19 Environmental Science
Environmental Science: A Canadian Perspective
Environmental ScienceBites
Editors: Kylienne A. Clark, Travis R. Shaul, and Brian H. Lower
Contributors: Sydney R. Morrison, Sydney R. Morrison, Jaymes T. StClair, Jaymes T. StClair, Levi J. Cramer, Levi J. Cramer, Alyssa M. Jones, Alyssa M. Jones, Brittany L. Sulainis, Brittany L. Sulainis, Jeremie E. Beaverstock, Jeremie E. Beaverstock, Amanda L. Varcho, Amanda L. Varcho, Kelly E. Peterson, Kelly E. Peterson, Chayli T. Buenger, Chayli T. Buenger, Wyatt T. Susich, Wyatt T. Susich, Chris Ebersole, Chris Ebersole, Brandon S. Wator, Brandon S. Wator, John A. Zagar, John A. Zagar, Jace A. Ball, Jace A. Ball, Lee Seitz, Lee Seitz, Benjamin W. Schumann, Benjamin W. Schumann, Mason F. Ye, Mason F. Ye, Alyssa M. Zearley, Alyssa M. Zearley, Cain W. Crouse, Cain W. Crouse, Allyson E. Loparo, Allyson E. Loparo, Rika L. Bailey, Rika L. Bailey, Emily C. Mills, Emily C. Mills, Andrew T. Wood, Lydia F. Bednarski, Lydia F. Bednarski, Samantha K. Runser, and Samantha K. Runser
Description: This book was written by undergraduate students at The Ohio State University (OSU) who were enrolled in the class Introduction to Environmental Science. The chapters describe some of Earth’s major environmental challenges and discuss ways that humans are using cutting-edge science and engineering to provide sustainable solutions to these problems. Topics are as diverse as the students, who represent virtually every department, school and college at OSU. The environmental issue that is described in each chapter is particularly important to the author, who hopes that their story will serve as inspiration to protect Earth for all life.
All of the chapters in this book were written by first-time authors. In writing these chapters, our students learned a great deal about the publication process. They learned: (1) How to find information from primary and secondary sources and critically evaluate topics, issues, results and conclusion. (2) How scientific research is conducted and how results and conclusions are reported to the public so that people can make more informed decisions in their own lives. (3) That the peer-review evaluation system is an integral part of the scientific process, which enables scientists to maintain high quality standards and provides credibility to research and scholarly works. And (4) that peer reviews are a necessary part of the writing process because it focuses attention on particular details and considers the input of an actual audience.
Environmental ScienceBites Volume 2
Editors: Brian H. Lower, Travis R. Shaul, Kylienne A. Shaul, and Ella M. Weaver
Contributors: Ashley A. Neal, Brianna N. VanNoy, Christoper T. Hauer, Claire M. Beck, Delia A. Randolph, Hannah J. Kraus, Hannah L. Fein, Henry A. Miller-Davis, Jason Cochran, Jennifer L. Satterfield, Julia E. Kemerer, Kaitlyn E. Kelly, Katherine A. Clark, Katie A. Quinlin, Katie E. Fineran, Kristin J. Harpster, Kyleigh T. Godsey, Lauren E. Younkin, Leslie M. Beauchamp, Lindsey A. Krusling, Mara N. Nebraska, Melissa L. Dick, Michael S. Schaal, Mitchell J. Johnson, Nathan M. Watson, Paul Acheson, Rachel E. J. Dalke, Rebecca L. Sallade, Sabrina C. Mazyck, and Tiana L. Ahmed
Description: This book was written by undergraduate students who were enrolled in the course “Introduction to Environmental Science”, taught at The Ohio State University. All of the students featured in this book are first-time authors and represent nearly two-dozen departments within Ohio State.
This 2nd edition of ScienceBites is broken into five distinct chapters: (i) invasive species, (ii) human-wildlife conflict, (iii) pollution, (iv) climate change and (v) sustainability. Each chapter contains five articles and one poster, each authored by a unique undergraduate student, for a total of 30 contributing student authors. Each work describes an environmental challenge and explores ways that humans are using cutting-edge research to come up with solutions to these problems. Each author has chosen a topic that is of personal importance.
Our goal for this book is to highlight the creative work of our students and to publish a free resource that can be used by other students who are interested in learning more about environmental science. We hope that these articles serve as an inspiration to preserve and protect Earth for all life. We are very proud of the work of our student authors and hope that this book will serve as encouragement for others.
Future Energy: Opportunities & Challenges
Author: Thomas W. Kerlin
Description: A revolution in energy production and use is upon us. Huge changes are starting to rumble through our lives. We cannot avoid these changes, but we can manage them if we approach them in an informed way. Our current dependence on fossil fuels for most of our energy must be reduced or eliminated because of resource depletion and the environmental effects of fossil fuel combustion.
This book offers no prescriptions for achieving a desirable energy future. Instead, it presents the scientific and technical information needed to evaluate our options for intelligent energy production and use. Everyone uses energy, and many are appropriately concerned about future energy cost, availability, and environmental impact. Some are content to rely on what the “experts” tell them. Others want to know enough about how energy systems work to be able to make their own assessments. Serving this group is the focus of this book.
In order to understand energy production and use, it is necessary to build on a foundation of indisputable facts. This requires some consideration of basic science, but nothing beyond that science which is taught in high schools. Science tells us what is possible and, probably more importantly, what is impossible. Science also provides the framework for obtaining quantitative evaluations of possibilities in energy production and use. Without a basis in science, and without the use of scientific principles to generate numerical assessments, statements about energy production and use must be viewed as uninformed opinion rather than established fact. It is expected that this book will be used in survey courses about energy in universities and colleges. The book also should serve interested citizens who
want to learn about energy and energy professionals who want to learn about energy options outside their specialty. An effort was made to present the science and technology in a simple and intuitive way. When detailed information was considered necessary for readers who wish to see the basis for assertions in the main text, more detailed discussions appear in
appendices.
Exercises are provided for most of the chapters. These are intended primarily for use in college and university courses. Each exercise has one of three purposes: to provide experience in using some of the quantitative assessment methods, to send the reader to current literature to learn about the status of the rapidly changing energy enterprise, and to stimulate the reader to formulate opinions and provide the rationale for those opinions.