This course provides an overview of chemical processes that are important in the environment and examines how they impact human health. Topics will include atmospheric chemistry, aquatic chemistry, industrial chemistry, hazardous waste chemistry, environmental restoration, as well as regulations for protecting human and environmental health from hazardous chemicals.
Currently, elective taught annually; usually Winter Quarter.
Prerequisites: None, but college level chemistry is desirable.
This course surveys a range of practical skills needed by professionals in environmental public health science. The specific skills will be organized in 1-3 week units on topics selected in collaboration with enrolled students at the beginning of the quarter. Likely topics include writing and the process of publication, speaking for different audiences and media, social media for professionals, open access data, tools for project management, best practices for field work, and ethics. Some units may be taught be guest experts.
Elective taught on demand. Prerequisites: none.
This course provides an overview of the processes that determine the fate of organic substances in the environment. It covers pathways, mechanisms, and kinetics of volatilization, sorption, hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, elimination, and conjugation; and the application of all these topics to understanding the environmental fate and remediation of organic chemicals. Media represented include reactor fluids, groundwater, surface water, rain, and fog. Both chemical (abiotic) and microbially-mediated (biotic) processes are included.
A thorough introduction to the transformation reactions that contribute to the fate of organic substances in the environment. The course covers pathways, mechanisms and kinetics of hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, elimination, conjugation, etc. Treatment is balanced to reflect the importance of these processes in all types of environmental waters ranging from engineered systems to groundwater, surface water, rain, and fog. (4 credits).
A process-oriented survey of microbially mediated transformations of organic pollutants. Transformations occurring in the natural environment as well as in remediation technologies are considered. Emphasis is on the pollutant properties, micro-biological factors, and medium properties that determine the pathways and kinetics of bio-degradation. (4 credits).
Special topics courses are offered on particular themes in response to student and faculty needs and opportunities. Some particular themes are offered periodically, but many are ad hoc. Examples of Special Topics courses (co)taught by Dr. Tratnyek include:
This course will be an interactive forum for discussing and analyzing data contributed by the students in the class. In the first two weeks, students will present the critical data analysis challenges they face in their research. Several of these challenges will be selected to be pursued as case studies; with the class developing the background and applying statistical data analysis software to solving each problem. Short lectures will be given to provide the theoretical background for different data analysis methods, computer lab assignments will be used to provide students with hands-on experience in analyzing data, and class discussions will be used to interpret and discuss results. Data analysis software that may be used includes MatLab, R, or SAS. Students are welcome to use their favorite software to work on class assignments. (Spring 2009 with Karen Watanabe).
Find description for this. (Spring 2002 with Rick Johnson).
Presentation and discussion of journal articles from the recent literature in environmental science and engineering. Recent ESE Reading Groups led by Dr. Tratnyek include:
Typically involves a scholarly and critical review of an advanced scientific topic by one or several students together with one or more faculty members. Examples of Independent Studies supervised by Dr. Tratnyek include: