This course introduces environmental studies as an interdisciplinary field of learning. It will provide a survey of a broad range of environmental problems, cases, and questions, from climate change to sustainable agriculture, from toxic waste to species extinction. We will also examine the intellectual traditions, authors, and historical developments that have most profoundly shaped our understanding of these issues. Keeping a constant eye on the complexities of life in the twenty-first century, we will explore the many different theories and methods that inform environmental scholarship, activism, and policy-making in a variety of cultural arenas and across geographical scales. Along the way, we will read works by philosophers, economists, journalists, historians, sociologists, and many others. [ more ]

Environmental science is the interdisciplinary study of the Earth's systems through the synthesis of physical, chemical, geological, and biological perspectives. This course introduces students to the scientific methods used to assess human impacts on the environment. Through this course students will be introduced to scientific literature on local and regional issues and place them in a global context The environmental policy implications of the local and regional data that is collected also will be examined through discussions and class debates. We will explore the physical/natural environmental processes within the local Hoosic River Watershed through field and laboratory exercises, these local findings then will be interpreted in the broader context of the downstream watersheds and landscapes in which the Hoosic is situated, namely the Hudson River, and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. Examples of topics covered are: linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, climate change, human impacts on water quality, acid rain, toxic metals, human influences on hydrology, ecosystem restoration/remediation, and waste treatment. Some to the analyses of these topics will be through short lab reports, while the applications of these science topics to policy issues will be explored through classroom debates. Students design and complete an independent project on one of these subjects as it pertains to their hometown. There will be an all-day field trip through the Hoosic River Valley early in the semester. [ more ]

This course combines lectures with field and indoor laboratory exercises to explore factors that determine the distribution and abundance of plants and animals in natural systems. The course begins with an overall view of global patterns and then builds from the population to the ecosystem level. An emphasis is given to basic ecological principles and relates them to current environmental issues. Selected topics include population dynamics (competition, predation, mutualism); community interactions (succession, food chains and diversity) and ecosystem function (biogeochemical cycles, energy flow). [ more ]

This interdisciplinary course introduces the theories, approaches, methods, and legal framework of environmental planning and provides students with experience in the planning and design process through project work in the Berkshire region. The first part of the course introduces the students to planning literature through analysis and discussion of case studies. The midterm project is an urban design exercise. In the second part of the course students tackle an actual planning project. Small teams of students (3-4), working in conjunction with an experienced community member "client," and under supevision of the instructor, conduct a planning project, using all the tools of an environmental planner. The project work draws on students' full range of academic work, extracurricular interests and activities, and applies interdisciplinary knowledge and methodologies. The course includes several student presentations and culminates in a public presentation of each team's planning study and a project report. This course also includes field trips, town meetings, interviews, survey work, and computer mapping labs. [ more ]

The Environmental Studies and Maritime Studies programs provide students with an opportunity to explore the myriad ways in which humans interact with diverse environments at scales ranging from local to global. As the capstone course for Environmental Studies and Maritime Studies, this seminar will bring together students who will have specialized in the humanities, social studies and/or the sciences and will provide an opportunity for exchange across these disciplinary streams. Readings and discussion will be organized around the common theme of complexity theory, paying particular attention to means of strengthening the resilience of socio-ecological systems. Over the course of the seminar, students will develop a sustained independent research project on a topic of their choice. [ more ]

Statistics can be viewed as the art (science?) of turning data into information. Real world decision-making, whether in business or science is often based on data and the perceived information it contains. Sherlock Holmes, when prematurely asked the merits of a case by Dr. Watson, snapped back, "Data, data, data! I can't make bricks without clay." In this course, we will study the basic methods by which statisticians attempt to extract information from data. These will include many of the standard tools of statistical inference such as the t-test, analysis of variance and linear regression as well as exploratory and graphical data analysis techniques. [ more ]

