Dr Choong Mei Fun, Amydbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

TOPICS

What is Environmental Biology? Why study? Learning objectives/outcomes Module prerequisites Module content Time Table Assessment, group project Text book and references Housekeeping Your lecturer, Teaching assistant, your classmates First assignment Geologic history of the earth Conditions in early earth Early humans to today

Environmental Biology

Similar to Environmental Science

More emphasis on Biology, Ecology and Man

From conditions in the early Earth to current

Our impact on the environment and how they impact us

.

Why study?

Ignorance is not an option

Urgent need to understand the impacts

What are the solutions and are they working

A reminder that we are but one species on this planet, part of the ecosystem

To SURVIVE

Siberias methane blow hole

Module Learning objectives

Understand the earth its past, present and projected future

Understand our impact from early man to current human societies

Discuss basic fundamental concepts on energy, mass flow, population interactions etc

Recognize the importance of biodiversity Explain how we meet our booming populations

requirements through modern agriculture, fossil and renewable energies, fisheries, technologies etc

Identify the sources of pollution and its impacts

Module Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students are able to clearly communicate with peers, family and

society at large on many aspects of the state of the environment

Overcome any fear of interacting with strangers face to face (not online)

be a good team player

execute future projects well by breaking them down appropriately (work breakdown structure)

How to manage time using meeting minutes

About the module

Module prerequisite: None

Preclusions:

Not for life science majors

Not for Environmental studies major

Module Time table

2 lectures a week: Mon and Thur

Time: 10 am 12 pm

Location: Utown Auditorium 3

Tutorials: only 2 revision tutorials, once before CA1 and once before final exam

Assessment

1. Continual assessment 50%

Self introduction assignment 1: 2.5%

Project 32.5%

CA1 test 15% - 1 hour Multiple choice questions (MCQ)

closed book

2. Final exam 50% Multiple choice questions (MCQ)

closed book

Project (32.5% in total)

Title: Waste management in Singapore Group : 5 members in each group Learning objectives:

Time and project management, working with strangers, interacting with the public

Waste generation, flow and recycling in Singapore How to design suitable recycling mini-posters to share with

the public to encourage them to recycle Understand the issues faced by households on recycling in

Singapore Impact of waste when it gets into the environment How to write proper meeting minutes

Task 1 (due: 14 Aug, 1200)

submit to google form (A link will be given): Fill in your name

Gender

How long have you resided in Singapore

Home/hostel postal code

Housing type

Languages spoken (especially dialects)

TA will group you into groups of 5, depending on location, language and gender. Ideally, a group of mixed genders and be able to converse in languages other than English and Mandarin.

Assignment 1 due: 21 Aug, 2359 (weightage: 2.5%)

Personal Intro assignment

A word doc will be sent to you. Please fill in the info required.

Name of file:

student ID_GEK1515_assignment_1.doc

Please name file properly or 0.5% marks will be deducted

Assignment 2(due: 25 Aug, 2359) 2.5%

Once the students have been grouped, grouping will be announced to you by 18 Aug

You are to meet and exchange tel no, emails, dates when you are free, come up with agreements, submit photo of each other to learn each others names and also attendance. A group meeting record will be submitted by the group leader to IVLE. Each subsequent assignment will be submitted by a different team member.

Submit in word doc format for us to comment. Name of file: group no_GEK1515_assignment_2.doc E.g. 1_GEK1515_assignment_2.pptx for group 1

Assignment 3a (due 5 Sept, 2359) 10%

Design 4 A4 sized posters to include: 1. Waste statistics through the years, what kind of waste is generated 2. Where does the waste go from general waste bin and recycling bin to 3. Lifespan of our current landfill, how was it created 4. Impact of improperly disposed waste in the environment 5. What can or cannot be recycled and how to do it properly in A3 size.

Marked with comments and students to re-edit and submit again assignment 3b (due 25 Sept 2359) 2.5%

Format: Submit in powerpoint for easier editing, you may use any software while designing

Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_3a.pptx, Group no_GEK1515_assignment_3b.pptx E.g. 2_GEK1515_assignment_3a.pptx

Assignment 4 (due 2 Oct, 2359) 2.5%

Submit a plan on how to execute the door-to-door recycling education outreach to eighteen households in 3 hours.

All 18 households must have opened their door, listened to your message and you have addressed their questions.

Determine how many blocks and units in each zone, demarcate zone clearly if the groups are next to each other.

Indicate when and where it will be executed and how to do it convincingly and persuasively.

Assignment 4 (continued)

No one is to go alone or in twos, the whole group go together for safety. Find out about the number and location of recycling bins in the area that you will be visiting, locations, whats in there, who are the waste collectors, recycling firm etc so as to answer queries from households.

Prepare for potential questions. All members to take turns speaking, holding the A4 posters and take photo of members in action or with the household if they dont mind, ask politely.

