GEOL 414 - Hazardous Waste Management

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: Sustainability
Study of the investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste sites. Environmental regulations, hazard awareness, contaminant characterization, personal protective equipment, monitoring and sampling equipment, site characterization and control, decontamination, operational hazards and overview of emergency response.

Prerequisites: CHEM 112.
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground or Hybrid.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: Overlay - Sustainability
Cross-listed: ENSC 414
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Introduce learners to the science, policy, and safety dimensions of hazardous waste management and remediation
Explore different management strategies and technologies for hazardous waste characterization, treatment, disposal, management, monitoring, and remediation, with a focus on physical science aspects and case studies
Identify and discuss the major types of hazards and hazardous wastes
Identify and discuss major US laws defining hazardous waste and impacting its management
Compare and contrast different strategies for waste treatment, disposal, management, and remediation using scientific principles and case studies from scientific literature
Become familiar with commonly-used safety, monitoring, and measurement equipment
Express themselves clearly in project form regarding a hazardous waste management issue or case study of their choice

Sustainability Overlay Learning Outcomes

identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, either in general or in relation to a specific problem;
analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems;
describe key threats to environmental sustainability;
explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global levels.