In the face of climate change, communities are tasked with the equitable management of shared natural resources. Environmental monitoring provides local and global communities with the data needed to inform planning to ensure the availability of drinkable water, fertile soils, and clean air. This course will introduce students to the practical aspects of environmental monitoring while exploring the related climate change and public health connections. Case studies will cover a range of approaches including worldwide programs (e.g., the United Nations Global Environment Monitoring System program) and local community-based initiatives. Students will learn how water, air, and soil quality can be monitored using sophisticated scientific instruments as well as simpler tools that enable public participation. Online course content and activities will guide students from across the Open Society University Network through the process of identifying potential local climate-related challenges. Based on identified community needs, students will find available data, evaluate environmental conditions and trends, and design an environmental monitoring study, resulting in a project proposal. Following review, selected proposals will be eligible for further development and support as pilot projects (through the OSUN Community Science Coalition program). Additional assignments will include readings, video lectures, completion of modules, and one-on-one and small group sessions. This is an OSUN class and is open to Bard students as well as students from multiple OSUN partner institutions.

Whether faint or bright, stars look like unchanging dots of light in the night sky, but the stars are not all alike and they do change. They are born, live, age and die, often spectacularly. Everything we know about stars, e.g. temperature, luminosity, size, mass and composition, comes from the light they radiate. Understanding how we know so much about such distant objects is an important topic in this course. This course begins with the closest star, the Sun, before considering different types of stars and their evolution. The laboratory component consists of working with astronomical data and spreadsheet calculations. Students registered for the course agree to review basic algebra skills, scientific notation and unit conversions through online worksheets and a quiz before the first class. Prerequisite: Passing score on the math placement test. Students must select a lab section as well.

SCI 129 Monitoring Environmental Change

Professor:

Emily White

Schedule/Location:

Tue 7:00 AM – 8:20 AM OSUN Course

Distributional Area:

Credits: 2

Class cap: 20