Submit in word document format Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_4.doc

Assignment 5 (due 3 Nov, 2359) 10%

Actual execution of door-to-door educational outreach, submit photo and record of home visits. Addresses covered, which member of family was spoken to. What issues or questions that household mentioned. Any comments from that household etc. One family, one slide. If there are questions that you need to get back to them, ask for contact, get answers from NEA and reply them, cc me both times. You may include this if you get the reply from NEA before deadline.

Group indicate name of student who took the picture, who did which part of poster, who recorded, who recorded the questions etc.

Submit pdf format. Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_5.pdf

Assignment 6 (due 6 Nov, 2359) 5%

ONE A4 page word document: post educational outreach reflection: what did I learn from carrying out this CA, suggest any improvement for this CA

Minimum 300 words, maximum 600 words; single spaced with normal word document margin

Individual Name of file: student no_GEK1515_assignment_6.doc

At any point in the project, if there is any serious issue, please raise it for discussion, dont wait till Assignment 6 then criticize, too late and nothing can be done.

Task Date release

Activity Due date Percentage

Task 11 Aug Input postal code and info 14 Aug (1200)

Assignment 1

11 Aug Personal Intro assignment 21 Aug(2359)

2.5

Assignment 2

18 Aug Students to meet up with group members and submit meeting record

25 Aug(2359)

2.5

Assignment 3a

25 Aug Design 4 A4 sized posters, 1 A3 5 Sept(2359)

10

Assignment 3b

18 Sept return to students

Edit according to comments 25 Sept (2359)(3 Oct return to

students)

2.5

Assignment 4

25 Sept Project execution plan 2 Oct (2359)(10 Oct return to

students)

2.5

Assignment 5

10 Oct Door-to-door educational outreach 3 Nov (2359) 10

Assignment 6

17 Oct Post project reflection 6 Nov (2359) 5

Assignments and projects

Submit on time or even early (late penalty: 50%) Write your own assignment, dont copy, be proud of

your own abilities Contribute, dont be a free-loader Learn to put yourself in the other persons shoes and

be considerate (Do unto others, what youd like others to do unto you)

Most of us need to carry out the task at least once in order to learn it, gain skills (no one can take it away from you)

Cape Diem!

Examinable topics

Lectures

Videos (given by weblinks or shown during lectures)

Reference links

Straits Times articles

Text book and references

A. Environmental science: toward a sustainable future . 12th edition.Wright, Richard T and Boorse, Dorothy F. Publisher: Pearson Usual price

$69.2, member: $62.28 B. Environmental and Climate Change in Asia: Ecological Footprints and

Green Prospects. Victor R Savage and Lye Lin-Heng 2011. Publisher: Pearson

C. Essential Environment: The Science behind the stories. 4th Edition. Jay Withgott and Matthew Laposata. Publisher: Pearson

D. Environmental Science, a Global Concern. 12th edition. Cunningham, William P and Cunningham, Mary Ann. Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Usual price: $72.2, member: $64.98

The 13th Edition is $89.5, member $74. E-book from Pearson $37 before GST

- consists of chapters from 3 books (A, B and C).Chapters from book A: 3,4,6,7, 10, 17, 18, 19 and 21; book B: 6,7,8 and book C: 7 & 9.

Additional reference articles will be released with each lecture

Housekeeping

IVLE please check for announcements regularly

Weblinks and articles will also be released here

Emails to lecturer and TA: please write in subject header GEK1515 then the subject of email

e.g. GEK1515 query on lecture

Write proper emails: Dear Dr Choong, or Dear MsCai.

Sign off properly, Regards, Sincerely etc, your name

Your lecturer

Dr Choong Mei Fun, Amy

Lecturer

Department of Biological Sciences

Room: S2-04

Tel: (65)-65162707

Email: dbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

Full time TA

Cai Hongxia

Full time Teaching assistant

Department of Biological Sciences

Room: S2-04

Tel: (65)-65167665

dbscaih@nus.edu.sg

Learning objectives for today

Summarize how the earth was formed

Realize that the earths environmental conditions were not static

Recall the different geographical periods and human evolution

Recognize that Homo sapiens is the only one left and our future is dependent on how well we deal with the current and future challenges

Formation of the Sun and Earth

Hydrogen and helium gases were compressed together Gravity and pressure initiated fusion reaction and gave

rise to the sun 5 billion years ago Dust particles got stuck together through electrostatic

forces Bigger particles later collided due to gravity to become

bigger asteroids Earth and planets were formed Earth was formed about 4.54 billion years ago Moon was formed 4.5 billion years ago Asteroid bombardment brought water to a dry earth

5 billion years ago

Sun

4.54 billion years ago

Earth

3.8 billion years ago

Meteor brought

amino acids

3.5 billion years ago

Stromatolitescarried out

photosynthesis

Oxygen transformed

the earth

700-650 million years ago

Snowball Earth

Ice began to melt

540 million years ago

Bacteria evolved

Plants

Cambrian explosion

Organisms become larger,

with bony skeleton, worms,

sponges, trilobites

Snowball earth

700-650 MYA Earth was covered in ice

Source:http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/Precambrian.html

