Undergraduate Course Catalog for the Department of Environmental Sciences (formerly Earth, Ecological and Environmental Sciences or EEES)
EEES - 1010 PHYSICAL GEOLOGY [3 hours] Introduction to classification and origins of rocks and minerals, surficial processes and landscape development, groundwater and other natural resources, geologic structures, earthquakes and the earth's interior, plate tectonics, and geologic time. [Fall, Spring, Summer] Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1020 INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY LABORATORY [1 hour] Identification of rocks and minerals. Study of the Earth's surface features through the use of topographic maps and aerial photographs. [Fall, Spring, Summer] Corequisite: EEES 1010 or 1050 or 2100. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1030 HISTORICAL GEOLOGY [3 hours] Study of rock and fossil records to discover their tabulation of physical and biological earth history. Three hours lecture, laboratory (EEES 1040) is optional. Offered as writing intensive. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1040 HISTORICAL GEOLOGY LABORATORY [1 hour] Geologic maps and fossil assemblages are studied to interpret earth history and environments of deposition of sedimentary rocks. Two hours lab weekly. [Spring] Corequisite: EEES 1030. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1050 GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS AND THE ENVIRONMENT [3 hours] Introduction to hazardous geological processes and materials : volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, ground subsidence and collapse, landslides, coastal flooding and erosion and others. Causes and risk mitigation are discussed. [Fall, Summer]. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1130 HUMAN ECOLOGY [3 hours] The application of key ideas in modern ecology to ecosystems dominated by humans including how culture influences such problems as overpopulation, food supply, resource depletion, pollution, and endangered species. (not for credit in the major) [Fall, Spring] Prerequisite: ENGL 1110 or 1110; MATH 1180 or higher. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1140 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS LAB [1 hour] Basic scientific methods are used to conduct laboratory and field studies of contemporary environmental problems. [Fall, Spring] Corequisite: EEES 1130 or 1160. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 1160 PLANTS AND SOCIETY [3 hours] This course centers on the importance of plants to our planet. Includes an introduction to botany and discussion of plants that provide food, materials, spices, medicines, drugs and poisons. (not for credit in the major) [Spring] Prerequisite: ENGL 1110 or 1110. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 2010 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES [3 hours] Introduction to issues currently affecting environmental quality. Fundamental scientific concepts relating to those issues, and ethical, economic, legal and political considerations that affect the resolution of environmental problems. Intended for freshmen and sophomores. [Fall]
EEES - 2100 FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOLOGY [4 hours] Consideration of earth materials and the dynamic external and internal processes active on earth; the physical and biological history of the earth. No credit if EEES 1010 has been taken. [Spring] Prerequisite: CHEM 1090 or 1230.
EEES - 2150 BIODIVERSITY [3 hours] Examination of the diversity of life on earth and its evolution, systematics and behavior; the structure of ecosystems, and concepts of population and community ecology. [Fall] Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 2160 BIODIVERSITY LAB [1 hour] Laboratory exercises designed to complement the material covered in EEES 2150. [Fall] Corequisite: EEES 2150. Natural Sciences core course.
EEES - 2210 MINERALOGY [4 hours] Crystallization and stability of minerals in the geologic environment. Systematic classification and identification of silicate and non-silicate minerals. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100; CHEM 1230.
EEES - 2220 MEGASCOPIC PETROLOGY [3 hours] Megascopic identification and classification of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Rock origins, including plate tectonic settings are also discussed. Two hours lecture, two hours laboratory. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 2210.
EEES - 2400 OCEANOGRAPHY & WATER RESOURCES [3 hours] Physical, chemical, geological and biological nature of oceans and ocean basins. Ocean resources, circulation, climate and the hydrologic cycle. Fresh water resources and resource management. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100.
EEES - 2500 COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES [1 hour] Desktop computer uses by scientists: word processing, spreadsheets, data bases, e-mail and World-Wide Web, table digitizer, processing GPS and data logger files, contour and mapping software. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100; knowlede of algebra, plane geometry and basic trigonometry.
EEES - 2900 SEMINAR [1 hour] Individual presentation and discussion of topics in the environmental sciences appropriate for students interested in environmental sciences but with little or no formal background in the discipline. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
EEES - 2980 SPECIAL TOPICS [1 - 4 hours] A lower division undergraduate course covering some aspect of environmental sciences not covered in the formal course offerings of the department. Students may repeat the course for different topics. [taught when demand warrants] Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
EEES - 2990 INDEPENDENT STUDY [1-4 hours] Student selects an appropriate approved subject for individualized study and prepares a report or gives equivalent evidence of mastery of the selected subject. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
EEES - 3000 GEOLOGY OF NATIONAL PARKS [3 hours] Study of regional geology of the U.S., focusing on national parks and monuments with the aim of furthering the student's geological knowledge and encouraging visitation as a tourist. [Fall, Summer] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100.
