Paper
Oral Presentation
Attendance, participation,
timeliness, evaluation
Total
N
~6
~0?
Percentages of total assessment
~10% each, for 60% total
There might be some quizzes.
1
1
25%
10%
5%
100%
Grading basis will be approximately as follows.
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D+
D
F
98%
92%
90%
88%
82%
80%
78%
70%
68%
60%
<60%
Penalties:


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Late assignments: 1% of total course grade will be deducted for each 24 hours late, starting
immediately after the deadline (e.g. 6 hrs late = 0.25% course penalty)
Quizzes: if a quiz date is missed and must be re-scheduled, the subsequent score will be reduced by
20%. It is the student’s responsibility to make any re-scheduling arrangements before the originally
scheduled date.
Attendance: Attendance is expected, and considered essential to success in the course. Missing a day or
two for various reasons is understandable, but from the third day, 1% of total course score may be
deducted per day missed. Being consistently late to class could also attract a penalty. Approximately

0.5% of the score may also be associated with completing a student evaluation of the class and the
instructor at the end of semester.
Exceptions: Exceptions require a doctor’s letter or equivalent evidence pertinent to the circumstance.
Writing
Good writing skills are extremely important. Several assignments require professional-quality writing and report
preparation and will be assessed as such.
Field trips
Students are required to participate in at least one dawn field trip, and be available on at least 2 dates for this trip,
leaving campus at about 5:30 AM on an October morning.
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations please see me as soon as possible (i.e. before the
second week of semester) during office hours or make an appointment. Bring your Course Accommodation Form
from the CSUMB office for Student Disability Resources (SDR) in Bldg. 47
Class Policy on Academic Honesty
1.
2.
It is the responsibility of the students in this class to familiarize themselves with the University Policy on
Academic Integrity:
a. http://csumb.edu/site/x20480.xml
The plagiarism detection software Turnitin.com may be used in this class.
Academic Integrity is extremely important. Don’t cheat. Don’t copy someone else’s text or data without
attribution. Accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism, and it leads to heavy penalties with lasting impacts.
Schedule
The schedule of class session topics, assignments, quizzes etc is posted on the internal class web site, and is
subject to change.
Graduate students
Graduate students enroll in 540, which differs from 440 in having additional tasks in most assignments (such as
writing models in R, as well as Stella or Excel), and more rigorous assessment of elements such as writing
quality.