College of the Holy Cross
Math 110 Environmental Math
Syllabus for Fall 2004

Course
Math 110-01 meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 - 12:15 in Swords 302.

This course is an introduction to several important environmental issues such as ground water contamination and air pollution. We will also consider some additional topics, such as the estimation of global oil reserves. We will examine how mathematical models are a natural approach to understanding the quantitative aspects of these issues.

It is part of the Environmental Studies program at Holy Cross and counts as a MATH common area requirement. This course is also part of the college's program in Community-Based Learning. Each student will participate in a substantial project that contributes to the efforts of a local non-profit agency working on environmental issues in Worcester, MA. This semester, students will work with the the Regional Environmental Council of Central Massachusettsl, the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society , and the Ecotarium.

Information about the Instructor
Professor: Catherine A. Roberts
Office: Swords 336
Office Phone: (508) 793-2456
Email: croberts@holycross.edu
Webpage: http://mathcs.holycross.edu/~croberts/
Office Hours: MWF 11:00 - noon, TTh 2:00 -3:00, and by appointment.
You can easily schedule an appointment by sending an email.

Texts & Readings
A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr (Vintage Books, 1996) ISBN 0-67977-267-7.
Mathematical Modeling in the Environment by Charles R. Hadlock (Mathematical Association of America, 1998) ISBN 0-88385-709-X.
When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution by Devra Lee Davis (Basic Books, 2002) ISBN 0-465-01521-1

Grading Policy
125 points - test on Ground Water Pollution
125 points - test on Air Pollution
200 points - papers on A Civil Action and When Smoke Ran Like Water (100 points for each five page paper)
300 points - community-based course project (50 participation, 100 presentations to class & client, 150 final report)
250 points - activity points (primarily problem sets based on mathematical content, mainly from text Mathematical Modeling in the Environment, but also special assignments, attending some optional events outside of class, etc.)

Your final grade will be based on how many points you earn over the course of the semester out of a total possible of 1000 points.

Exam Calendar: 20% of your grade is based on exams, which consist of two in-class tests. In general, I do not offer make-up tests. Please check your semester schedule (including any athletic commitments) right away so that we can address any schedule conflicts early on. Portions of the exams may be take-home. The format will be a combination of problem solving and essay questions.

Project: Small teams of students will work on projects linked to local non-profit agencies in Worcester. Students will select projects during the first month of the semester after hearing presentations from representatives of the various environmental agencies. Each student on the project will write a paper plus participate in a group presentation (orally or in poster form, depending on the project). Collectively, this project counts 30% of your grade. Note that this project is a substantial part of your grade. Because this project will require cooperatively working with peers and also spending time off-campus working with local community non-profit agencies, you can expect to spend a great deal of time on this project. If you don't care to work on a group project, or if you don't have time this semester to be off-campus much, then this is not the course for you!

Events Outside of Class: There will be some required events that are held outside of the usual class hours. Check the schedule and plan to attend. You will also be spending time outside of class working on your community-based learning project, as well. As the nature of the projects vary, the amount of time you will spend off-campus will also vary. Select a project that works well with your busy schedule!

Papers: In addition to the final paper linked to the community based learning project, there will be two five-page papers based upon the books that we will read about ground and air pollution. Guest speakers will come who are associated with each book. Their talks will be campus-wide presentations that are held outside of class. It is expected that you will make every effort to attend these guest lectures.

Determining your Course Grade: While there may be some scaling of the final course grades, plan on earning a minimum of 900 total points to earn an A- in the course. A point total in the 800's will earn you a B, and so forth. Considerations in scaling final grades include things such as attendance and class participation. Five percent of your grade is based on the quality of your participation in the community based projects and will be determined by the peers that worked with you, as well as the TA for the course.

Attendance & Academic Honesty
Attendance is important to me. Please make the effort to come to class. It is your responsibility to make sure that you understand the material that you missed.

Academic integrity is something I value and admire. Because I allow (indeed, encourage!) students to study and work together on problem sets, it is of critical importance that every student clearly understand the difference between collaboration and plagiarism. I support the College policy on academic honesty (see this link) and also the Department of Mathematics and Statistics policy.

I quote from the College policy statement: "Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, work or statements of someone else, without full and proper acknowledgement, and presenting them as one's own." So, while you are welcome to collaborate and work together on assignments, the work you turn in must represent your own thoughts and be in your own words. This is true for mathematics as much as it is true for any other subject. Please do not allow others to copy your homework answers and do not be tempted to copy answers from others. It is not okay to lift ideas or text from other sources, including websites, to include in your papers without full and proper referencing (this means footnotes, not just including the link in a bibliography).

I won't hesitate to write-up students who are found to have cheated in my course. More will be said in class about academic honesty. Please communicate with me directly if any aspects of my policies are unclear.