EEES - 3030 ENVIRONMENTAL DATA MANAGEMENT [3 hours] Instruments and methods for geo-referencing environmental field investigations, GPS, electronic total station, aerial photographs and maps. Organizing an environmental database for use with GIS (Arc View). Field trips. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 1020, 2500.
EEES - 3050 FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY [3 hours] The structure, function, and regulation of populations, communities and ecosystems, emphasizing human activities and their ecological consequences. [Spring, Summer] Prerequisite: CHEM 1090 or higher; EEES 2150 or BIOL 2150.
EEES - 3060 FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY LABORATORY [1 hour] Laboratory and field exercises demonstrating ecological principles. [Spring, Summer] Corequisite: EEES 3050.
EEES - 3100 SURFICIAL PROCESSES [3 hours] Description and study of the earth's surface features from the point of view of their origin including landforms created by volcanism, tectonics, and erosional/depositional processes. Field trip required. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100.
EEES - 3200 STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY [3 hours] Introduction to depositional processes and environments of sediments; stratigraphic relationships of sedimentary rocks. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 2220.
EEES - 3250 ENGINEERING GEOLOGY [3 hours] Application of geologic principles to engineering practices (dams, tunnels, drainage, foundations and water supply). Labs stress rock and mineral identification, quality control tests in engineering design and construction using rock. [Fall] Prerequisite: MATH 1750 or 1850.
EEES - 3320 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY [3 hours] Descriptive analysis of rock structures, with emphasis on relationship to regional tectonics; term paper or field trip required. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 1010 or 2100; basic trigonometry.
EEES - 3900 LITERATURE AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES [3 hours] Includes discussions of environmental issues featuring guest experts from a variety of environmental-related occupations, readings in environmental literature and student reports on projects and internships. [Spring] Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. (Taught as a writing intensive course)
EEES - 4000 INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY [3 hours] Biologic and stratigraphic significant taxa of invertebrate fossils, principles of taxonomy, morphology, and paleoecology. Paleoenvironmental use of fossils. Field trip required. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 1030 or 2150 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4010 MICROSCOPIC PETROLOGY [3 hours] Principles of optical crystallography, training and use of the petrographic microscope; classification, petrogenesis and petrography of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Two hours lecture, two hours laboratory. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 2220; MATH 1320 or higher.
EEES - 4100 GLACIAL GEOLOGY [3 hours] To understand glaciers and glacial landscapes. Topics include mass balance, ice flow, hydrology, erosion, deposition, landforms, glacial lakes and development of the Ohio glacial landscape. Field trip is mandatory. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 3100 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4150 EVOLUTION [3 hours] The modern theory of evolution presented within a framework of theoretical genetics and population biology; phylogeny and evolution of the vertebrates. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 or BIOL 2150; CHEM 1230.
EEES - 4200 QUATERNARY GEOLOGY [3 hours] To provide understanding of such cyclical events as climate change, sea level fluctuations, vegetation change and ice sheet paleogeography during the Quaternary Period and to explore future changes for planet Earth. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 3200 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4220 ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY [3 hours] Chemical reactions of environmental concern. Water and soil chemistry related to contaminant fate and mobility. Petroleum formation, migration and accumulation in the subsurface. Computer software used. [Spring] Prerequisite: CHEM 1240.
EEES - 4240 SOIL SCIENCE [3 hours] Basic principles of soil formation, physics, chemistry and biology with emphasis on their influence on fluid and chemical migration and preservation of soil quality from geological, agricultural and environmental perspectives. [Fall] Prerequisite: CHEM 1240.
EEES - 4300 FIELD BOTANY [3 hours] Introduction to the principles and methodology of plant taxonomy with particular attention to the native plant species. [Summer, on demand] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 or BIOL 2150 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4330 VERTEBRATE ECOLOGY & SYSTEMATICS [4 hours] Ecology, systematics and conservation of the vertebrates, with special emphasis on forms native to North America. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 2150.
EEES - 4410 HYDROGEOLOGY [3 hours] Fundamentals of groundwater flow and geological controls including applications to water resource evaluation, utilization,, chemical characterization and contaminant transport. Basic groundwater course for environmental scientists, geologists and engineers. [Fall] Prerequisite: MATH 1750 or 1850.
EEES - 4450 HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT [3 hours] Environmental regulations concerning hazardous waste, characteristics of hazardous waste and disposal technologies, toxicology, characteristics of organic chemicals and heavy metals, biodegradation, soil science, groundwater contamination, risk assessment, site investigation. [Fall] Prerequisite: CHEM 1230.
EEES - 4510 ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY [3 hours] The diversity of microbial life and activities, the functioning of microbial ecosystems in energy and carbon flow and remediation of polluted environments, and the detection and control of pathogens. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 and CHEM 1230 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4520 BIOREMEDIATION [3 hours] The environmental fate and transport of contaminants; their transformation and biodegradation by plants and microorganisms; bioremediation strategies, including solid phase, slurry phase, and vapor-phase treatments, and natural attenuation. [Fall] Corequisite: EEES 2150 and CHEM 1230 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4530 PHYTOREMEDIATION PRINCIPLES [3 hours] Course describes the process of phytoremediation with references to both physiological modes of uptake and transformation of contaminants to field applications. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 and CHEM 1230 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4540 MICROBIAL ECOLOGY [3 hours] Students will learn the underlying processes that drive microbial population structure and function in the environment and become familiar with classical and current methodology used in microbial community analysis. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 or BIOL 2170.
