300

In the face of interconnected and increasing environmental and social problems this century, organizations able to see the big picture and effectively seize opportunity in the midst of complexity will do well in the long run.  This course covers the current analytical frameworks and tools that leading edge organizations are using to benchmark and improve environmental, social and financial performance.

This course will consider how environmental problems arise, looking at how a progression of natural and human circumstances becomes an "environmental problem." It will survey the law, politics, and institutions that manage pollution. The course will also look closely at a handful of environmental policy issues, particularly in the Columbia River, and the interplay of science, risk, and uncertainty.

The course investigates the sources, distribution and impacts of atmospheric pollutants. Specifically, the role of air pollution in climate change, human health, and environmental impacts will be covered in detail. The course will also discuss the natural background chemistry of the atmosphere, photochemistry, and urban air pollution.

This course investigates the interrelationships between the inanimate Earth and life forms, with special emphasis on environmental interactions between the Earth and humans. Topics include the environmental significance of natural resources (including energy, minerals, soil, and water), natural hazards (including earthquakes, mass wasting, subsidence, and volcanoes), ocean processes (including basins and coastlines), and waste management (including burial, movement, remediation.)

This course investigates environmental applications of multispectral remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). RS topics include sensor systems, digital image processing, and automated information extraction. GIS topics include spatial database management systems, data analysis, and environmental modeling. Emphasis is placed on biological applications including vegetation mapping, habitat identification and field data mapping.

Morphology, physiology, and ecology of microorganisms, emphasizing their role in environmental processes such as nutrient cycling, bioremediation, waste treatment, and food production. Three hours of lecture per week.

This course takes the perspective of environmental chemistry to address topics including: energy forms, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, transport of materials, chemical transformations, and modeling.

This course will bring together environmental analysis techniques from chemistry, microbiology, and ecology. Permission of instructor required. Fee: $60.