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MUDDY WATERS: Chicago's
Environmental Geology
EARTH SCIENCE 109W |
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ASSIGNMENTS |
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Assignment #1: Due
Sep 8, 2010. |
Assignment #2: Due by 8
pm, Tues, Sep 14. |
Assignment #3: Due by 8
pm, Tues, Sep 21. |
Assignment #4:
Gompers Field Report
Due by 8 pm,
Tues Sep 28 |
Assignment #5:
Water Quality Parameters
Due Fri Oct 8 |
Assignment #6:
Academic Plan
Due Fri Oct 22 |
Assignment #7:
Water Quality in River Park
Due Fri Oct 15 |
Assignment #8: How to
Recognize Plagiarism
Due Fri Oct 15 |
Assignment #9:
Stream Discharge Field Report
Due Fri Oct 22 |
Quiz Re-Do
Due Fri Oct 22 |
Town
Hall Meeting: Oct 21
Watch your e-mail for more info! |
Assignment #10: Beach Sample Analysis
Due Friday, Nov 5 |
Assignment
#11: Graphing Beach Seds. Due Tuesday, Nov 9 |
Assignment #12: What's Beyond NEIU? Due
Friday, Nov. 19. |
Assignment #13: Your Top Career Choices Due
Friday, Dec. 3. |
Final Project:
Simple Water Budget: Part I
Due Dec 3 |
Final Project Handout
(was given out in class on November 12)
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Advice on the Format
and Content of the Final Project Presentation (as
discussed in class on December 3) |
Grading Rubric for the Final Project Presentation (will
be used during presentations on December 10) |
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notebooks and reports are graded:
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Assignment
#1. (Due by noon, September 8, 2010.)
E-mail the instructors. Follow these rules; for each rule
you follow correctly, you will earn the number of points shown:
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Send your message from the e-mail
account you want us to use to contact you. (1 point)
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Send one message
to both instructors at the same time.
Do not send two separate messages! (1 point)
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As the subject heading of the
message, type "[your name] ESCI 109" (Type your own name
in the brackets.) (1 point)
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In the body of the message, write a
few sentences responding to the following two items:
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1) Tell us something about yourself. This
could be something about your family, your background, your
career goals, your hobbies...whatever you would like us to know
about you. (1 point)
AND 2) How does geology affect your everyday life?
(1 point) |
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Assignment
#2. (Due by 8 pm Tuesday, September 14.)
Write a field report
based on our trip to make field measurements and collect water
samples from the North Branch of the Chicago River at the
Central Park Bridge. Your field report should include the
following sections:
Field Site
Location: Where is it? (2
pts)
Team Members:
With whom did you work? (2 pts)
Description of the Field
Site: What type of
environment are we sampling from? Describe the
surrounding area (natural features? houses?
parks? office buildings? industrial
buildings?) (2 pts)
Field Conditions:
What time of day did the measurements and sampling
occur? What was the weather like? What
observations can you make about the river--is it
high? Is it low? Is the water clear or murky? What
do the banks of the river look like? (3 pts)
Methods:
How did you collect samples? What
measurements did you make and how did you make them
(what equipment did you use)? (3 pts)
Results:
How many samples did you collect? What were the
results of your measurements? (3 pts) |
Writing, Grammar, and
Spelling: Field reports should be written so that
another scientist can read it and understand what you did, where
you did it, and what the results were. Spelling and
grammar are important!
Page limit: One page. Be sure all the
required information is included! Margins and spacing are
your choice.
Electronic Format: Email your report as a Microsoft
Word Document to both instructors.
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Assignment #3 is in three parts:
Due by 8 pm Tuesday, September 21:
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Write a one-page field
report for the surveying work we did on the hill outside
on September 17. Use the same format and sections
you used for Assignment 2. This week, though,
instead of your sampling technique and results, you'll
need to describe your surveying technique and results. (See a link to the grading rubric
at the top of this page.)
Electronic Format: Email your report as a Microsoft
Word Document (.doc or docx) to both instructors.
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Due by 8 pm Tuesday, September
21:
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Write a one-page lab report
for the laboratory analyses of chloride and sulfate we
did September 17.
