Understand the major scientific concepts that support sustainability: reliance on solar energy, biodiversity, population control, and nutrient cycling

Understand how human activities and development impact and are impacted by environmental conditions

Become familiar with the major environmental challenges of our day

Understand the role of multiple disciplines in designing sustainable strategies (e.g., science and technology, business and economics, art and design, policy, history, psychology)

Have appreciation for the gap and opportunities in communicating issues of sustainability across disciplinary boundaries

Required Textbook: "Living in the Environment", by G.T. Miller and S.E. Spoolman 16th Ed. or newer. Other readings and short videos will be assigned to supplement the textbook. These will be made available on UCMCrops.

Understand the basic principles and mathematical description of storage and movement of water in porous media

Understand the basic principles and mathematical description of storage and movement of salts in porous media

Understand the basic mathematical solutions to water flow and transport problems

Be familiar with the principles and procedures of modeling subsurface hydrology problems using computer codes

This course consists of two 110-minute lectures. Some of lectures will include computer tutorials. The tutorial sessions will involve hands-on training in quantitative problem solving using a variety of software (including MS Excel, MODFLOW, and HYDRUS). All students are required to complete a course project that involves solving a subsurface hydrology problem. Graduate students are encouraged to work on problems relevant to their thesis research.

Required textbook: Soil Physics, 6th Ed, by William A. Jury and Robert Horton

Supplemental readings:
- 3D-Groundwater Modeling with PMWIN, W-H Chiang, Springer 2005 (electronic copy available from the library)
- HYDRUS-1D Software Package for Simulating the One-Dimensional Movement of Water, Heat, and Multiple Solutes in Variably-Saturated Media, Simunek et al., 2009 (electronic copy will be provided)
- Journal Articles

An advanced study of modeling population dynamics and the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems. The course will introduce you to the basic principles and processes of model development, model execution, as well as analysis and interoperation of model results.