This course is designed to introduce the major concepts regarding geochemistry and geochemical modeling. The course introduces two United States Geological Survey (USGS) computer models, PHREEQC, a geochemical speciation model, and PHAST, a transport module which is coupled with PHREEQC output. These are highly respected, world-renowned models that are free-ware via the USGS, complete with documentation. Once familiar with the models, the student can continue to work with them beyond the course experience.


PHREEQC is designed to perform a wide variety of aqueous geochemical calculations and can be used to simulate chemical reactions and transport processes in natural or polluted waters. PHREEQC is capable of modeling both equilibrium and kinetic reactions. Some of the simulations pursued during the course include: Speciation of precipitation water; Iron speciation; Zinc sorption onto hydrous ferric oxide; Oxidation of organic carbon and the sequence of electron donors in natural waters; Benzene advective transport in groundwater; TCE transport and degradation.

Processes of soil development in a variety of temperate environments. Effects of lithology and climate on soil properties.

The aim of this 10-day summer program is to introduce inquisitive students to the nature, culture, history and languages of the European Alps in Switzerland and Italy. We will be exploring the geology of the Alps and how it influences the development of wildlife, flora, history, religion, culture and of entire regions, how humans have altered the environment, and how humans respond to climate change in Alpine ecosystems. We will learn how to observe nature in a spectacular landscape, visit cultural sites off the beaten track and explore some of the well-known localities, such as Zurich, Valtellina, Bellinzona, and the Engadine.

An introduction to processes and forces that form the surface and the interior of the Earth. Topics include, changes in climate, the history of life, as well as earth resources and their uses.

This course is designed to help students successfully complete their MES Capstone. A set of milestones will be set and regular meetings will be held in groups and individually to aid the student as they complete the research portion of their degree.We will be working together to complete a series of steps towards the final project. These steps fall into five major areas 1) Reviewing the literature; 2) Finding a model; 3) Framing your research; 4) managing data; and 5) Writing your results. Throughout the semester, we will also discuss career goals and the job search.

Sustainability (i.e. the long term viability of humans in harmony with the environment) has been identified as a critical issue for society and industry. The question is what actions individual companies can take to promote sustainability. This course will focus on the approach to both managing and communicating the corporate sustainability function. The opportunity that exists is to demonstrate that sustainability can reduce costs and enhance the corporations reputation. A sustainable approach looks to change core business activities that consume resources and generate waste (now to be seen as by-products) so that the new business model will not only have a beneficial impact on the environment but also generate better products, reduce costs and improve trust between society and the company. The implementation of sustainability management systems, which assists in aligning business operations with sustainable principles, has the potential for significant benefit for industry as well as for the long term viability of the human population and the natural ecosystem. The key will be to communicate the approach and the benefit so that investors, employees and the public understand what is at stake.

The study of sustainability-the long term viability of humans in harmony with the environment-has been identified as a critical issue for society and industry and is evolving to examine how society should conduct itself in order to survive.There are a number of aspects to how society organizes its activities that will be reviewed. Issues such as sustainable products, sustainable agriculture, sustainable forestry, sustainable fisheries, and sustainable communities, to name just a few, are areas that are the focus of the need for change. This course will review the various aspects of sustainability in society and ask each student to conduct a qualitative comparison of the life cycle impacts of two products that provide the same function to determine which is more sustainable and if and how they could both be made sustainable for the long term.

Superfund hazardous waste sites are prevalent in our nation and the exposures to toxicants from these sites raise immediate health concerns. The aims of this course are to educate students about such sites and provide a scientific basisfor hazard identification, hazard characterization, risk communication and risk management. The course will describe the effect of these hazardous chemicals on the ecosystem and vice-versa, and remediation and mitigation approaches. These environmental science issues will lead into the environmental health aspects of expsures including: biomonitoring (external and internal dose, biomarkers and the exposome), toxicological properties of contaminants and mode-of-action. The course will be complemented with visits to two Superfund sites in the region: Ambler (asbestos) and Palmerton (heavy metals).

Inadequate supplies of high quality water has now been widely recognized as one of the most critical issues in the world (see World Economic Forum rankings of global threats). The reasons for these problems differ considerably by region of the world. This course will provide an overview of the drivers of the water crisis and provide examples of solutions that have been used to address these challenges.