SCI 391 Advanced Science Laboratory

Content

The general theme of the advanced science lab is solid-fluid-biota interactions. The current focus is on the biogeochemical processes in sediments and water and how these can be analyzed or applied in environmental science and technology. Students and instructors will sample sediment, bacteria (and water) in the field and build Winogradsky towers. Various parameters (such as sunlight, sediment composition, water composition and water throughput) influence the processes in the microbial city of Winogradsky. While the inhabitants of Winogradsky are reproducing or barely surviving, teams of students will zoom into one of these processes in more detail by designing and carrying out a longer experiment or a series of experiments. Examples: investigating sulfate reduction in a continuous anaerobic reactor, Microbial crystallization of metal sulfides, sediment galvanic cell, adsorption and incorporation of contaminants in soils. Analyses methods to support this research will be taught and practiced. These analytical techniques can include: DNA sequencing, Chemical Oxygen Demand analysis, Ion Chromatography (for nitrate and sulfate), oxygen measurement, Ion selective electrode measurements, Dr, Lange N,P measurements, soil texture and particle size analysis, Lc50 tests.

Instructor

Dr. Renata van der Weijden and P. van Rossum, M.Sc.

Track

Labs

Period

Fall / 2008

Course Material

• Ian Williams: Environmental Chemistry

Prerequisites

One needs to have followed one of the following courses in order to take this course:

• SCI 191 Introductory Science Laboratory
• SCI 291 Life Science Laboratory