L
IWONMENTAL EDUCATION
wb
\*3 By James P. Deovor
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-i
Environmental education is multidisciplinary, crossing the physical and biological sciences with the humanities (11. Judith Weis of Rutgers University recently surveyed 76 environmental science and environmental study programs in the United States (2).The curricula of most environmental science programs and departments require one or more chemistry courses. However, most chemistry programs do not include environmental courses. It is critical that all chemists be able to rationally discuss environmental topics. Debate rages over what to include and what to exclude from the chemistry curriculum. How should students he enticed into the field? What baseline knowledge and skills should all chemists receive in their undergraduate training ( 3 7 This article will survey the undergraduate environmental chemistry offerings of 309 four-year colleges a n d universities in the United States. Only schools offering a major in chemistry were studied. Schools were selected randomly. Data were obtained by searching microfiche catalogs of colleges ( 4 ) . Survey results Of the 309 chemistry departments surveyed, 210 (68.0%) do not offer any type of environmental course. The environmental courses that are offered can be broken down into three types: introductory courses designed for liberal arts students who do not plan to take any additional science, sophomore-level courses for science majors, and upPrgcis articles are reports of meetings of unusual significance, international or notional developments of environmental importance, significont public policy developments, and related items.
34 Environ. Sci. Technol., Vol. 26, No. 1. 1992
0013-936X/92/0926-34$02.50/00 1991 American Chemical Society
per level courses for junior-senior chemistry majors. The sophomorelevel courses require a minimum of a year of general chemistry. The junior-senior courses have varying prerequisites: quantitative analysis, organic chemistry, physical chemistry,biology, physics, or biochemistry. Thirty-six (11.7%) of the departments offer a course for liberal arts students, 26 (8.4%) offer a sophomore course, and 49 (15.9%) offer an upper level course. Thirteen departments (4.2%) offer more than one environmental chemistry course. The table gives a numerical breakdown by state.
Course types The courses for liberal arts students are valuable in that they increase the exposure of nonscience students to chemistry and to environmental issues. These courses meet the general degree requirements of most institutions. They boost chemistry enrollments and entice chemophobes into taking a chemistry course. Chemistry majors, however, usually will not take these courses; they might even be proscribed from taking t h e m . Schools that offer a liberal arts environmental course i n c l u d e Augustana (SD), Eckerd (FL), Grambling (LA),Marshall (WV),Miami of Ohio, Millikin (IL), and Stetson (FL). The sophomore-level courses are designed to be taken by science majors who have completed one year of general chemistry. These courses provide these students with an opportunity to further study chemistry and relevant topics. This is a way of enticing undecided science majors into majoring in chemistry. Schools that offer a sophomore-level course include the Air Force Academy (CO), Converse (SC), George Washington (DC), Notre Dame (IN), Princeton (NJ), SUNY-Stony Brook, University of Texas-Arlington, and Virginia State. The upper level courses are designed for chemistry majors who usually have completed a year of organic chemistry plus introductory analytical chemistry (quantitative analysis). Depending on the level of the course, additional prerequisites may exist. This course provides a means of studying environmental problems in detail. It can be a capstone course for a curriculum, allowing chemistry majors to apply their knowledge and skills to reach a deeper understanding of environmental problems and solutions.
TABLE 1
Results of environmental science course survey, US. college chemistry departments T y p of coune
state
co CT DE DC
Nurnbr ol schools surveyed
7 3 2
No courses
Libra1 ads
Sophomore level
Junlorsenior level
2 2
2
1 0 0
1 0 1 2
3 1 0 1
7
1
n
0 0 2 1
0
0
0
2
0 0 1 1
0 0 1 0
I1
1 3 R
7 5 5
4 2
2
1
MO MT
6 2
4
NE NV
4 2
OH
2 5
FI
.:s KY LA ME
5
7
1 2
0
9
0
1
Multlple onerings
1 1
0 1
0 1 0
0
2 1
0 1
0
0 0 0
0
2
0 0 1
0 0 0 1
6
5
1 0 1
12
9
2
0 0 1
ry
3
3
0
0
0
0
rA WA
10
7 3 1 6 0 210
0
2 2
2 2 1
1 1
OK OR PA
5
RI
wv WI
WY Total
Percentage
8 3 8 1 309
68.0
2
1 1 1
36 11.7
0 0 0 26 8.4
1 0 49 15.9
1
0 1 0 13 4.2
Note: Percemgeges do not total to 100% as schools with multiple onerings are included in the coune-by-course breakdown.
Envimn. Sci. Technol.. VoI. 26, NO. 1, 1992 35
Some of these courses are not environmental survey courses but are directed at topics such as water or atmospheric chemistry or toxicology. Schools that offer an upper level course include Bowling Green (OH). Butler (IN), the College of Charleston ( S C ) , Delta State (MS), Indiana State, Louisiana State, Rennselaer (NY), Stephen F. Austin (TX), and West Virginia. Schools that offer multiple environmental courses within their chemistry departments include Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion (VA), Penn State, South Dakota, Washington State, Vassar (NY),and Wesleyan (CT). Conclusion
This survey reveals the general absence of environmental courses in chemistry department curricula. The environmental chemistry course is the exception rather than the rule. Reasons for this might include: faculty load constraints, lack of faculty expertise or interest, and avoidance of duplication of course offerings in other departments. Although it is true that environ-
mental topics can be included in the rest of the chemistry curriculum, they will not get the attention they should. Course syllabuses are already overcrowded. For example, simply mentioning that chlorofluorocarbons are the purported culprits in the depletion of the ozone hole while covering free radical halogenation in the organic course does not do the subject justice. It is of great importance that our chemistry professionals be able to communicate ahout the environment. Covello (5)states that "given the high degree of public concern about environmental issues and the high level of public distrust of those in industry and government, people responsible for assessing and managing chemical risks have no choice but to improve their communication skills.'' The first step in doing this is for the chemistry professional to he well educated about the environment. By including environmental science courses i n t h e chemistry major. these students will be better prepared. Although environmental issues courses might be taught in other departments, it is difficult for chemistry majors to include such nonrequired courses in their tight schedules.
1 hope that this article will lead to additional environmental course offerings within chemistry departments in the United States. The com lete data set from this survey is availagle from the author upon request. Write to JamesP. Deavor, Department of Chemistry, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424.
lames P. Deavor is on associate professor in the chemistry department of the College of Charles-
ton. SC. He holds a
Ph.D. in onolyiicol
chemistry from the University of South Carolina.
References (1)
(2)
Schoenfeld. C.: Disinger. 1. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1978. 12.28. Weiss. 1. S. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1990,24.1116-121.
(3) Gardner, M. /.
Chem. Educ. 1989,66.
491.
College Catalog Collection 199& 1991; Career Guidance Foundation: San Diego, CA. 1991. (5) Effective Risk Communication: The Role and Responsibility of Government and Nongovernment Organizations: Coveilo. V. T.: McCallum, D.; Pavlova. M..Eds.: Plenum Press: New (4)
York. 1989.
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