This lab class introduces students to experimental design, procedures and analysis through material related to environmental engineering. There is an emphasis on assessing water quality and quantifying water resources. Students learn to correctly use glassware, a pH/conductivity meter, and spectrophotometer for analyses of various water samples. Analytical results will provide information on pH, conductivity, calcium, magnesium, phosphate and hardness. They will also use these instruments for experiments on environmental engineering experiments that are directly linked to ongoing research in the department and that shed light on the challenges faced by engineers to provide clean, safe drinking water. On the water resources side, they will conduct experiments with hydraulics equipment such as weirs, flow meters and Pelton turbines. Course Objectives

By completing the environmental engineering laboratory in the civil and environmental engineering undergraduate curriculum, a student will be able to:

 

• Operate analytical equipment (e.g. pH meter, spectrophotometer) and experimental devices (e.g., bench-scale water turbine) to gain useful
  information.
• Understand and conduct experiments used for water quality assessment and hydraulic measurement.
• Interpret experimental results and recognize sources of error.
• Critically asses the quality of analytical data provided for environmental parameters.
• Design and test a lab experiment based on preliminary observations and data.
• Plan, design and perform a laboratory investigation using campus resources.
• Recognize safety issues related to laboratory activities, and deal with them responsibly.
• Write reports on environmental laboratory investigation and analysis.
• Develop and make presentations based on environmental laboratory investigation and analysis.
• Work in teams of two or more to conduct experiments, review literature, and prepare reports and presentations.
• Behave with highest ethical standards, including reporting information objectively and conducting experiments safely.