About the Course

This course is meant to be a ‘refresher course’ for undergraduates and beginning graduate students who would benefit from a review of fundamental principles (of mathematics, chemistry, biology and physics) and calculations that are commonly encountered in graduate level courses in environmental sciences. The coursework involves reviewing fundamental principles of quantifying physical (mass/volume relationships, heat transfer), chemical (oxidation-reduction, buffer preparation, dilution calculations) and microbial properties (biomass, respiration, mineralization, kinetics) in soil and water environments and working through basic calculations that form the basis of all laboratory work. Students entering this course should have successfully completed course work in mathematics, chemistry, and physics at least at the sophomore and junior level at some time in their past. This course is not intended to substitute for a sound academic background in these three areas.