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= Welcome to the Field Analysis and Sampling Techniques (FAST CE) Course Wikisite! = = = ====This Fall 2011 Semester three credit course at the University of South Alabama is offered by the Civil Engineering Department. This is a laboratory, lecture, and field based course for graduate and undergraduate students designed to provide participants an understanding of environmental investigations and teach them how to conduct an investigation to specifically answer a hypothesis. This course specifically emphasizes and using equipment, instrumentation, techniques, and strategies for detecting and monitoring contaminants within environmental systems and analyzing, interpreting, and reporting these data. Civil Engineering students with an emphasis in Water Resource or Environmental Engineering would greatly benefit from this course, as would students in other engineering and science disciplines.====

The CE590 / CE 490 course will be co-instructed with focus on both Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Engineering.

 * Dr. Andrew Whelton, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering focus; []
 * Dr. Bret Webb, Civil Engineering, Water Resources focus; []

** Course Focus: **
====The course outcomes will be achieved through traditional lectures, field data collection, and data analysis in the Environmental Engineering laboratory. Course content will generally focus on the water quality characteristics of the Big Creek Lake reservoir, and its tributaries. This course specifically emphasizes and using equipment, instrumentation, techniques, and strategies for detecting and monitoring contaminants within environmental systems and analyzing, interpreting, and reporting these data. Civil Engineering students will gain expertise in Water Resource and Environmental Engineering. A course wiki website (http://usace590.wikispaces.com/) will be a focal point for Student and Faculty collaboration. Throughout the course, students will: (1) characterize water quality characteristics of seven tributaries flowing into the reservoir, (2) create a near-surface map of the lake’s water chemistry, (3) describe the vertical stratification of the reservoir, and (4) determine the spatial variability of flows. Students, with Faculty assistance, will conduct all background investigation, water sampling, preservation, and analytical techniques both in the field and in the laboratory. Students will apply data analysis techniques for interpretation purposes, organize data, methods and interpretations into written report, and present their results as part of a final presentation. ====

A copy of the syllabus can be found here.

** Prerequisite: ** Instructor Permission
** Textbook: ** None
 * Course Outcomes & Objectives: **
 * 1) ====Apply the scientific method to solve engineering problems====
 * 2) ====Identify a problem====
 * 3) ====Summarize literature most germane to the problem====
 * 4) ====Develop a testable hypothesis====
 * 5) ====Design and conduct an experiment====
 * 6) ====Identify data requirements====
 * 7) ====Design a sampling plan====
 * 8) ====Select an operate appropriate equipment====
 * 9) ====Analyze, interpret, and report data====
 * 10) ====Apply modern statistical methods in the analysis of data====
 * 11) ====Test a hypothesis====
 * 12) ====Describe and present results of hypothesis testing====

** Class/Laboratory Schedule: ** One 150-minute lecture period per week ** Professional Component: ** This is a civil engineering technical elective course

Question: Are there any requirements to sign up and is the emphasis on chemistry?
====//Response: The only requirement/pre-requisite is instructor permission. If you are interested in this course, please list it as one of your fall courses during spring advising. At some point, you will need to talk to both Dr. Whelton and me about your interest in the course. Also, we need to make sure that this course will fit into your fall schedule. I think there will definitely be a strong focus on environmental chemistry, but there are other aspects to this project that focus more on water resources engineering.//==== ==== Question: The flyer shows the class is 3 credit hours and says: "This is a laboratory, lecture, and field based course." Does this mean the lecture portion is 2 credit hours and the lab/field portion is one credit hour? ==== ====//Response: No, everything is lumped into one 3-hour class. You will not register for a lecture and a lab... just one 3-hour class.// //The following has been provided in messages to other students...//==== ====//"This course will meet one day a week for a single block of time (probably in the afternoon, end of day). The field components of the course will have us going out to Big Creek Lake weekly after a couple weeks in the lab getting on the same page and learning how to use equipment. After collecting data in the field for several weeks, the class will move back to the classroom where data analysis, interpretation, and writing will be conducted. Should be fun. More like an engineering "immersion" class. I'll let you know if anything else needs to be done in preparation."//====

//Graduate Students //

 * Mr. Jeremy Kane Thomley, CHEM: jkt801@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
 * Mr. Chris Marr, CE: cdm401@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
 * Mr. Richard Allen, CE: richman363@aol.com
 * Ms. Iryna Lucas, CE: ik301@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

Undergraduate Students
 * Mr. Bennett Dulaney, CE: bed901@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
 * Mr. Craig Erdman, CE: cpe601@jaguar1.usouthal.edu