Principles of the earth sciences and their applications to environmental analysis and management. Identification, quantification, and analysis of critical components of watershed systems. Interaction of human activities with the physical environment. Principles and methods of sampling, collection, measurement, analysis, and interpretation of data concerning processes and features of the physical environment. Students will become familiar with field and laboratory equipment within the context of research projects.
Emphasis is placed on practical application of basic techniques to real problems.
Concepts and methodologies in environmental planning. The planning process. Topics may include environmental impact assessment, economic approaches to environmental decision making, use of computer models in environmental planning, geographic information systems in environmental planning, environmental perception, and construction of environmental indices. Team projects with planning agencies. Concerned with biological, chemical, physical, and engineering knowledge essential to the achievement of environmental quality objectives.