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Course Syllabus

SWS 4550/5551

Soils, Water, and Public Health

3 credits

Spring semesters (on-campus only, Sections 6652/6722)

Summer semesters (SWS 5551 DE only, Section TBA)

Instructors: O’Connor leads on-campus section; Snyder leads distance-delivered section

Dr. G.A. O’ConnorDr. Elizabeth SnyderDr. Max Teplitski

410 Newell HallDept. Health Sciences304 Genetics Inst.

Soil & Water Sci. Univ. Alaska AnchorageSoil & Water Sci.

PO Box 10510Ankorage, AKPO Box 110290

392-1803 ext. 329907-786-6541273-8189

Graduate Teaching Assistant: TBD

Class website:TBA

Meeting TimesMeeting RoomOffice Hours

(on-campus section)(on-campus section)

M/W/F 2nd periodMcCarty Hall BG108Email to arrange

Course Description

We highlight important instances where soil and water science and public health overlap, and develop student skills required for competency in both disciplines. Lectures and class activities are designed to inform and facilitate a semester-long case study. Prerequisites: CHEM 2045 & 2046 and BSC 2010; or consent of instructor.

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate how soil and water properties and processes affect public health
  • Describe the various disciplines of public health and discuss issues/trends currently shaping the field
  • Survey the most common water- and soil-borne pathogens and define behaviors that are important for survival outside of human hosts
  • Describe how basic soil characteristics and physical/chemical reactions enable preliminary estimates of how various contaminants move, react, and dissipate in a dynamic soil environment
  • Describe factors that influence exposure pathways, exposure behaviors, and health outcomes as they relate to soil properties, water/soil quality, and water/soil management
  • Describe real world applications of risk assessment, including the development of soil, water, and environmental standards
  • Critically review, understand, critique, and apply information in published soil and water science and public health literature

References

Provided by Instructors:

Loynachan, T., Brown, K., Cooper, T., Kimble, J., Milford, M., Smith, D. 2005. Soils, society, and the environment. AGI Environmental Awareness Series, 9.

Reading List provided on-line at course website (to be provided)

Optional:

National Research Council, Committee on Research Priorities for Earth Science and Public Health. “Earth Materials and Health.” 2007. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

National Research Council, Committee on Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments. “Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments: processes, tools, and applications.” [electronic resource] Washington, D.C. National Academies Press. 2003.

Course Format

On-campus section: Three, live50-minute lectures each week, plus recorded Snyder and (some guest) lectures

Distance-delivered section: web-based delivery of recorded lectures, class discussions, exams and projects

Distance students will need internet access and the minimum computer hardware and software required by the university (

Free plug-ins may be required (e.g. Adobe Flash Player, QuickTime Player) and can be found at

Distance students are responsible for personal computer maintenance. For computer-related problems, including course webpage connectivity, contact the UF Computing Help Desk at

Additional technology information and support can be found at and

Class Structure

The course is arranged roughly into four units. In Unit 1, we provide an overview of the many direct and indirect ways soils and water overlap with public health issues. Once the connections are made, we address the soil and water properties (physical, chemical, and microbiological) and processes pertinent to public health impacts and basic aspects of public health and related regulations developed to protect human and environmental health.

In Unit 2, we delve into the details of phenomena described in Unit 1, includingecology of soil- and water-borne pathogens,basics of epidemiology,contaminant fate and transport, and basic fate and transport models. Unit 3 focuses on the components of risk assessment and how the assessments are quantified (parameterized) and influenced by political/value judgments.

Unit 4 details applications of material from Units 2 and 3 to specific contaminants, wastes, or practices, and how soil and environmental quality standards and public health guidelines are developed.

Throughout the course, guest speakers, actively working at the interface of soil/water and public health issues, or special web-based materials, will supplementlectures by course instructors. Similarly, numerous references will be identified that expand on lecture material. As times allows, selected case studies will be presented and discussed. Periodic homework assignments are designed to guide reading comprehension and to develop quantitative skills.

Student Responsibilities

  • Attendance and reading: We expect on-campus students to attend all meetings of the class, and to come prepared to discuss the readings. We expect distance education students to view all posted lectures and to complete assigned readings prior to contributing to the discussion board.
  • Handing in assignments: Unless otherwise stated, all on-campus assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the due date. All distance delivered assignments are due by 11pm on the due date. We recommend submitting online assignments early in order to allow time to resolve potential computer problems. Technical difficulty is not an acceptable excuse for late submissions.
  • Late or make-up assignments: Assignments will be marked down 20% for each day late. Homework in this class is assigned to prepare the student for meaningful class participation. If you do not complete the homework in time for discussion, your participation will suffer.
  • Completion of all assignments: Completion of allassignments and participation in class is required to pass the course. We will not average a grade that is missing for any assignment.
  • Common courtesy: Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off during class. Students who receive or make calls/messages, or otherwise engage in disruptive behavior, during class will be asked to leave.

