Environmental health

Lecture, three hours. Understanding the impact of the nuclear age on the environment and human health through the interrelated developments of nuclear power and nuclear weapons. The early years of weapon development, catastrophic environmental pollution, perils of nuclear power in the U.S. and Russia.

Lecture, three hours. Focuses on processes of exposure to environmental toxins/agents and their impact to human health and the environment. Media transport, exposure assessment, susceptibility, behavior, and health effect of several toxins are discussed. Public Health Sciences and Public Health Policy majors have first consideration for enrollment.

Lecture, three hours. Overview of general concepts, theoretical principles, and analytical techniques for investigating environmental systems. Integrates tools from both natural and social sciences to analyze contemporary environmental challenges such as pollution, resource acquisition, facility and ecosystem design, impact assessments, the formulation of environmental policy.

Lecture, three hours. Indirect methods in estimating human exposure to environmental agents. Topics include air, noise, dermal and ingestion exposure assessment, time-activity and micro-environmental approach, uncertainty and variability analysis, and the use of GIS and remote sensing in exposure assessment.

Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to geologic principles and applications to environmental problems. Topics include: tectonic processes, earth materials, soils, river processes, groundwater, the coastal environment, slope failures, seismic hazards, mineral resources, and land-use evaluation based on geologic conditions. Examples from case studies. Prerequisite: Social Ecology E8.

Lecture, three hours. Basic elements of environmental design such as scale, proportion, rhythm, color, sound, lighting, surfaces, texture, architectural definition of spaces, volumes, massing volumetric analysis, solids and voids, and cultural aspects of design. Excitement and creativity in design, imageability. Prerequisites: Planning, Policy, and Design 4 and 152.

Lecture, three hours. Impact of the physical environment on individual and group behavior. Three basic concerns examined: (a) environmental determinants of behavior at the individual and interpersonal level; (b) social planning and urban design; and (c) methodological approaches to the study of environmental issues. Prerequisites: Social Ecology E8 or 10, or Planning, Policy, and Design 4.

Lecture, three hours. A mechanistic perspective on ecosystem processes. Covers ecosystem development, element cycling, and interactions with plants and microbes. The role of ecosystems in environmental change is also addressed. Prerequisite: Chemistry 51C.

Overview of oceanography for those interested in Earth system science. Focus is on physical, chemical, and biological processes that drive biogeochemical cycling in the oceans. Coastal systems also reviewed, with emphasis on California waters. Corequisites: Mathematics 2B and Physics 3B or 7C. Prerequisite: Chemistry 1C.