This class provides a practical look at fast-evolving methods used to integrate information about the Earth's surface with spatial data collected by disciplines such as archaeology, economics, the field sciences, history and political science. Remote sensing involves collection and processing of data from satellite and airborne sensors to yield environmental information about the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere. Remote sensing allows regional mapping of rock materials, analysis of vegetation cover and measurement of urban areas and land-use change over time. A Geographic Information System (GIS) links satellite-based environmental measurements with spatial data such as topography, transportation networks, and political boundaries, allowing display and quantitative analysis at the same scale using the same geographic reference. This course covers concepts of remote-data capture and geographic rectification using a Global Positioning System (GPS), as well as principles of remote sensing, including linear and non-linear image enhancements, convolution filtering, and image classification. Principles of GIS include display and classification, spatial buffers, logical overlays and techniques of spatial analysis. Weekly labs focus on training in the application of techniques using data from the region and other areas of North America. [ more ]

Mathematical models are extensively used to understand biological phenomena. In this course we will study how differential and difference equations can be used to model various ecological systems ranging from predator-prey interactions to infectious disease dynamics. We will explore how to formulate these models, and methods for analyzing these systems including local and global stability analysis will be introduced. [ more ]

Our planet is about 4.6 billion years old, and has supported life for at least the last 3.5 billion of those years. This course will consider the inter-related nature of Earth and the life that inhabits it, starting with the first living organisms and progressing to the interaction of our own species with the Earth today. Students will investigate the dynamic nature of the Earth-life system, examine many of its feedbacks, and learn about the dramatic changes that have occurred throughout the history of the Earth. We will ask questions such as: How did the Earth facilitate biologic evolution, and what effects did those biologic events have on the physical Earth? When did photosynthesis evolve, how can we detect that in the rock record, and how did this biological event lead to profound changes in the environment? How and why did animals evolve and what role did environmental change play in the radiation of animal life? How did the rise and radiation of land plants affect world climate? How do plate tectonics, glaciation, and volcanism influence biodiversity and evolutionary innovation? What caused mass extinctions in the past and what can that teach us about our current extinction crisis? Labs will involve hands-on analysis of rocks, fossils, and real-world data as well as conceptual and analytical exercises; field trips will contextualize major events in Earth history and will help students learn to read the rock record. Through these investigations, the class will provide a comprehensive overview of Earth history, with special attention paid to the geological and paleontological history of the northeastern United States. [ more ]

This course focuses upon the developmental and evolutionary processes that have given rise to a wide diversity of multicellular organisms. We consider many levels of biological organization, from molecular and cellular to individuals and populations. Topics include meiosis and sexual reproduction, animal and plant development, evolutionary mechanisms, and speciation, with examples from the three main groups of multicellular organisms (animals, plants, and fungi). Readings are drawn from a variety of sources, including the recent biological literature. [ more ]

The oceans cover about 72% of Earth's surface, yet we know the surface of Venus better than our own ocean floors. Why is that? This integrated introduction to the oceans covers formation and history of the ocean basins; the composition and origin of seawater; currents, tides, and waves; ocean-atmosphere interactions; oceans and climate; deep-marine environments; coastal processes; productivity in the oceans; and marine resources. Coastal oceanography will be investigated on an all-day field trip, hosted by the Williams-Mystic program in Connecticut. [ more ]

Intended for the non-scientist, this course explores the biological dimensions of social issues in tropical societies, and focuses on specifically on the peoples and cultures of tropical regions in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceanea, and the Caribbean. Tropical issues have become prominent on a global scale, and many social issues in the tropics are inextricably bound to human ecology, evolution, and physiology. The course begins with a survey of the tropical environment of humans, including major climatic and habitat features. The next section focuses on human population biology, and emphasizes demography and the role of disease particularly malaria and AIDS. The final part of the course covers the place of human societies in local and global ecosystems including the challenges of tropical food production, the importance of organic diversity, and the interaction of humans with their supporting ecological environment. This course fulfills the EDI requirement. Through lectures, debates and readings, students confront social issues in the tropics from the perspective of biologist. This builds a framework for lifelong exploration of human diversity. [ more ]

