NS 104-Environmental Science Lab

Spring 2005

Lab Instructor: Roger Blanchard, PhD.

Office: Crawford Hall Room 327

Phone: (906) 635-2074

e-mail: rblanchard@lssu.edu

Office Hours: 8:00-10:00 am Tuesday/Thursday, other times by appointment

Text: Environmental Science Lab Manual

Homework: Laboratory experiments and any supplemental materials must be read prior to performing an experiment.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given prior to an experiment. Quiz questions will be directly from the Introduction of the experiment you will be performing during the period. The questions should be easy if you have read the experiment beforehand.

Test: A lab final will be given during the last scheduled lab period. It will be worth 30 points and will probably have written and experimental components.

Labs: Each lab experiment is worth 20 points except the Population Analysis lab, which is worth 40 points. The laboratory work is worth half of the total experiment points and the lab report is worth the other half. You will not get credit for a lab report unless you perform the lab experiment. An attendance sheet will be at the front desk. Make sure you put your name on the sheet when you come into the lab.

Grading: Points will be deducted from lab reports based upon the point deduction specification located in the Grading section of the lab manual.

Grading Scale: A: 90-100%, B+: 88-89.9%, B: 82.0-87.9%, B-: 80.0-81.9%, C+: 78.0-79.9%, C:72.0-77.9%, C-:70.0-71.9%, D: 60.0-69.9%, F: <60.0%

Pre-requisites: None

Co-requisites: NS-103

Course Objectives: This course is designed to parallel the material covered in the Environmental Science lecture course, NS-103. You will perform experiments that illustrate scientific methods and cover areas of interest in the field of environmental science.

General Class Information: An absence from class will result in a score of zero for the lab unless you make up the lab. You can make up a lab within a week of the missed lab period with the instructor’s approval. You must obtain the approval of the lab instructor in whose class you will perform the lab experiment.

Lab reports will be due during the lab period following the period in which you performed an experiment, unless otherwise notified. There will be several formal lab reports during the course. Instructions for writing formal lab reports can be found in the Introduction of the lab manual or in some cases, in the Introduction of the experiment. There will be a late penalty of 10% per week for late lab reports. Any lab report that is turned in more than 2 weeks late, beyond 14 days after the report was due, will not be accepted.

Academic Misconduct: Scholastic misconduct is cause for a failing grade and I reserve the right to place a letter about an incident in the offending student’s permanent file. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing, misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by another, or interfering with another student’s work.

Resource Center for Students with Disabilities: If you have any disability or medical condition that might affect your performance, comfort, or safety in class, please speak with me in a timely manner, preferably the first week of class, to discuss any disability related needs as soon as possible. In compliance with LSSU policy and equal access laws, disability-related accommodations or services are available. Students are required to register with the Resource Center for Students with Disabilities (RCSD) for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations. RCSD is located in the KJS Library, Office 104, Ext. 2355 (Vicki Fox).

NS 104 Class Schedule

Class Session Experiments

1 Measurements and Spreadsheets Made Easy

2 Classification and Identification of Plastics

Fun with Worm Farming

3 The Energy Content of Various Fuels