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Due at class time on Friday,
September 24:
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An NEIU catalog, with the pages
tabbed with sticky notes as described in class:
Earth Science, FYE, Graduation Requirements, FYE, your
major, your minor (if any). |
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Assignment #4: Due 8
pm Tuesday,
September 28.
Write a field report describing our work at Gompers Park
conducted on Friday, September 24. Use the format given in
the field report grading rubric, which you can link to at the
top of this page.
Length of the report should not exceed two pages. |
Assignment #5: Deadlines:
Thursday, October 7 and
Friday, October 8.
1) Post your field data
and lab data on the portal by
8 pm, Thursday, October 7. Use the following
format:
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Name
Group Members
Site visited (1, 2, or 3)
Results:
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pH
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Conductivity
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Dissolved Oxygen
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Temperature
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Nitrate
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Phosphate |
2) Read the materials
describing the following water quality parameters:
3) Create a report in MS Word
document (.doc or .docx) format. Name it [yourname_109W_HW5].
Your report should be e-mailed to both
instructors
by class time, 10 a.m., October 8.
Bring a
printed copy of your report to class on
October 8.
Your report should include the following:
A) Make a heading for each one of the
six water quality parameters listed above (nitrate,
phosphate, etc.), and then, in
your own words, write a short paragraph on each
parameter, summarizing its typical sources in
surface waters.
B) Make a heading for
USEPA Drinking Water Standards, and
do the following:
- Write a sentence
stating what the USEPA means by "MCL".
- Write a few
sentences explaining what Primary and Secondary
Drinking Water Standards are and explaining the
difference between them.
You will find the
answers to these questions at the web links given
below, or you can search for your own resources.
The sentences you write must be in your own
words! Do not cut and paste.
C) For each of the water
quality parameters listed in Question #2 above
(nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, chloride, fluoride,
and total dissolved solids), find out whether it
appears on the USEPA's list of Primary or Secondary
Drinking Water Standards.
D) Make a table listing
each of the water quality parameters listed in
Question #2 above, showing what the MCL is for each
one. (For some parameters, there may be no MCL!
For these parameters, write "None".) For each, note whether the MCL is Primary or
Secondary. Then, add one blank column. Your
table should look something like this:
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Water
Quality Parameter |
MCL |
Is the
Standard Primary, or Secondary? |
[leave
this column blank] |
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Nitrate |
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Phosphate |
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etc. |
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E) E-mail the report to both instructors, and also
print a copy to bring to class on Friday.
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Assignment #6: Your Academic Plan. Deadline: Friday, October 22.
Construct and develop an Academic Plan for yourself, mapping out
how you will complete your degree. Blank copies can be
downloaded here. This assignment was
discussed in class on October 8, and it requires you to meet
with your academic advisor. Your advisor will grade and
sign off on it, but it may take two or three meetings
before your advisor is satisfied. Leave yourself plenty of time
to schedule and hold meetings with them! |
Assignment #7: Water Quality
in River Park. Due Friday, October 15.
Each student will write a report summarizing the
work the class did at the field sites in River Park. Your
audience will be the neighborhood
association of Albany Park.
Specific instructions for the content and format of the report
appear here. |
Assignment
8: How to Recognize Plagiarism. Due by class
time, Friday, October 15.
Complete the online tutorial on "How to Recognize Plagiarism" at
https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/ . At the end of the
tutorial is a quiz. By scoring 100% on the quiz, you will
earn a certificate. Print the certificate and bring it to
class with you on Friday, October 15. |
Assignment
9: Stream Discharge Field Report. Due by
class time, Friday, October 22.
Write a field report on our work measuring stream discharge in
LaBagh Woods. Your report should have all the usual
sections and headings; see the grading rubric (at the top of
this page!) for a list. It also should include all the
data your group collected this week. You need not make
complete discharge calculations at this time; we will do that in
class on the 22nd. |
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Quiz Re-Do: Everyone has the
opportunity to re-do the last quiz, if they wish. This is
an open-book, open-note opportunity. You can print a clean
copy from this link. If you choose
to re-do the quiz, it is due in class on Friday, October 22. |
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Town Hall Meeting: Watch
your e-mail for another assignment! It is related to
Brian's announcement about the Town Hall meeting that will take
place on Thursday October 21. |
Assignment
10: Beach Sample Analysis. Due by
class time, Friday, November 5.
