Syllabus

Course Title

ENVE-160B: Environmental Engineering Laboratory

Academic Department

Chemical and Environmental Engineering

Course Instructors

Markus Petters, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Office: Center for Environmental Research & Technology of UCR | Room 128
Web: https://mdpetters.github.io
Email: markus.petters@ucr.edu
Office Hours: F 4:00-4:50 PM

Lab Director
Kathy Cocker, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Email: ksmihula@engr.ucr.edu

Teaching Assistants
Sunandan Mahant
Email: sunandan.mahant@email.ucr.edu

Course Description

Consists of laboratory exercises in environmental engineering. Includes experiments in physical measurements, reaction kinetics, reactor analysis, and air pollution engineering. Emphasizes experimental design, analysis of results, and preparation of engineering reports.

Prerequisite(s): ENVE 133; or consent of instructor.

Meeting Time/Location

Lecture: M/W 12:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Location: Riverside Campus | Bourns Hall | Room B134
Discussion: F 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
Location: Riverside Campus | Skye Hall | Room 173

Course Objectives

This course introduces students to concepts essential for making and analyzing measurements relevant to environmental engineering. It is intended to help train students to design and conduct reliable experimental measurements. The main objectives of the course are to apply the fundamental concepts developed in previous coursework, to set up and conduct complex experiments, and to support the theories formulated in lecture courses. The experiments give students an opportunity to think creatively, apply the skills developed in lecture courses, and communicate effectively through written and oral reports.

⏻ Learning Outcomes
  1. Gain hands on experience with air quality measurement techniques

  2. Engage in design and conduct of open-ended experiments

  3. Gain familiarity with reporting methods of environmental data

  4. Be able to put measurements into perspective based on results available in the literature

  5. Work in complex team environment to accomplish significant tasks

  6. Employ mathematical and computational techniques in interpretation of collected data

  7. Gain experience presenting results in group setting and in participating in an active discussion aimed at encouraging the different groups to integrate and interpret their results.

ABET Student Outcomes

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) articulates critical student outcomes that support the program educational objectives. Attainment of these outcomes prepares graduates to enter the professional practice of engineering. The table below summarizes how this course meets various ABET targets.

ABET CriteriaThis Course
1.An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.Open-ended prompts and requirement to engage with the peer-reviewed literature force students to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems in the context of engineering science and mathematics.
2.An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.Students design and carry out experiments that target public health and environmental welfare.
3.An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.Students learn to communicate findings via oral and written reports that meet current professional standards. Students learn to participate in active discussions with peers and an audience.
4.An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.Students learn to effectively collaborate in a team, be accountable as both individuals and as a group for produced results.
5.An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.Students learn how to conduct hand-on experiments through multiple labs. They analyze and interpret the data and are required to draw conclusions from the data in presentations and reports.
6.An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.Students are provided lab manuals, auxiliary data websites, and peer-reviewed manuscripts as a guide. They are required to acquire and apply this knowledge using their own learning strategies.

Course Schedule

MActivityWActivityFActivityReport Due
Sep 26Sep 27no meeting
Sep 30Syllabus/SafetyOct 2Air Quality RefresherOct 4no meeting
Oct 7Lab 1Oct 9Lab 1Oct 11group work
Oct 14Lab 2Oct 16Lab 2Oct 18group work
Oct 21Lab 3Oct 23Lab 3Oct 25group workReport #1
Oct 28Lab 4Oct 30Lab 4Nov 1group workReport #2
Nov 4Lab 5Nov 6Lab 5Nov 8group work
Nov 11Veterans DayNov 13Presentations Week 2Nov 15group workReport #3
Nov 18Make-up/group workNov 20Make-up/group workNov 22group workReport #4
Nov 25Make-up/group workNov 27Make-up/group workNov 29Thanksgiving break
Dec 2Make-up/group workDec 4Presentations Week 5Dec 6no meetingReport #5

Group Schedule

You will rotate through Labs 1 through 5 according to the schedule below. Please see Canvas for your group assignments.

GroupSep 30Oct 7Oct 14Oct 21Oct 28
Group 1Lab 1Lab 2Lab 3Lab 4Lab 5
Group 2Lab 5Lab 1Lab 2Lab 3Lab 4
Group 3Lab 4Lab 5Lab 1Lab 2Lab 3
Group 4Lab 3Lab 4Lab 5Lab 1Lab 2
Group 5Lab 2Lab 3Lab 4Lab 5Lab 1

Assessment

Assessment of learning objectives will be through participation, presentations, and laboratory reports.

Evaluation of Student Performance

The grade components in the class include:

ActivityWeightDetails
Laboratory Reports50%Five (5) laboratory reports.
Presentations30%Two (2) group presentations.
Participation20%Attendance and participation.

Laboratory Reports Each group will turn in a report for each of the five labs that summarizes the experimental design and results. The grade assigned to each student will be based on a rubric that includes quality of the data and report and will be weighted based on individual contribution to the lab and report.