This course provides a general introduction to chemistry for those students who are anticipating professional study in chemistry, in related sciences, or in one of the health professions, as well as for those students who are interested in exploring the fundamental ideas of chemistry as part of their general education. The course presents an overview of chemical concepts, provides the foundation for the further study of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry, and gives special attention to the principles of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The principal topics include chemical bonding, molecular structure, stoichiometry, chemical equilibrium, acid-base reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, solubility equilibria, and related applications. Laboratory work comprises a system of qualitative analysis and quantitative techniques. [ more ]

In recent years, there has been a growing public and scientific interest in the Earth's climate and its variability. This interest reflects both concern over future climate changes resulting from anthropogenic increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases and growing recognition of the economic impact of "natural" climate variability (for example, El Ni?o events), especially in the developing world. Efforts to understand the Earth's climate system and predict future climate changes require both study of parameters controlling present day climate and detailed studies of climate changes in the past. In this course, we will review the processes that control the Earth's climate, like insolation, the greenhouse effect, ocean circulation, configuration of continents, and positive and negative feedbacks . At the same time, we will review the geological record of climate changes in the past, examining their causes. Laboratory exercises and problem sets will emphasize developing problem solving skills and using quantitative analyses to assess if a given explanation is possible and reasonable. These exercises will include developing and applying numerical models of the radiative balance of earth and the carbon cycle. [ more ]

Carbon dioxide is the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, and human activities are adding carbon to the atmosphere at unprecedented rates. Yet only half of the carbon we emit each year remains in the atmosphere because biological, geological, and chemical processes continually cycle carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean, to land plants and soils, and to sediments. The workings of the carbon cycle are at the center of many controversies surrounding the causes of past climate changes and the outcome of future global warming. How was the Earth's climate steered by past changes in the carbon cycle, billions and millions of years ago? Will natural processes continue to take up such a high percentage of carbon emissions as emissions continue and climate changes? Can and should we coax natural systems to take up even more carbon? How might carbon emissions be reduced on the scale of the Williams campus? We will explore these issues through readings of current journal articles and reports. [ more ]

This field-lecture course covers the evolutionary and ecological relationships among plant groups represented in our local and regional flora. Lectures focus on the evolution of the land plants, the most recent and revolutionary developments in plant systemics and phylogeny, and characteristics of plant families and cultural and economic uses of plants, native species. The labs cover field identification, natural history, and ecology of local species. [ more ]

An advanced ecology course that examines how organisms interact with each other and with abiotic factors. This course emphasizes phenomena that emerge in complex ecological systems, building on the fundamental concepts of population biology, community ecology, and ecosystem science. Lectures and workshops explore how communities and ecosystems are defined, and how theoretical, comparative, and experimental approaches are used to elucidate their structure and function. Field laboratories emphasize hypothesis-oriented experiments, some of which will continue with laboratory analyses; field trips introduce the diversity of natural communities and ecosystems of the region. There will be one all-day field trip to Mt. Greylock State Reservation. Extensive use will be made of the 75-year database of the Hopkins Memorial Forest. Students will engage in self-designed term project. [ more ]

This course offers a critical analysis of contemporary concepts and controversies in evolution. We focus on the relation of evolutionary mechanisms (e.g., selection, drift, and migration) to long term evolutionary patterns (e.g., evolutionary innovations, origin of major groups, and the emergence of diversity). Topics include micro-evolutionary models, natural selection and adaptation, sexual selection, evolution and development, speciation, and the inference of evolutionary history. [ more ]

Bioterrorism and the alarming spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria are but two of the reasons for the resurgence of interest in the biology of microorganisms. This course will examine microbes from the perspectives of cell structure and function, genomics, and evolution. A central theme will be the adaptation of bacteria as they evolve to fill specific ecological niches, with an emphasis on microbe:host interactions that lead to pathogenesis. We will consider communication among bacteria as well as between bacteria and their environment. Topics include: microbial development, population dynamics, bioremediation, plant and animal defenses against infection, and bacterial strategies to subvert the immune system. In the lab, major projects will focus on horizontal gene transfer, metagenomics, and the isolation and characterization of bacteria from natural environments. Students will also use flow cytometry to investigate fundamental aspects of the mammalian immune system. The lab experience will culminate in multi-week independent investigations. Readings will be supplemented by articles from the primary literature. [ more ]

