The project Improvements in Environmental Sciences laboratory for majors has four main objectives: 1. Teach the analytical techniques and data analysis methods necessary for environmental measurements. 2. Teach the interdisciplinary nature of environmental systems. 3 . Prepare students to pursue undergraduate research projects in environmental science by allowing them to take an investigative approach in their course work. 4. Increase student participation in and satisfaction with the environmental science program. To meet these goals, three specific experiments are planned for the upper division laboratory course for majors: one to study the effects of engine conditions and fuel types on automobile exhaust, a second to study of global warming, and a third to study chemical transport and fate in the unsaturated zone. These new experiments are designed to stimulate student interest in pursuing original undergraduate research projects, by addressing current topics in environmental science in an interdisciplinary way.
