Environmental Metrology Policy (EMAP)

This is program's bi-weekly seminars or/and discussion forum

The course concerns the study of the earth (geosphere), air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), and living environments (biosphere), the effects of technology thereon (anthrosphere), and the interactions among them. On the one hand, it guides students through the chemistry related to the sources, reactions, transport, fates, and effects of chemical species in water, soil, air, and living environments, and the effects of technology thereon. On the other hand, it also exposes students to the chemistry underlining effects of environmental chemical species on life, including the chemistry of toxic substances with emphasis upon their interactions with biologic tissue and living organisms. Overall, students will learn the chemical principles and interactions that govern the environmental processes around us, particularly the chemistry/biochemistry that help identify and quantify the effects of environmental exposures. Students will also develop an appreciation of the intertwined nature and fragile equilibrium among the five environmental spheres.

The course teaches concepts and methodologies of statistical methods and interplay between statistics and measurements in metrology through in-depth discussion of the best statistical methods for the assessment and expression of measurement uncertainty. This is a topic that is essential to metrology but not commonly known to even experienced statisticians. Topics to be covered, but are not limited to, include (1) probability modeling of measurement error, (2) elementary one-/two-sample statistical methods and measurement and inter-lab comparison, (3) intermediate-level statistical methods to quantify the importance of sources of variability in measurements, (4) statistical analysis of repeatability and reproducibility (R&R), (5) linear regression and calibration, (6) quantization/digitalization effects, (7) quantifying how measurement precision affects one’s ability to detect differences between measurands, (8) models and methods of spatial statistics applied to environmental problems. The course also introduces R language and its application for environmental statistics and discusses statistical modeling methods used by EPA. Overall, the course is designed to help students understand the quality and reliability of the measurements, acquire the ability to parse a measurement problem, identify the critical sources of variability and bias, and develop approaches to address these using the core concepts of uncertainty, traceability, validation, and quality systems.

Introduction to Environmental Economics will introduce fundamental economic concepts as they relate to the environment. These fundamental concepts will then be used to explore and assess current and potential policy responses to some of the major environmental issues of our time. Examples are drawn from all over the world and include such vital issues as climate change, natural resource use, waste management, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

This course introduces the variety of important environmental challenges addressed by environmental laws and the legal complexities of environmental regulatory schemes. The course teaches first the US legal system in the context of environmental protection with emphasis on the legal framework for environmental protection as it has evolved in the United States, including an overview of administrative law processes and an examination of the science methodologies that are used to support regulatory decisions. Students is exposed to key constitutional principles, common law, statutes, and regulations that govern the administration of environmental law. The course then examines the history, development, sources and principles of international environmental law and review the role of relevant international organizations in the context of environmental protection. Other key international issues including atmospheric protection, climate change and trans-boundary water are examined in the context of US and international environmental law. This course provides the foundation by covering the “fundamentals” of environmental laws.

Environmental Toxicology and Epidemiology - Principles and Applications - Toxicology is a multidisciplinary science that investigates the harmful effects of environmental stressors (chemical, physical and biological agents) on humans, animals, and the ecosystem. Toxicology has progressed from a science concerned with poisons and the harmful effects of chemical exposure to a science concerned with safety. It incorporates knowledge and methods from fundamental sciences such as exposure, metrology, chemistry biology, biochemistry, medicine, epidemiology, pharmacology, and even engineering disciplines. Toxicological and epidemiological assessments employ a multidisciplinary approach to predict what and how environmental agents will potentially cause harm to fauna and flora and how this information could help to protect public health and ecological habitats including regulatory policy-making These assessments could be extremely complicated due to several challenges.

Full Title: Environmental Metrology Lab IIA: Guided Independent Research This is a transitional course from EMAP 512 Environmental Metrology Lab I: Instrumental Principles and Measurements to EMAP 518 Capstone Projects. It provides authentic experiential learning processes through which students learn to carry out guided independent laboratory research on topics formulated either during EMAP-512 or the 10-week summer internships (EMAP 800) in the preceding summer. Under the guidance of instructors/advisors, students will first formulate a draft research proposal that addresses (1) why the chosen topic is important in environmental protection (big picture), (2) what are the specific questions of current interest that the proposed research aims to answer (research objectives), and (3) how the proposed research will be carried out. Students will then carry out trial laboratory experiments to refine/finalize the proposal and obtain preliminary results accordingly. The finalized proposal, together with the obtained preliminary results, will serve the blue print for the ensuing EMAP 518 Capstone Projects. At the end of the course, students are required to produce (1) a 5-min video that summarizes, (2) 10- to 15-min oral presentation of, and (3) a poster of (for the Q&A session), and (4) a comprehensive written report (in the format for peer-reviewed publications) of their independent research. (2) and (3) will take place at the Independent Research Symposium organized at the end of the course.

Continuation of Advanced Environmental Policy Making Science I: A Study of Practical Cases

This is a transitional course from EMAP 512 Environmental Metrology Lab I: Instrumental Principles and Measurements to EMAP 518 Capstone Projects. It provides authentic experiential learning processes through which students learn to carry out guided independent laboratory research on topics formulated either during EMAP-512 or the 10-week summer internships (EMAP 800) in the preceding summer. Under the guidance of instructors/advisors, students will first formulate a draft research proposal that addresses (1) why the chosen topic is important in environmental protection (big picture), (2) what are the specific questions of current interest that the proposed research aims to answer (research objectives), and (3) how the proposed research will be carried out. Students will then carry out trial laboratory experiments to refine/finalize the proposal and obtain preliminary results accordingly. The finalized proposal, together with the obtained preliminary results, will serve the blue print for the ensuing EMAP 518 Capstone Projects. At the end of the course, students are required to produce (1) a 5-min video that summarizes, (2) 10- to 15-min oral presentation of, and (3) a poster of (for the Q&A session). Students are not required to submit a comprehensive written report.

10-week research internship at NIST, EPA, or other qualified government agencies and NGOs.

This is a summative independent research course that follows EMAP 518 Metrology Lab IIA/EMAP xxx Metrology Lab IIB. If needed, students may continue to finalize their research proposal at the very beginning of the course that started previously in Metrology Lab IIA/B. They will carry out the research proposed in the finalized the proposal. At the end of the course, students are required to produce (1) a 5-min video that summarizes, (2) 10- to 15-min oral presentation of, and (3) a poster of (for the Q&A session), and (4) a comprehensive and summative written report (in the format for peer-reviewed publications) of their capstone project research. (2) and (3) will take place at the Capstone Projects Symposium organized at the end of the course. In the written report, students are specifically required to address and discuss the research’s relevance to policymaking related to the chosen contemporary environmental issue(s) that is the focus of students’ capstone project.