Student Evaluation

  • Three 1-hour exams, each 100 points (undergraduates, total 300 points), or 125 points (graduate students, total 375 points). The 3rd exam will substitute for a final, and will be take-home for on-campus students.
  • Periodic homework assignments (100 points total)
  • Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) or term papers, optional for undergraduates, are mandatory for graduates (100 points). Students develop packaged information on a brief topic that will aid future students with filling knowledge gaps in the basics of soils, water and public health, or develop short case studies. RLOs will be implemented in EcoLearnIT ( ). RLO or term paper subject matter will be selected by the student in consultation with the instructors, no later than mid-semester, when an outline will be due.
  • Total points: Undergraduates – 400 (or 500); graduate students – 575.
  • Course grades are determined by summing all scores, dividing by the maximum score possible (400 or 500 points for undergraduates and 575 for graduates), and multiplying by 100. Grading follows University standards, but with no minus grades: 100-90 = A, 89-85 = B+, 84-80 = B, 79-75 = C+, 74-70 = C, 69-65 = D+, 64-60 = D, <59 = E. The instructors reserve the right to add 0-5 points to the final percentage score on the basis of meaningful class participation, demonstrated student interest, and overall student dedication. Utilizing professor and teaching assistant office hours is encouraged.

Academic Honesty

In 1995 the UF student body enacted a new honor code and voluntarily committed itselfto the highest standards of honesty and integrity. When students enroll at the university,they commit themselves to the standards drafted and enacted by students. In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize thatacademic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the university community.

Students who enroll at the university commit to holding themselves and their peers to thehigh standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes awareof a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. The qualityof a University of Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance andenforcement of the honor code. The Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledgeto hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the university, the following pledge iseither required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor receivedunauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”The university requires all members of its community to be honest in all endeavors. Afundamental principle is that the whole process of learning and pursuit of knowledge isdiminished by cheating, plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty. In addition,every dishonest act in the academic environment affects other students adversely, fromthe skewing of the grading curve to giving unfair advantage for honors or for professionalor graduate school admission. Therefore, the university will take severe action against dishonest students. Similarly, measures will be taken against faculty, staff andadministrators who practice dishonest or demeaning behavior. Students should report any condition that facilitates dishonesty to the instructor,department chair, college dean or Student Honor Court. (Source: 2011-12 Undergraduate Catalog) All work should be completedindependently unless the assignment is definedas a group project, in writing by the instructor. This policy will be vigorously upheld at all times in this course.

Software Use

All faculty, staff and students of the university are required and expected to obey the lawsand legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetarydamages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations arealso against university policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

Campus Helping Resources

Students experiencing crises or personal problems that interfere with their general wellbeingare encouraged to utilize the university’s counseling resources. The Counseling and Wellness Center provides confidential counselingservices at no cost for currently enrolled students. Resources are available on campus forstudents having personal problems or lacking clear career or academic goals, whichinterfere with their academic performance.

  • University Counseling and Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Road, 392-1575,
  • Counseling Services
  • Groups and Workshops
  • Outreach and Consultation
  • Self-Help Library
  • Training Programs
  • Community provider database
  • Career Resource Center, CR-100 JWRU, 392-1601,

Students with Disabilities

The DisabilityResourceCenter coordinates the needed accommodations of students withdisabilities. This includes registering disabilities, recommending academicaccommodations within the classroom, accessing special adaptive computer equipment,providing interpretation services and mediating faculty-studentdisability related issues.

0001 Reid Hall, 392-8565,

SOILS, WATER AND PUBLIC HEALTH

TOPIC OUTLINE

TopicApproximate# Periods

I. Course introduction

A. Course mechanics1

B. Semester-long case study

------UNIT 1------

II. Soils, Water and Public Health Interactions5

III. Fundamentals8

  1. Public/Environmental Health
  2. Soils
  3. Water

Test # 11

------UNIT 2------

IV. Microbial Contaminants5

  1. Over-view: What makes a pathogen?
  2. Pathogens and symptoms they cause
  3. Classification, fate and transport of pathogens
  4. Detecting and identifying pathogens
  5. Indicator organisms

V. Fate, Transport and Effects of Metal and Organic Contaminants6

A. Fates

B. Transport

C. Bioavailability

D. Models

E. Effects

Test # 21

------UNIT 3 ------

VI. Risk Assessment7

  1. Hazard identification
  2. Exposure assessment
  3. Dose-response assessment
  4. Risk characterization
  5. EIS/HIA
  6. Risk management and communication
  7. Microbial risk assessment

------UNIT 4 ------

VII. Applications10

  1. Real world risk assessments, the biosolids example
  2. Development of standards (soil, water, environment)
  3. Case studies, student presentations

Test # 3 -Take Home, due date TBA