CHEM 33a, Environmental Chemistry: Spring 2016
Monday & Wednesday, 6:30-7:50 PM, Gerstenzang 124 (tentative room assignment)
Dwight Peavey, PhD
Senior Scientist, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Boston MA
Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry & Environmental Studies
Email: , or
Phone: 617-918-1829 (EPA office)
Office (RABB 374) hours: Mon & Weds 4:00-5:00 pm or Friday by appointment
Text = Principles of Environmental Chemistry, 3rd edition
James E. Girard
Jones & Barlett Learning, 2014
The course will survey the important chemical and physical principles and reactions which govern life on earth. The course will investigate how human activity perturbs the environment resulting in adverse effects on human health and ecosystems. The class will cover the movement and fate of chemicals in air, land and water. Special emphasis will be placed on those industrial sectors that emit/release/discharge hazardous materials/byproducts/wastes into the environmental media. Here are a few of the environmental problems that the class will cover: climate change, ozone depletion, water pollution, persistent bioaccumulative toxins, renewable energy, “heavy metals”, pesticides/antibiotics & personal care products and nanomaterials.
Grading:
5% Class participation
20% Five Quizzes (5 X 4% = 20%)
75% Three 1 hr. exams (3 X 25% (1hr exam) = 75%)
You are responsible for making up exams at the next class or by contacting me. Failure to meet deadlines for your exams will result in a reduced grade. If you score less than an 80%, you have the option to retake the exam for a maximum grade of 80%. Class participation requires reading the assigned chapter(s) or posted materials prior to class and contributing to class discussions. The paper topic must be approved by me before April 3rd.
All students’ work for this course shall comply with “Brandeis University’s Policy Regarding Academic Honesty & Plagiarism” as found in Section 5 of Rights and Responsibilities in the Brandeis University Handbook. If you have a doubt on how to properly present your work, please consult me prior to submission or presentation of an assignment.