Field Methods in Environmental Science

Catalog description

Students will learn strategies for applying the scientific method in field-based environmental science and gain technical skills in environmental sample and data collection and sample analysis using a wide range of field and laboratory methods. The course is structured around a semester-long project to investigate the impact of human activities on natural systems using Chestnut Branch Creek and the surrounding Rowan University campus as the primary field site. Methods for data collection will include handheld sensors like DO/pH/salinity probes as well as data loggers that continuously record parameters like stream water level and temperature. Students will also collect soil and water samples for laboratory-based analysis of water quality parameters such as nutrient and dissolved gas concentrations. Through this writing intensive (WI) course, students will author job-relevant documents like a research proposal, a quality assurance project plan (QAPP), and an EPA-style technical report that all document the semester project.