Presentations Each student will be required to contribute to group presentations on results from two of the five labs. One objective is to help students place their results into context by comparing and contrasting with those from other groups.

Participation Attendance in lab sessions and discussion is mandatory. Lab sessions marked as as make-up/group work are available for meetings of the groups with the instructor to discuss expectations and hypotheses for upcoming labs and findings and analysis for completed labs. Participation in the meetings and in other discussions in lab contributes 20% of your course grade. The participation score will be computed based on recorded attendance, participation in discussion, and peer-evaluations of group work.

Late Homework Late submissions will receive no credit. An extension with partial credit may be granted if the student can document extenuating circumstances related to an extensive period of excused absence between the date that the homework assigned and the due date. In addition, religious observances or other unanticipated life events may interfere with class attendance and homework submission. These may qualify for an extension, provided sufficient documentation is presented.

Definition of Letter Grades

This Course uses Letter Grading: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, I, W. Grading policies follow UCR Regulations., Letter grades are defined as follows:

A - Distinction, indicating exceptional achievement. Mastery of course content at the highest level of attainment that can reasonably be expected of students at a given stage of development.

B - High pass, indicating more than minimal competence but less than exceptional achievement. Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development.

C - Pass, indicating competence. Totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development.

D - Marginal pass. This grade is used to recognize that a student’s performance was marginal but clearly better than that of students who receive an F.

F - Fail. This grade is used to indicate that the student has failed the course and will not receive any credit for the course. The F grade indicates that the student’s performance in the required exercises has revealed almost no understanding of the course content.

I - Incomplete. This grade is used as a temporary grade. At the discretion of the instructor, students may be given an GD grade for work not completed because of a serious interruption in their work not caused by the student’s negligence.

W - Withdrawal. Used on student’s grade reports and transcripts to indicate all courses for which they have received official approval to drop or from which they have received official approval to withdraw after the deadlines for dropping.

Mastery Based Grading

This course will use mastery-based grading. Mastery based grading assigns letter grades "A" to "F" based on a point cutoff evaluated from the assignment rubric.

✎ Note
Mastery based grading will never reduce your grade. If you earned an 95/100, you demonstrated mastery. The assignment difficulty is typically at a level that full credit can be achieved.

Under some circumstances I may allow resubmission of an assignment for you to demonstrate mastery.

Absence Policy

Consistent class attendance is the number one predictor of academic success. Therefore, class attendance is required. Excused absences include

  1. Medical Conditions

  2. Death in the Immediate Family

  3. Military Orders

  4. Legal Obligations

Written verification from a from physician, lawyer, judge, or commanding officer needs to be provided for any makeup exam.

Methods of Student Instruction

  • Laboratory Session: Hands on work to collect measurements and interact with the instructors. Used for developing measurement plans and working out hypotheses.

  • Report Writing: Students submit reports and obtain timely feedback to help improve future reports.

  • Discussion Sessions: Discussion sessions are used for group presentations.

Reading material is linked to each lab session.

Academic Accommodations

Students are encouraged to take an active role as their own advocates. They are not required to identify themselves as having a disability; however, students are not eligible for accommodations unless they self-identify. Students are responsible for visiting the SDRC office (Student Disability Resource Center, 125 Costo Hall (951) 827-4538, http://sdrc.ucr.edu/, and obtaining and delivering letters detailing appropriate accommodations to each of their instructors in a timely manner every quarter.

Instructors are responsible for assisting in providing accommodations; students are required to make requests in an appropriate and timely manner. Ordinarily, required accommodations are described in a letter, which is given to the instructor by the student. Classroom accommodations may involve providing space for a sign language interpreter or real-time captionist, asking students to clear a path for wheelchair users, announcing need for note takers, for example. Some accommodations, such as materials in Braille, large print, or electronic format, readers, and special equipment for testing or composing papers, are provided outside of the classroom by SDRC. UCR practices for students summarized by the Dean.

Academic Rights and Responsibilities

All students, faculty, and staff are responsible for understanding and complying with the University’s stated academic requirements. Students should feel free to express their thoughts and opinions in an academic forum. Assignments must be completed by the student for whom the work is assigned and without unauthorized aid of any kind.

Academic Integrity

At UCR we are committed to upholding and promoting the values of the Tartan Soul: Integrity, Accountability, Excellence, and Respect. As a student in this class, it is your responsibility to act in accordance with these values by completing all assignments in the manner described, and by informing the instructor of suspected acts of academic misconduct by your peers. By doing so, you will not only affirm your own integrity, but also the integrity of the intellectual work of this University, and the degree which it represents. Should you choose to commit academic misconduct in this class, you will be held accountable according to the policies set forth by the University, and will incur appropriate consequences both in this class and from Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Programs. For more information regarding University policy and its enforcement, please visit: https://conduct.ucr.edu/.

