EVS 3000L: Environmental Science and Humanities Lab
Spring 2015
Instructors
Tuesday
Rachel Nifong
Ph.D. Candidate, SNRE
E-mail: rldouglass@ufl.edu
Phone: (919) 497-2014
Office Hours: By appointment
Thursday
Elizabeth White
MSc/PhD Student, SNRE
Email: ehwhite@ufl.edu
Phone: (612) 791-0553
Office Hours: By appointment
Class Meeting Schedule
Tuesday, periods 2-4 (8:30 – 11:30am), Building 0092 (NPB room 1200)
Thursday, periods 2-4 (8:30 – 11:30 am), 2nd period in NPB room 1200, and from 3-4 period in MAT room 0009
Location
Location varies by week (see calendar). We will meet in the classroom and travel to the site together, or meet at the site if
it is on campus. Students will be notified of travel plans during the previous week.
Course Objective
To train students in basic environmental science field techniques and provide first-hand learning opportunities concerning
the interactions between humans and the environment.
Course Content
The class will cover a variety of topics including waste water treatment, waste management, springs ecology, stream
ecology, wetland ecology, upland ecology, land conservation, and energy. Most classes will include a field trip component
either on campus or in the surrounding community. Field trips will often include meeting with a natural resource
professional to learn first-hand about the challenges and opportunities in natural resource management.
Communication
All course communication outside of class will be done through Canvas and Gatorlink email. You are responsible for
checking both regularly to keep up to date.
Course Grading
Component
% of Grade
Attendance & Participation (12 @ 10 points each)
40%
Assignments (12 @ 10 points each)
40%
Final Paper (60 points)
20%
Total (300 points)
100%
Attendance and Participation
Attendance will be taken each week. Participation credit will be determined based on your interactions, questions,
comments, punctuality and willingness to partake in class activities. Cell phone use is not permitted during the class or
during field trips.
Students are required to ride with the group to off-campus sites. If you are not at the designated meeting point at the
scheduled departure time AND wearing appropriate attire, we will leave without you and you will receive a 0 for
participation.
Each student will be permitted ONE excused/non-penalized absence over the course of the semester. This means you will
receive the 10 points for participation. However, in order to make-up the 10 points for the accompanying assignment, a
make-up assignment will need to be completed.
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Prior to each lab or site visit, students will be assigned a reading assignment. This will typically consist of a relevant
scientific journal article and possibly instructions for the upcoming lab. Students will be responsible for completing this
reading before arriving to prepare them to participate in the day’s activities.
Proper Attire
Proper attire may vary based on the conditions and the environment we will be in. Several of the tours require closed-toed
shoes, long pants, and covered shoulders (no tank tops). There will be times when you may wish to wear boots as we may
be in wet, muddy locations. Also, we may experience inclement weather such as rain. Please check the forecast and have
rain gear when appropriate. Announcements each week will also give further direction regarding appropriate attire for the
upcoming fieldtrip.
Course Alterations
The course calendar is subject to change. Any revised versions will be sent in email. Please refer to the most recent
version.
Assignments
There will be a brief, usually single page, assignment for each lab or site visit. This assignment will be based off the
day’s activities as well as the reading assignment. The assignments cannot be completed without having attended the field
trip. Students will be responsible for turning in these assignments by the start of class the following week. Answer all
questions in your own words. Cutting and pasting or otherwise plagiarized material will not be accepted. Please submit
these assignments to your instructor on Sakai using a standard font and the following file name:
AssignmentTopic_FirstInitialLastName. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Make-up Lab
To make up for missed lab points, you will be able to select a seminar to attend within three weeks of your missed lab.
Please send an email for approval with the following information: the seminar title, presenter, date, time, location,
department, and any short summary that was provided (usually provided in the advertisement by the department). After
attending the seminar, write up a half-page, single-spaced report that summarizes the major topics and findings of the
seminar, how it applies to environmental science, and what your thoughts were on the presentation (did you think it was
valid research? are you interested in this type of research? etc.). This will be due a full week after the seminar date via
email.
Seminars can be found on the following department pages:
WEC: http://wec.ufl.edu/seminars/
SNRE: http://snre.ufl.edu/graduate/seminar_series.htm
Biology: http://www.biology.ufl.edu/News/Seminars.aspx
SFRC: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/about/events/
Any other department seminar may be selected as well with approval.
Final Synthesis Paper
Students will be expected to turn in a 3 – 4 page double spaced paper that will synthesize topics you have covered in this
course. A rubric and potential topics will be handed out mid-semester. The paper will be due Thursday, April 9, 2015.
Grading Scale
A
B
C
D
93.0-100.0%
83.0-86.9%
73.0-76.9%
63.0-66.9%
ABCD-
90.0-92.9%
80.0-82.9%
70.0-72.9%
60.0-62.9%
B+
C+
D+
E
87.0-89.9%
77.0-79.9%
67.0-69.9%
<60.0%
Academic Honesty
All Students are expected to abide by the UF Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community,
pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit
by students at the university, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor
received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."
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Students with Disabilities
The University of Florida is committed to providing academic accommodations for students with
disabilities. Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability
Resource Center (352‐392‐8565, www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/) by providing appropriate documentation. Once
registered, students should present their accommodation letter to me supporting a request for
accommodations. The University encourages students with disabilities to follow these procedures as
early as possible within the semester.
Campus Helping Resources
Students experiencing crises or personal problems that interfere with their general wellbeing or academic performance are
strongly encouraged to talk to the instructor or take advantage of the university’s counseling resources, available at no
cost for currently enrolled students.
 University Counseling Center & Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Rd., 392‐1575; Personal and career counseling, as
well as therapy for anxiety, stress and mental health issues: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/
 Teaching Center and Reading and Writing Center, Broward Hall, 392‐2010 or 392‐6420. General study skills,
tutoring, help brainstorming, formatting and writing papers:
http://teachingcenter.ufl.edu/ and http://teachingcenter.ufl.edu/rwcenter/index.html.
 Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392‐1161, sexual assault counseling
 Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392‐1601, career assistance and Counseling
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Lab
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2
3
4
5
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Dates
(Tu/Wed)
1/6 & 1/8
1/13 & 1/15
1/20 & 1/22
1/27 & 1/29
2/3 & 2/5
2/10 & 2/12
2/17 & 2/19
2/24 & 2/26
3/3 & 3/5
3/10 & 3/12
Topic
Site
Orientation / Heat Island Effect
Classroom
Wastewater Treatment
UF Water Reclamation Facility on campus
Waste Management
UF Zero Waste Initiative on campus
Energy Production
Deerhaven*
Waste-to-Energy and Bio-fuels
Bioenergy Technology Center on campus
Stream Ecology/Water Quality
University Gardens on campus
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Wetland Ecology
SEEP Wetland on campus
8
Springs Ecology
Glen Springs and Ring Park*
9
Spring Break- NO CLASS
10
Upland Ecology
Morningside Nature Center*
Transportation & Storm water
11
3/17 & 3/19
Management
TBA
12
3/24 & 3/26
Land Conservation
Classroom and Cofrin Park*
Green Buildings & Conservation
13
3/31 & 4/2
Behavior
Rinker Hall on campus
14
4/7 & 4/9
Park Management and Planning
Paynes Prairie*
15
4/14 & 4/16
MAKE UP WEEK
TBA
*Trip requires traveling in UF van; meet in parking lot (south/next of Black Hall) at time specified.
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