TEACHING
CHM 333/ENV 333 Oil to Ozone: Chemistry of the Environment
François M. M. Morel
Anne M. Morel-Kraepiel
The chemistry behind environmental issues, including energy consumption, atmospheric change, water consumption and pollution, food production and toxic chemicals. The course includes discussion of questions and problems, guest lectures, and a group project to construct an informational Web page. Prerequisites: a 200-level chemistry course or permission of instructor.
FRS 124, The Everglades Today and Tomorrow: Global Change and the Impact of Human Activities on the Biosphere
Anne M. Morel-Kraepiel
Our lives, and those of our children, will be affected by the impact of human activities on the planet in ways that we are just beginning to understand. The Everglades, a unique “River of Grass” in South Florida, has long been emblematic of our complicated relationship with the environment. Only a fraction of the original Everglades ecosystem remains, as urban and agricultural activities in South Florida have encroached on existing wetlands, competing for the available water and compromising water quality. Yet the people of South Florida are dependent upon the fragile ecosystem, which provides water storage and filters out contaminants. In this seminar, we will use the Everglades as a case study for exploring this struggle between disturbance and dependence—a struggle that plays out in habitats across the globe.
GEO 418/CHM 418, Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry
François M. M. Morel
Application of quantitative chemical principles to the study of natural waters. Includes equilibrium computations, carbonate system, gas exchange, precipitation/dissolution of minerals, coordination of trace metals, redox reactions in water and sediments. Prerequisite: one year of college chemistry. Previous or concurrent enrollment in Chemistry 306 recommended.
ENV/GEO 524, Environmental Issues Seminar
François M. M. Morel
Current problems in environmental sciences. Element cycles; geochemistry-biotic interactions, human impacts on the environment. A new topic is chosen every semester. Recent topics have included: the global carbon cycle, alternative energies, biodiversity, environmental ethics, genetically modified organisms, the effects of globalization on the environment, the media and the environment, restoration ecology, the humanities’ influence on environmental science and policy, and ecological design and planning: architecture, landscape, and urbanism.
A year-long survey, in sequence, of fundamental papers in the geosciences. Topics in 505 (Fall) include the origin and interior of the Earth, plate tectonics, geodynamics, the history of life on Earth, the composition of the Earth, its oceans and atmospheres, past climate. Topics in 506 (Spring) include present and future climate, biogeochemical processes in the ocean, geochemical cycles, orogenies, thermochronology, rock fracture and seismicity. A core course for all beginning graduate students in the geosciences.
GEO 503, Responsible Conduct of Research in Geosciences
Course educates Geosciences and AOS students in the responsible conduct of research using case studies appropriate to these disciplines. This discussion-based course focuses on issues related to the use of scientific data, publication practices and responsible authorship, peer review, research misconduct, conflicts of interest, the role of mentors & mentees, issues encountered in collaborative research and the role of scientists in society. Successful completion is based on attendance, reading, and active participation in class discussions. Course satisfies University requirement for RCR training.