⚠ Misconduct
The use of generative AI software such as ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot is expressly forbidden in this course. Use of these tools will be treated as academic misconduct.

Cheating is the giving, taking, or presenting of information or material by a student that unethically or fraudulently aids oneself or another person on any work which is to be considered in the determination of a grade or the completion of academic requirements or the enhancement of that student’s record or academic career. Cheating includes, but is not limited to the following actions:

  1. Copying from someone else’s assignment, examination, or other academic exercise.

  2. Possessing, buying, selling, removing, receiving, or using, at any time or in any manner not prescribed by the faculty member, any information related to an instrument of academic evaluation.

  3. Using materials, equipment, or assistance in connection with an assignment, examination, or other academic exercise which have not been authorized by the faculty member, including but not limited to, notes, calculator, or other technology.

  4. Obtaining or attempting to obtain, in a dishonest manner, any material relating to a student’s academic work.

  5. Working with another or others in completing an assignment, examination, or other academic exercise when the faculty member has required independent and unaided action.

  6. Attempting to influence or change an academic evaluation, grade, or record by unfair means.

  7. Permitting another individual to substitute for one’s self in an academic evaluation.

  8. Marking or submitting an examination or evaluation material in a manner designed to deceive the grading system.

  9. Failing to comply with a specific condition of academic integrity which has been clearly announced in a particular course.

  10. Submitting, without prior permission of the faculty member, any work by a student which has at any time been submitted in identical or similar form by that student in fulfillment of any other academic requirement at any institution.

  11. Submitting of material in whole or part for academic evaluation that has been prepared by another individual(s).

  12. Submitting data which have been altered or contrived in such a way as to be deliberately misleading.

  13. Providing false information to the University in any manner to achieve an unfair advantage, enhance one’s record, or complete a requirement.

Digital Course Components

Students may be required to disclose personally identifiable information to other students in the course, via digital tools, such as email or web-postings, where relevant to the course. Examples include online discussions of class topics, and posting of student coursework. All students are expected to respect the privacy of each other by not sharing or using such information outside the course.

Digital Course Components: Digital course components include

  • Canvas Learning Management System

  • Poll Everywhere

Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of the University of California Riverside not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with the University of California on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services. Furthermore, University policy prohibits retaliation against any member of the University community filing a complaint of discrimination or harassment. This policy is intended to be consistent with the provisions of applicable State and Federal laws and University policies.

Mental Health

As a student, you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, alcohol/drug problems, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating and lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities – UCR has resources to help! If you or a friend are in distress or experiencing any of these issues, please contact 951-UCR-TALK 24-hours a day to speak to a mental health professional, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. Please refer to https://mentalhealth.ucr.edu for additional resources.

Basic Needs

If you or someone you know are in need of economic, food or housing support, you can find help at https://basicneeds.ucr.edu. You may be eligible for money to buy groceries via https://basicneeds.ucr.edu/calfresh. If you are in need of immediate assistance, see the Student Affairs Case Manager at https://casemanagement.ucr.edu/ or visit the R'Pantry at https://basicneeds.ucr.edu/rpantry. You can find more information by clicking the Student Success Resources tab on your iLearn course menu.

Self Care

Categories of self care include biobehavioral (e.g., get plenty of sleep), affective-cognitive (e.g., watching a favorite, comforting movie), relational (e.g., talking with a friend), and spiritual (e.g., connecting with a faith community or the natural environment). In addition to the following resources, your instructor and TA are available to provide support and referrals.

University resources that may help you include:

  • Counseling Center: (951) 827-5531 | link

  • Wellness Center: link

  • Campus Health Center: (951) 827-3031 | link

  • Student Special Services (for students with disabilities and veterans): link

  • Ethnic and gender program offices: link

  • Healing Highlanders Collegiate Recovery Program: link

  • Campus Safety Escort Service: (951) 827-3772

  • UCR Ombudsperson: (951) 827-3213,

  • UCR Sexual Assault Resource Services: (951) 827-6225

  • UCR Student Conduct: (951) 827-4208

  • UCR Student Affairs Case Manager: (951) 827-9354

  • UCR Title IX/Sexual Harassment Office: (951) 827-5670

  • Office of the Ombuds: (951) 827-3213

  • Campus advocate for campus members affected by interpersonal violence:

Naddia Palacios | naddia.palacios@ucr.edu
384 and 386 Surge Building | (951) 827-6225 | link

Off-campus resources include:

  • Alternatives to Domestic Violence: (800) 339-7233

  • Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center (24/7): (951) 686-7273)

  • Riverside County Regional Medical Center: (951) 486-5650

  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: (951) 656-4673

  • National Dating Abuse Hotline: (866) 331-9474

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233

  • Family Justice Center: (951) 955-6100

CC BY-NC 4.0 Don Collins, David Cocker, and Markus Petters.