Course Description
The course is a review of the current state of the art in risk assessment-particularly ecological risk assessment. We will begin with an overview of the risk assessment framework as derived by several agencies, the evaluation of toxicological and exposure data, quantification of risk and the associated uncertainty, and the use of risk assessment in CERCLA, TSCA and other regulatory frameworks. Assignments will include a mid-term paper-exam, a case study, class presentation, and a final exam.
What is Ecological Risk Assessment?
Ecological risk assessment is the probability of an effect occurring to an ecological system. Note that the word "probability" is key here. Important components of a risk assessment are the estimations of hazard and exposure due to a stressor. A stressor is a substance, circumstance or energy field that causes impacts, either positive or negative, upon a biological system. Stressors could be as wide ranging as chemical effects, ionizing radiation, rapid changes in temperature, or the introduction of a new species or genetic element.. Hazard is the potential of a stressor to cause alterations upon a biological system. The determination of an LD20, the mutagenicity of a material or deriving a concentration-response curve are all attempts to estimate the hazard posed by a chemical stressor. Exposure is a measure of the concentrations or persistence of a stressor within the defined system. Exposure for a chemical substance can be expressed as a dose, but in environmental toxicology it is often possible to measure environmental concentration. Other measures of exposure might include percentage of riparian cover, temperature days, or other measures of stressors within an ecological system.The real purpose of ecological risk assessment is to ultimately provide relevant information for decision making. This is a very applied science, tied to cultural values and with important ramifications for society. Questions about pesticide use, the introduction of genetically modified organisms, how clean is clean, and what are the impacts of urbanization of a watershed can all be addressed using ecological risk assessment as a tool.
What are the goals of this course?
There are two goals.
- First is the introduction of a methodology that is the dominant decision making tool in a wide variety of situations. I do expect that each individual become familiar with the basics of ecological risk assessment and its use in decision making.
- The second goal of the course is the applicaton of all of the knowledge gained in the course of a Huxley undergraduate or graduate career in a synthetic fashion towards problem solving. The team projects will be designed to fit the backgrounds of the students in this year's course with the composition of each team designed to be complimentary in skills and backgrounds. I hope that this course serves as a capstone experience for each student.
There are several themes in this course:
- The understanding of complex systems
- Fundamentals of using risk assessment as a decision-making framework for managing the environment
- Interactions between scientists, decision makers and stakeholders
- Team project in evaluating five different decision making scenarios at least as far as a the conceptual model.
Each student is also expected to gain experience in reading, evaluating and synthesizing the availalble literature in the field. Each student will be writing and presenting materials from the primary literature
Contact Information and Required Materials
Office: ES 518, Institute of Environmental Toxicology
Phone: 650-6136, E-mail: wayne.landis@wwu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Laurel Kaminski. Office in the ES518 complex. E-mail: kaminsl@cc.wwu.edu
Lecture: Tuesday and Thursdays, 2-4 ES 80.
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-3 by appointment. For an appointment contact Ms. Dorene Gould at 650-6136 or by email at Dorene.Gould@wwu.edu.
Course CD. This is avaiable at the bookstore and contains the power point lectures, old exams, readings and a series of government publications.
Blackboard. Blackboard is used for announcements, course materials and to post the mid-term and final exams.
Grading
- One in-class midterm examination (100 points)
- Primary Literature Review paper (200 points, minimum of 5 articles, maximum of 10 articles).
- In class presentation of a paper from the primary literature (100 points)
- Joint project based on one of five scenarios (300 points)
- One take-home final comprehensive examination (200 points)
- Grades will be based on a percentage of the total points as follows:
A 94-100% |
C+ 76-79% |
D- 60-63% |
A- 90-93% |
C 72-75% |
F <60% |
B+ 86-89% |
C- 70-71% |
|
B 83-85% |
D+ 67-69% |
|
B- 80-82% |
D 64-66% |
|
Envr 556 Requirement. Each graduate student will be required to develop an project appropriate to their graduate program. An example would be using the techniques discussed in class for the data analysis of toxicity tests dealing with metals. The written report (150 points) will be evaluated and this wil be followed by a 15-minute oral presentation in class (50 points).
The Primary Literature Review Paper
The paper will be responsible for researching the nature and properties of a chemical, the use of a test method, or current important issues in environmental toxicology. The topic must one of those listed on the web page or be approved by the instructor. The paper will be ten page or less (maximum [1-inch margins, font size 11or 12, double space) paper, The paper should include an introduction, the question or topic to be considered, a reveiw of critical papers, and a series of conclusions. Paper will be graded subjectively by content, grammar and spelling, presentation, and organization, succinctness, and completeness of information. See the attached schedule for deadlines.
Deadline Policy
All assignments must be turned in as an electronic file in a pdf format. This is now the standard for papers for journals, grant submissions, final project reports, etc, so it is time to practice. All assignments are due in my inbox by the end of class on the day the assignment is due. No late assignments will be accepted..period. Practically no excuse is acceptable, including but not limited to computer crashes, weather, mischevious dogs, or angry partners. Acceptable excuses are few and are left to the discretion of the instructor. Situations considered acceptable by the instructor include but are not limited to significant medical emergencies, having a child, etc. However, acceptable excuses still must be approved at least 8 hours in advance of the deadline.