EEES - 4550 METHODS OF MICROBIAL INVESTIGATION [3 hours] Student will learn the classical and current methodologies (biochemical and molecular) used in microbial community analysis while developing an understanding of experimental design sample handling and data analysis. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 4540.
EEES - 4610 GEOPHYSICS [3 hours] Survey of theory, field applications, interpretation principles of solid earth and exploration geophysics. Two hours lecture, three hours methods laboratory. [Fall] Prerequisite: MATH 1760 or 1860; PHYS 2020 or 2120; EEES 3320 (Taught as a writing intensive course).
EEES - 4620 ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGINEERING GEOPHYSICS [3 hours] Electrical resistivity, electromagnetic conductivity, magnetometer and seismic refraction are used to characterize materials concealed under the earth's surface. [Spring, some years] Prerequisite: GEOL 2500 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4630 NUMERICAL METHODS IN GEOPHYSICS [3 hours] Numerical filters and matrix operations used to process potential filed data and wave forms, isolating anomalies and signals of interest; derivative maps, upward and downward continuation; current interpretation software. Term project. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 4610.
EEES - 4650 GEOLOGY FIELD COURSE [6 hours] Intensive field studies in the Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming; stratigraphic section measuring, geologic mapping and interpretation, and other field methods in geology. [Summer] Prerequisite: EEES 2220, 3320; MATH 1340 or higher.
EEES - 4720 ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER INVERTEBRATES [3 hours] Major freshwater invertebrate taxa are covered. The focus is the interaction of individual invertebrates with their biotic and abiotic environment with emphasis on community and ecosystem level interactions. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 3050 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4730 AQUATIC ECOLOGY [3 hours] The biology of population, communities and ecosystems with an emphasis on aquatic environments. Includes the application of principles and theory from aquatic ecology to help understand and solve management problems in aquatic systems. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 3050 or consent of instructor.
EEES - 4740 AQUATIC ECOLOGY LABORATORY [1 hour] Laboratory exercises on the biology of aquatic populations, communities and ecosystems. [Fall] Corequisite: EEES 4730.
EEES - 4750 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY [3 hours] The application of principles of ecology, biogeography, genetics, economics, philosophy, and other disciplines to the study and maintenance of biological diversity in temperate, subtropical, and tropical systems. [Fall, alternate years, even] Corequisite: EEES 3050.
EEES - 4760 LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY [3 hours] Emphasis will be placed on ecological patterns, processes and management applications at multiple spatial and temporal scales. [Spring] Prerequisite: EEES 3050.
EEES - 4770 ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER INVERTEBRATES LAB [1 hour] Students will visit freshwater habitats, collect and identify freshwater invertebrate taxa, and conduct an independent project. [Spring] Corequisite: EEES 4720.
EEES - 4790 ECOLOGY FIELD TRIP [2-4 hours] Field trip to a major ecosystem of a region other than northwestern Ohio. Includes analysis of structural and functional relationships within and between ecosystems with opportunities for individual student projects. Prerequisite: EEES 3050.
EEES - 4800 PLANT PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY [4 hours] Study of how form (morphology, anatomy) and function (physiology, metabolism biophysics) affect plant ecology. Laboratory emphasizes experimentation and introduction to techniques. Lecture includes reading and written critiques of scientific literature. [Fall] Prerequisite: EEES 2150 or BIOL 2170; CHEM 1230, 1240
EEES - 4900 SEMINAR: ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE [1 hour] Individual presentation and discussion of topics in the environmental sciences appropriate for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite: consent of instructor
EEES - 4910 DIRECTED RESEARCH [1 - 5 hours] Research under guidance of faculty member. An acceptable thesis is required for credit toward major. Prerequisite: consent of instructor
EEES - 4920 SENIOR GEOLOGY SEMINAR [2 hours] Survey of geology at a senior level using readings, class discussions and some lectures. The final exam will be one of the assessment vehicles of the department. [Fall] Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
EEES - 4940 INTERNSHIP [1 - 4 hours] Student gains up to 4 credits for relevant professional experience with an adviser-approved organization. Student must enroll during the term service is performed. Prerequisite: consent of undergraduate adviser
EEES - 4980 SPECIAL TOPICS: ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE [1 - 4 hours] An advanced undergraduate course covering some aspect of the environmental sciences not covered in the formal upper-division undergraduate curriculum. Student may repeat the course for different topics. Prerequisite: consent of instructor
EEES - 4990 INDEPENDENT STUDY: ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE [1 - 4 hours] Student selects an appropriate approved subject for individualized study and prepares a report or gives equivalent evidence of mastery of the selected subject. Prerequisite: consent of instructor