Introduction to Earth Systems Science (ESS 1): An introduction to basic principles of earth systems for non-science majors and prospective majors. A multidisciplinary approach that draws from geology, chemistry, physics, and biology to understand how the Earth functions as a complex system, and the role and impact of human beings on earth systems.

There are two overarching goals for this course.  The first is to be able to step outside your door and understand how interacting biological, chemical, and physical processes shape and define our Earth.  The second is to appreciate how human activities and societies are intertwined with and dependent upon Earth processes.  These broad goals will be achieved by examining different Earth systems—such as the ocean, the atmosphere, forests, and human-dominated systems—independently, and by then assembling these pieces into a larger picture of the Earth System.  In so doing, you will develop a predictive understanding of the Earth System, how it has evolved, and how it is currently changing. 

Learning outcomes (LOs) are specific skills and abilities that you will attain in this course; by the end of the course you will be able to:

1. • Explain the geophysical causes and consequences of earthquakes
   

2. • Point to a city on a world map and predict the weather and climate over time scales from months to decades
   

3. • Diagram the physical and chemical factors that make life in the ocean possible, and appreciate the extent and diversity of marine life
   

4. • Graph the distribution of organisms and ecosystems across latitudes, areas, and regions
   

5. • Write the equations for photosynthesis and respiration, and explain when and where they go in and out of balance
   

6. • Describe how oil and gas reservoirs form, and the benefits and drawbacks of alternative sources of energy
   

7. • Map the distribution and rates of change occurring on earth’s land surface
   

8. • List water and air quality issues, explain the science behind them, and list potential solutions
   

9. • Establish literacy in climate science, and explain the physical underpinnings of Earth’s climate system
   

10. • Discuss how all of these patterns and processes influence California, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Sierra
    

Ecological and Environmental Microbiology (ESS 120): Fundamentals of microbiology in ecological and environmental systems, including the distribution of microbial diversity throughout terrestrial, extreme, and marine environments; microbial control of global biogeochemical cycles; and environmental services provided by microorganisms. Both classical and contemporary biochemical, molecular, and genomic approaches to microbial physiology, metabolism, and ecology will be discussed.

This course is an introduction to the rapidly evolving fields of microbial ecology and environmental microbiology.  We are literally surrounded and covered by microorganisms that play an important role in earth’s habitability and our own survival; microbial ecology and environmental microbiology attempt to document and understand the diversity and activities of microbial communities and populations.  Our ability to do this has been revolutionized by molecular and genomic technologies that have wide applicability and will be discussed in detail. 

    Learning outcomes (LOs) are specific skills and abilities that you will attain in this course; by the end of the course you will be able to:

1. • List major groups of microorganisms, approaches to studying them and classifying them, and explain how they are related to other forms of life
   

2. • Diagram how individual microorganisms and microbial populations ‘work’ in terms of their physiology, metabolism, and growth
   

3. • Demonstrate a quantitative understanding of how microbes are distributed throughout the environment, based both on ecological properties of microbial communities, and survival and coping mechanisms of individuals and populations
   

4. • Based on the concept of the ‘redox ladder,’ explain how microorganisms control global biogeochemical cycles of reactive elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur—and what the implications are for global environmental change
   

5. • Describe how humans depend on and are affected by microbial processes—including services provided by engineered systems, life cycles of pathogenic microbes in the environment, and the microbial ecology of human health
   

6. • Critically evaluate the scientific literature and popular press, and be able to apply course material to the world outside the classroom