What is a poison and what makes it poisonous? Paracelcus commented in 1537: "What is not a poison? All things are poisons (and nothing is without poison). The dose alone keeps a thing from being a poison." Is the picture really this bleak; is modern technology-based society truly swimming in a sea of toxic materials? How are the nature and severity of toxicity established, measured and expressed? Do all toxic materials exert their effect in the same manner, or can materials be poisonous in a variety of different ways? Are the safety levels set by regulatory agencies low enough for a range of common toxic materials, such as mercury, lead, and certain pesticides? How are poisons metabolized and how do they lead to the development of cancer? What is cancer and what does it take to cause it? What biochemical defense mechanisms exist to counteract the effects of poisons?
This course attempts to answer these questions by surveying the fundamentals of modern chemical toxicology and the induction and progression of cancer. Topics will range from description and quantitation of the toxic response, including risk assessment, to the basic mechanisms underlying toxicity, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and DNA repair. [ more ]

A seminar / field course investigating patterns, processes, and concepts of stability in human?dominated, food production ecosystems. As a capstone course, the course will draw upon the experiences that students have had in biology and environmental studies courses. Topics will include: the relationships among diversity, ecosystem function, sustainability, resilience, and stability of food production and distribution systems, nutrient pools and processing in human?dominated ecosystems. Two extensive field trips will be taken to agricultural operations in the region. Each student will present a seminar on a topic requiring extensive reading of primary resources. Position paper assignments will be made at bi?weekly intervals and due prior to the seminar to which they relate, and periodic synthesis paper assignments will tie together various topic elements. [ more ]

This course provides a general introduction to chemistry for those students who are anticipating professional study in chemistry, in related sciences, or in one of the health professions, as well as for those students who are interested in exploring the fundamental ideas of chemistry as part of their general education. The course presents an overview of chemical concepts, provides the foundation for the further study of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry, and gives special attention to the principles of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The principal topics include chemical bonding, molecular structure, stoichiometry, chemical equilibrium, acid-base reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, solubility equilibria, and related applications. Laboratory work comprises a system of qualitative analysis and quantitative techniques. [ more ]

This course parallels CHEM 151 and provides a foundation in chemistry for those students who are anticipating professional study in chemistry, related sciences, or one of the health professions, as well as for those students who are interested in exploring the fundamental ideas of chemistry as part of their general education. It is designed for those students with sound preparation in secondary school chemistry and to provide the foundation for further study of organic (CHEM 156) or inorganic/physical (CHEM 256) chemistry. Principal topics include kinetic theory of gases, modern atomic theory, molecular structure and bonding, states of matter, chemical equilibrium (acid-base and solubility), and an introduction to atomic and molecular spectroscopies. Laboratory work includes synthesis, qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis, and molecular modeling. [ more ]

This course provides a foundation in chemistry for those students who are anticipating professional study in chemistry, related sciences, or one of the health professions, as well as for those students who are interested in exploring the fundamental ideas of chemistry as part of their general education. This course is designed for those students with strong preparation in secondary school chemistry and will focus on topics in physical and inorganic chemistry and their practical applications, providing a foundation for advanced study in these areas. Topics include chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, structure and bonding, coordination chemistry, electrochemistry and spectroscopy and their application to fields such as materials science, industrial, environmental, biological, and medicinal chemistry.
Laboratory work includes synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of coordination complexes, electrochemical analysis, materials chemistry, qualitative analysis, and molecular modeling. [ more ]