Complete the analysis of samples from your beach transects.
Using a microscope or hand lens, identify 50 particles according
to the handout that was
distributed in class. Bring your data with you to
class on Friday! |
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Assignment
11: Graphing Beach Sediments.
See this link
for details. Due Tuesday, November 9. |
Assignment 12:
What's Beyond NEIU?
(Due Friday, November 19, 2010.)
Log in to MyPlan at
http://neiu.myplan.com . Read the paragraph to the right of
the NEIU logo, then click "Create Free Account". You will need
to enter the NEIU license code (as given in class; if you were
not in class send the instructors an e-mail and we will send it
to you). Create an account for yourself.
Once you are logged in, complete the four tests: Personality
Test, Interest Inventory, Skills Profile, and Values
Assessment. (Allow about 20 minutes for each test.)
After you have finished each test, you will be able to read a
report on your profile. For each report, click "Printable
View", and print the report. Staple or clip all the reports
together, and hand them in at class time. |
Assignment 13: Your Top
Career Choices. Due Friday, December 3.
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Print out the worksheet
that appears here.
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back in to MyPlan at http://neiu.myplan.com
, using the account you already created.
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Click "Assessment", and
then either "CareerMatch�" (near the top), or "Composite Score"
(on the left hand side).
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Under "What Level of
Education?", select either Level 4 (Four-year degree) or Level 5
(Graduate Degree), and click "Go!" A list of careers suited to
your particular test results will appear.
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Looking at the top 10 (or so) careers, choose two that interest
you. Click on the career title. Then click "Summary", and
"Requirements" to find the information required on the
worksheet. |
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Final Project Part I: Simple
Water Budget. Due Dec 3. This should be
completed in the group you were assigned to in class.
Click here for more
information. |
Advice on the Format
and Content of the Final Presentation (as given in class on
December 3):
Your presentation should be given using PowerPoint or a poster
format.
Length: no less than 20, and no more than 30 minutes
Everybody in
the group must speak as part of the presentation.
Use no more
than 25 words on a PowerPoint slide
If you use a
poster format, font size must be at least 36 pt
For either
posters or PowerPoint, make graphs/charts/text visible from the
back of the room.
Speak loudly
and distinctly so people can hear you from the back of the
room.
Use the following general
outline:
Introduction (Title, Group Name, Team Members' names)
Describe the hydrologic cycle
Describe the urban environment and how water
cycle/budget are changed by urbanization
Overall
water budget concepts
Group’s
calculation (quantification of water budget)
What
data did you use, and where did you get it (not
“Google”!)
Did it balance? Why or why not? If anything is
missing, what is it?
What
data would you need to find to make it balance?
Estimate it.
How are
chemical parameters changed by being in urban
environment?
(Your group picked this out of a hat.)
Hypothetical situations--the "what ifs". For your
assigned situation (you picked it out of a hat),
describe the impact on the hydrologic cycle, your water
budget, and your specific chemical parameters.
Give this some thought and pay at least as much
attention to this as you paid to the "non-hypothetical"
situations--each situation has different aspects to it
that deserve special consideration.
w No pavement; very permeable soil
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All rainfall comes in 1-2 storms per year
w No sewage treatment plants
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No diversion from Lake Michigan
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Grading Rubric for the Final Project Presentation (will
be used during presentations on December 10):
The
instructors will use this "scoresheet" for group presentations.
Use it as your checklist as you prepare for your presentation! |
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Department of Earth Science
| Northeastern Illinois University
Copyright 2010 Laura L. Sanders. Last updated
December 9, 2010. |
Your Instructors:
Dr. Ken Voglesonger
Dr. Laura Sanders
Your Peer Mentors:
Brian Dix
Sarah Paulis |
