Development of an Instrument-Based Environmental Laboratory Course

本项目将开设一门以仪器为基础的环境实验课程：环境系统分析。这是新成立的环境系统应用科学学士（BAS）项目开设的核心课程。这个新的BAS课程让学生了解对环境现象进行定量描述的技术、环境控制的技术以及环境分析的实验室技能。建议的课程将达到该计划的最后目标。它将提供给高级本科生。本课程的一个关键要素是由学生进行的实验，这些实验与另外两门核心课程所涵盖的主题直接相关：一门涉及环境控制的处理技术，另一门涉及环境系统的数学建模。同时，学生将通过2小时/周的课堂授课和3小时/周的动手实验练习来学习现代实验室仪器/设备的操作。这与传统的环境实验课程有很大的不同，传统的环境实验课程往往只强调实验技能，学生将在本课程中进行八个实验。此外，在进行实验前，我们会提供实验室安全讲座，让学生掌握必要的安全预防知识和危害预防知识。所涵盖的材料将适用于一个学期的课程。所要求的仪器/设备将适合容纳多达20名学生在一个班。所要求的仪器/设备将允许学生进行可靠和准确的实验，从而最大限度地发挥这门课程提供的好处。通过开发这门课程获得的成果和经验将通过发表期刊文章和在会议上发言来传播。最终，一本关于这个主题的专著将会出版。

An instrument-based environmental laboratory course entitled: ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS will be developed in this project. It is a core course to be offered by the newly established Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) program in Environmental Systems. This new BAS program provided the students with an understanding of the techniques for quantitative description on environmental phenomena, the technologies for environmental control, and the laboratory skill for environmental analysis. The proposed course will achieve the last objective of the program. It will be offered to upper level undergraduates. A key element in the course is the experiments to be performed by students that directly relate to the topics covered in two other core courses: one deals with treatment technologies for environmental control, and the other deals with mathematical modeling of environmental systems. Meanwhile, students will learn to operate modern laboratory instruments/equipment through classroom lectures (2 hrs/week) and hand-on laboratory exercises (3 hrs/week). This represents a significant departure from traditional environmental laboratory courses, which tend to only emphasize laboratory skills, Student will perform eight experiments in this course. In addition, a laboratory safety session will be offered prior to laboratory experiments to equip students with necessary knowledge for safety precaution and hazard prevention. The materials covered will be suitable for a one-semester course. The instruments/equipment requested will be suitable to accommodate for up to 20 students in a class. The instrument/equipment requested will allow student to perform reliable and accurate experiments thereby maximizing the benefits offered by such a course. Results and experience obtained through development of this course will be disseminated via publications of journal articles and presentations at conferences. Ultimately, a monograph on the subject will be published.