This course provides the necessary background in organic chemistry for students who are planning advanced study or a career in chemistry, the biological sciences, or the health professions. It initiates the systematic study of the common classes of organic compounds with emphasis on theories of structure and reactivity. The fundamentals of molecular modeling as applied to organic molecules are presented. Specific topics include basic organic structure and bonding, isomerism, stereochemistry, molecular energetics, the theory and interpretation of infrared and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy, substitution and elimination reactions, and the addition reactions of alkenes and alkynes. The coordinated laboratory work includes purification and separation techniques, structure-reactivity studies, organic synthesis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and the identification of unknown compounds. [ more ]

This course is a continuation of Chemistry 156 and it concludes the systematic study of the common classes of organic compounds with emphasis on theories of structure and reactivity. Specific topics include radical chemistry, an introduction to mass spectrometry and ultraviolet spectroscopy, the theory and chemical reactivity of conjugated and aromatic systems, the concepts of kinetic and thermodynamic control, an extensive treatment of the chemistry of the carbonyl group, alcohols, ethers, polyfunctional compounds, the concept of selectivity, the fundamentals of organic synthesis, an introduction to carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and derivatives, acyl substitution reactions, amines, and an introduction to amino acids, peptides, and proteins. The coordinated laboratory work includes application of the techniques learned in the introductory level laboratory, along with new functional group analyses, to the separation and identification of several unknown samples. Skills in analyzing NMR, IR, and MS data are practiced and further refined. [ more ]

This course is a continuation of CHEM 156 and contains the same material as CHEM 251 except for the laboratory program described below: The aim of this advanced laboratory section is to enrich and enhance the laboratory experiences of motivated students of recognized ability by providing a laboratory program that more closely resembles the unpredictable nature and immediacy of true chemical research. Students synthesize, isolate, and characterize (using a range of modern physical and spectroscopic techniques) a family of unknown materials in a series of experiments constituting an integrated, semester-long investigation. A flexible format is employed in which the students are responsible for helping to plan the course of their laboratory work based upon discussions with the instructor about the previous week's experimental results. Students are drawn from CHEM 156 with placement based upon student selection and nomination by the CHEM 156 instructor. Participants attend their regular CHEM 251 lecture but attend the special laboratory section instead of a CHEM 251 laboratory section. [ more ]

This course treats an array of topics in modern chemistry, emphasizing broad concepts that connect and weave through the various traditional subdisciplines of the field. We begin at the microscopic level (atomic, molecular) with an introduction to coordination complexes (with applications in bioinorganic and geochemistry for instance.) From here we move on to a detailed description of structure and bonding, comparing the strengths, weaknesses and appropriate application of various bonding theories to different types of chemical complexes (small organic molecules, biomolecules, coordination complexes, and organic electronic materials for instance). We then transition to a broader, more macroscopic perspective, covering chemical thermodynamics and kinetics. In this section we emphasize how these broader views allow us to study different aspects of chemical reactivity of all types. Laboratory work includes experiments involving synthesis, characterization, and reactivity studies of coordination and organic complexes, spectroscopic analyses, thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemical, and nuclear chemistry. [ more ]

What is a poison and what makes it poisonous? Paracelcus commented in 1537: "What is not a poison? All things are poisons (and nothing is without poison). The dose alone keeps a thing from being a poison." Is the picture really this bleak; is modern technology-based society truly swimming in a sea of toxic materials? How are the nature and severity of toxicity established, measured and expressed? Do all toxic materials exert their effect in the same manner, or can materials be poisonous in a variety of different ways? Are the safety levels set by regulatory agencies low enough for a range of common toxic materials, such as mercury, lead, and certain pesticides? How are poisons metabolized and how do they lead to the development of cancer? What is cancer and what does it take to cause it? What biochemical defense mechanisms exist to counteract the effects of poisons?
This course attempts to answer these questions by surveying the fundamentals of modern chemical toxicology and the induction and progression of cancer. Topics will range from description and quantitation of the toxic response, including risk assessment, to the basic mechanisms underlying toxicity, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and DNA repair. [ more ]