Hadean Earth was formed Oceans of liquid rock Atmosphere consisted of water vapour, nitrogen, volcanic

gases, carbon dioxide Moon was formed (Thea crashed into earth)

Archean Oceans formed from condensed water vapour (rain) Lava cooled to form ocean floor, small islands collided to

form continents Blue green algae or cyanobacteria present in the ocean,

their oxygen oxidized iron and other elements forming mineral deposits

Proterozoic Earth cooled some more -> Snowball earth Earth at this time was very cold, huge glacial sheets all over

the continent Pangaea and Gondwanaland formed 30 million years ago, true multi-celled life appeared, free

oxygen started to appear

Geologic time scale of the earth was divided into Eons, eras and periods. The Hadean eon was 4.6 billion years ago. Pangaea (Pangea) was complete by the

Permian period of the Paleozoic era. Pangaea (Pangea) began to

break up during the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era.

End Ordovician, Silurian period: mosses appeared

Modern day examples of moss species, not necessarily present in the past

Relics of cyanobacteria that changed the earths atmosphere

Thrombolites at Western Australia, Lake Clifton

Phanerozoic eonPaleozoic era

Life existed only in or near the ocean Trilobites, shellfish, corals, and sponges appeared Land plants appeared near the end of the Ordovician. Huge forests and swamplands formed during the warm

climate of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods Giant coal beds formation Animal life also moved onto the land, first the fish called

Tiktaalik, arthropods (spiders and insects), then the amphibians, and later the reptiles.

Most abundant animals were those like shellfish and insects that lacked backbones, so the Paleozoic is often called "The Age of Invertebrates."

Tiktaalik

Extinction events

Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction 443 MYA most marine life e.g. Trilobite

Late Devonian mass extinction -359 MYA life in shallow seas went extinct except bacteria

Permian mass extinction 248 MYA, most life forms went extinct

Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction 200 MYA -mostly marine, large amphibians

Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction (aka K/T impact) 65 MYA dinosaurs and many flowering plants

Permian mass extinction (most significant)

Earths crust split apart, volcanic eruptions lasted millions of years

95% of all life died

More terrible than the dinosaur extinction 65 MYA

Why it happened?

Will it happen again?

Early human ancestors

Source: http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species

Early human ancestors

Originated in Africa

Vegetarians, scavengers

Did not grow any edible plants, settle down or urbanize

Did not use tools

Subsequently, started to use crude stone tools to smash open bones to extract the marrow

Fire was discovered and used by Homo erectus

Out of Africa

Homo heidelbergensis migrated northward into Europe and evolved into Homo neanderthalensis and spread out, occupying most of Eurasia

H. neanderthalensis crafted many types of tools

They hunted, skinned and carved up game animals such as wooly mammoths, cave bears etc.

About 20,000 years ago

No more Neanderthals. Genetic study showed their genetic make up was

very homogenous, poor immunity. Climate change or interaction with Homo sapiens could have caused its extinction.

Weather in Europe didn't permit agrarian lifestyle. Short growing season and scarce arable land.

Cave dwellers followed their game animals, stored meat during winter. Collected wild grains, edible plants during lean times.

Homo sapiens - accidental farmers

When agriculture began then humans stopped wandering and started to settle. Wheat could be stored so shifted from hunter gatherer to agriculture

From small settlements to towns and cities. The earliest known was atalhyk or Catal Huyuk9500 B.C.

From the past to the present

Domestication of dogs

Food

Language oral and written

Transport sea, land and air

Fuel wood, whale oil, coal, oil and renewable energies

Bartering to currency

Organic rubbish to modern synthetic rubbish

Small populations to 7 billion

Cuneiform and the Sumerians 3500 BC

Egyptians and the hieroglyphs 3200 BC

Jiaguwen 1600-1100 BC

Bamboo scroll 1500 BC

Made everything ourselves: houses, clothes, shoes, etc.

Craftsmen

Repairs or tailoring, cooking, treating our own injuries and sicknesses.

Harvested our own medicine

Today, we buy almost everything, most skills need to be outsourced

From the past to the present

Lack of awareness

Where does our food come from?

How do we get water?

Where the raw materials that make stuff come from?

What happens to our waste?

The importance of biodiversity

Impact of climate change

References

http://www.snowballearth.org/what.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history_of_the_earth#e

xtinction_events http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaurs-

other-extinct-creatures/mass-extinctions/end-permian-mass-extinction/index.html

http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-evolution-timeline-interactive

http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/main/htmlversion/hadean2.html

http://smithsonianscience.org/2014/07/human-evolution-rewritten-flexible-response-climate-change/