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Constructing Environmental Impact Statements. An Organizational Focus for Teaching Analytical Environmental Chemistry

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Susan M. Libes

Department of Chemistry, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29526

J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76 (12), p 1649

DOI: 10.1021/ed076p1649

Publication Date (Web): December 1, 1999

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

Preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is the organizational focus for an undergraduate lab course in environmental chemistry. Students work collaboratively through the semester to prepare an EIS following National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines. This involves several stages of activity including a scoping process, field sampling, and laboratory analyses, modeling of the results to predict impacts, and report writing. To maximize student interest and make sampling practical, the proposed activity for which the EIS is prepared is locally based. Laboratory analyses are performed using the U.S. EPA's standard methods for turbidity, color, coliforms, nutrients, trace metals, alkalinity, petroleum hydrocarbons, and chlorinated pesticides. The completed EIS is defended in a mock public hearing at which students play assigned roles. In addition to requiring a high degree of group work, this approach emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of environmental chemistry and the difficulty of using scientific data to perform risk assessments. Preparation of an EIS is a federal or state requirement for many construction projects and hence students get a chance to experience a potential career area as well as acquire a marketable skill.

Keywords (Audience):

Second-Year Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Environmental Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Collaborative / Cooperative Learning

Keywords (Subject):

Instrumental Methods

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This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

Integration of Environmental Analytical Chemistry with Environmental Law: The Development of a Problem-Based Laboratory
Devon A. Cancilla
Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (12), 1652
- Integration of Environmental Analytical Chemistry with Environmental Law: The Development of a Problem-Based Laboratory
  Devon A. Cancilla
  Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (12), 1652
  Environmental chemists face difficult challenges related to generating, interpreting, and communicating complex chemical data in a manner understandable by nonchemists. For this reason, it is essential that environmental chemistry students develop the ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Learning Quality Assurance/Quality Control Using U.S. EPA Techniques. An Undergraduate Course for Environmental Chemistry Majors
Susan M. Libes
Journal of Chemical Education1999 76 (12), 1642
- Learning Quality Assurance/Quality Control Using U.S. EPA Techniques. An Undergraduate Course for Environmental Chemistry Majors
  Susan M. Libes
  Journal of Chemical Education1999 76 (12), 1642
  Chemical analyses should always be accompanied by activities that ensure and document quality control (QC). An undergraduate course in environmental analysis is a practical point at which to teach this, as the U.S. EPA has developed a standard set of QC ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links