Our planet is about 4.6 billion years old, and has supported life for at least the last 3.5 billion of those years. This course will consider the inter-related nature of Earth and the life that inhabits it, starting with the first living organisms and progressing to the interaction of our own species with the Earth today. Students will investigate the dynamic nature of the Earth-life system, examine many of its feedbacks, and learn about the dramatic changes that have occurred throughout the history of the Earth. We will ask questions such as: How did the Earth facilitate biologic evolution, and what effects did those biologic events have on the physical Earth? When did photosynthesis evolve, how can we detect that in the rock record, and how did this biological event lead to profound changes in the environment? How and why did animals evolve and what role did environmental change play in the radiation of animal life? How did the rise and radiation of land plants affect world climate? How do plate tectonics, glaciation, and volcanism influence biodiversity and evolutionary innovation? What caused mass extinctions in the past and what can that teach us about our current extinction crisis? Labs will involve hands-on analysis of rocks, fossils, and real-world data as well as conceptual and analytical exercises; field trips will contextualize major events in Earth history and will help students learn to read the rock record. Through these investigations, the class will provide a comprehensive overview of Earth history, with special attention paid to the geological and paleontological history of the northeastern United States. [ more ]

The oceans cover about 72% of Earth's surface, yet we know the surface of Venus better than our own ocean floors. Why is that? This integrated introduction to the oceans covers formation and history of the ocean basins; the composition and origin of seawater; currents, tides, and waves; ocean-atmosphere interactions; oceans and climate; deep-marine environments; coastal processes; productivity in the oceans; and marine resources. Coastal oceanography will be investigated on an all-day field trip, hosted by the Williams-Mystic program in Connecticut. [ more ]

The metal in your soda can, the plastic in your Nalgene, the components of your computer, the glass in your window, the hydrocarbons being burned to keep you warm in the winter or to transport you in cars or aircraft, the cars and aircraft themselves: all are made of materials mined from the Earth. Right now there are more people building more houses, paving more roads, making more vehicles, more electronics, and more plastic packaging--all with geologic materials. As demand soars in both established and growing economies, and as we realize the environmental damage that can result from resource extraction and processing, the importance of understanding Earth's resources increases. Finding new deposits and managing those we have requires insight into the geology that underlies the location and origin of strategic Earth materials.This class introduces the geologic processes that control formation, distribution, and extent of materials reserves: dimension stone and gravel, base and precious metal ores, gemstones, petroleum, nuclear energy sources, and specialty materials for medical, technological, and military uses. [ more ]

In recent years, there has been a growing public and scientific interest in the Earth's climate and its variability. This interest reflects both concern over future climate changes resulting from anthropogenic increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases and growing recognition of the economic impact of "natural" climate variability (for example, El Ni?o events), especially in the developing world. Efforts to understand the Earth's climate system and predict future climate changes require both study of parameters controlling present day climate and detailed studies of climate changes in the past. In this course, we will review the processes that control the Earth's climate, like insolation, the greenhouse effect, ocean circulation, configuration of continents, and positive and negative feedbacks . At the same time, we will review the geological record of climate changes in the past, examining their causes. Laboratory exercises and problem sets will emphasize developing problem solving skills and using quantitative analyses to assess if a given explanation is possible and reasonable. These exercises will include developing and applying numerical models of the radiative balance of earth and the carbon cycle. [ more ]

Carbon dioxide is the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, and human activities are adding carbon to the atmosphere at unprecedented rates. Yet only half of the carbon we emit each year remains in the atmosphere because biological, geological, and chemical processes continually cycle carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean, to land plants and soils, and to sediments. The workings of the carbon cycle are at the center of many controversies surrounding the causes of past climate changes and the outcome of future global warming. How was the Earth's climate steered by past changes in the carbon cycle, billions and millions of years ago? Will natural processes continue to take up such a high percentage of carbon emissions as emissions continue and climate changes? Can and should we coax natural systems to take up even more carbon? How might carbon emissions be reduced on the scale of the Williams campus? We will explore these issues through readings of current journal articles and reports. [ more ]