Environmental Impact Assesment, A Capstone Course for an Environmental Science Program

生物系的教师正在实施一个新的顶点课程，在他们的环境科学计划环境影响评估。 这个高年级课程可作为非科学专业的3个学期的课程或科学专业的4个学期的实验室课程。 学生们在包括科学专业和非专业的团队中工作，面临着一个模拟的场景，在这个场景中，工业（例如，多氯联苯清除设施、电池回收设施、鸡肉加工设施等）试图将其业务定位在肯塔基州戴维斯县的主要排水系统黑豹溪附近。 实验室学生描述信息（水文特征，基质成分，河岸/新兴植被和覆盖），并收集数据（流速，负载能力，温度，pH值，电导率，重金属水平，无脊椎动物数量/多样性，鱼类动物群数量/多样性，以及选择无脊椎动物和鱼类的等位酶变化）在潜在影响的网站（S），超过3个月。 所有学生学习数据管理，数据分析和数据表示。 每个小组准备一份书面文件，即环境影响评估。 不同的学生根据团队的活动（物理，化学，生物，计算机工作，统计分析，研究和写作）承担领导角色。 该项目提供流量计、远程监测/取样设备、计算机系统和适当的软件、电震设备以及用于酶电泳分离的玻璃门冰箱。 本课程教学方面的结果和环境数据可以由教师和学生在肯塔基州科学院年会上提出。 *

Faculty of the Department of Biology are implementing a new capstone course in their Environmental Science Program Environmental Impact Assessment. This upper-division course is available as a 3-semester-hour course for non-science-majors or a 4-semester-hour laboratory course for science majors. Students, working in teams that include both science majors and nonmajors, are confronted with a simulated scenerio in which industry (e.g., a PCB removal facility, a battery recycling facility, a chicken-processing facility, etc.) seeks to locate its operation adjacent to Panther Creek, the major drainage system of Daviess County, Kentucky. Laboratory students characterize information (hydrographic features, substrate composition, riparian/emergent vegetation, and cover) and collect data (stream velocity, loading capacity, temperature, pH, conductivity, heavy metal levels, invertebrate numbers/diversity, fish fauna numbers/diversity, and allozymic variation of select invertebrates and fishes) at the site(s) of potential impact, over 3 months. All students learn data management, data analysis, and data presentation. Each team prepares a written document, an Environmental Impact Assessment. Different students assume leadership roles according to the teams' activities (physical, chemical, biological, computer work, statistical analyses, research, and writing). This project provides flowmeters, remote monitoring /sampling equipment, a computer system, and appropriate software, electroshocking equipment, and a glass-door refrigerator for electrophoretic separation of enzymes. Results of the didactic aspects of this course and environmental data can be presented by faculty and students at the annual meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences. *