Paul R. Loconto Dutchess Community College Poughkeepsie. New York 12601
An Environmental Analysis Course for Conservation Students
A course entitled Environmental Chemistry Laboratory which assumes no background in chemical principles was developed for students enrolled in the Natural Resources Conse;ration (NRC) curriculum. The program offers an Associate in Applied Science which prepares students for em. ployment opportunities as t e c h n i c i k h the fields of resource management or water treatment. The course is offered as a one-credit laboratory which meets once per week for three hours. The NRC student concurrently enrolls in our traditional introductory chemistry course in his first semester of the two-year program. Prior to the development and offering of Environmental Chemistry Laboratory in the summer and fall of 1975, respectively, a special course was offered which provided fundamentals of chemistry as well as some laboratory techniques in the fall of 1974. The text by Cheriml was used for this special course. I t then became apparent to the chemistry staff that more emphasis on laboratory techniques was needed to better equip the student for further course work and more importantly for employment in a water or waste water treatment facility as a technician. In addition, it did not seem sufficient to iust eive the NRC student a beeinnine course in chemistry wkhoit taking him through some of thk applications of chemistry as it relates to his chosen program. A combination of basic chemical principles and of techniques train in^ via environmental (water and soil s a m ~ l e sanalvsis ) emerge>. The educational obiectives of Environmental Chemistrv Laboratory are to
Sequence of Ten Units Which Constitute a New Course Called Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Unit 1
2
Unit Descriotion introduction to Working in the Laboratory a) introductory Remarks a) cnec*-ln CI DilCUIsion of Safety d j Familiarization of Apparatus Introduction to Wotkingm the Laboratory a ) Distinguishing Between Precision and Accuracy in a k"n2
