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NATURAL SCIENCE (NATS)

101. The Earth and Its Environments (3) I II An overview of the key concepts in physical and chemical processes, including Newton's laws governing force and motion, the laws of thermodynamics governing energy and entropy, the role of electromagnetism in nature, and the atomic structure of matter. The course will explore these concepts in an inter-disciplinary context, drawing from areas such as environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, engineering/technological sciences, and others.

Basic Concepts and Water-Related Applications. This course develops an understanding of natural science concepts and ideas and how they can be used to understand and analyze processes and objects in the every day world. Water is a central theme. Students examine how it is obtained, stored, distributed, used, polluted, and cleaned. They learn to estimate its quality, quantity, energy, and movement. It is a broad introductory course.

Connections: A Study of Science, Technology and Innovation. Basic aspects of physics, chemistry, and astronomy are integrated to show how technology evolves from science, interconnecting events, and accidents of time. Who would have imagined that modern communications, movies, printing presses, and computers have their roots in the stirrup, cannon, 12th century underwear, and the water wheel. We explore the science and technology that has given us today's society and examine opportunities for today and the future.

Earth's Environment: Introduction to Physical Geography. Introduction to fundamental laws of nature as expressed physical processes that govern the spatial distribution of Earth's land, sea, air, and biological environments. Focus on fluxes and feedbacks among these systems, and interactions with humans.

Earth Resources and the Environment. This is a course about the mineral resources of the Earth, our demand and use of these resources for material goods and energy, and the environmental consequences of our use of these resources.

A Geological Perspective. Students will learn that a few universal laws describe the behavior of our physical surroundings, from the universe to every action in our daily lives. this interdisciplinary course will cover aspects of the scientific process, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and Earth sciences, with an emphasis on geosciences and society, including earthquakes, mass extinctions in geologic history, and global warming. It will give students the ability to read and appreciate popular accounts of major discoveries and important public issues in the physical sciences.

Introduction to Environmental Science. This course will not be confined to one discipline but rather will include information from physics, chemistry, biology and the social sciences such as economics and anthropology. The central theme of the course will be that of change as a normal and natural process. It will consist of four major focus areas: Biodiversity, Pollution, Population, and Resources. Within each major focus area we shall explore how change has and is occurring at the local, regional and global scales. To facilitate the learning process we shall analyze local, national and international case histories. The case histories would include air pollution at the Grand Canyon, TCE groundwater contamination in Tucson, landfill and leaking underground storage tanks in Tucson, Chernobyl, and the Mt. Graham controversy.

Introduction to Global Change. The basics of physical science are presented within the context of global environmental change processes (climatic change, global warming, deforestation, etc.) that impact Earth and its inhabitants. Includes hands-on activities, discussions, computer exercises, and a personal interest project.

Introduction to Weather and Climate. An introduction to the science of weather processes and climate, including the genesis of fronts and cyclones, precipitation processes, the wind systems of the world, severe storms, and weather forecasting. Special emphasis will be given t natural phenomena which have strong impacts on human activities including tornadoes, hurricanes, El Ni�o, global warming, ozone depletion, and air pollution. The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry, and mathematics to atmospheric science will be stressed.

Science, Technology and Environment. The scientific method, technology, motion, energy, gases, heat, chemistry, electricity and magnetism are covered in class lectures. In laboratories, students will use physical principles to assess environmental problems and technology: e.g., CAP water, air pollution, solar cookers, and water use in the arid southwest.

102. Beyond the Earth in Space and Time (3) I II Introduction to the study of the planetary and geological sciences and their application to events in the everyday world. The course examines Newton's laws governing force and motion, the laws of thermodynamics governing energy and entropy, the role of electromagnetism in nature, and the atomic structure of matter, in the context of current issues in planetary and geological sciences.

The Concepts of Physical Science. This is a course inquiring into basic concepts used by every physical science in its exploration of the world. The concepts originate in physics, which offers the framework on which other disciplines are build. Applications of the concepts are made in the course, not just to traditional physics problems, but to problems in many other scientific disciplines. In the course we will explore the development of the concepts from their intuitive beginnings to their present forms. In the process, we will see how science searches for a logically consistent explanation of the world, and how the creation of these concepts has influenced our perception of that world.

Life in the Universe. The course will emphasize to the student how information from different fields of science can be brought together to address a problem and, most importantly, how the scientific method can be used to attach problems which at first may seem intractable. One major goal of the course will be to impart to the student the wonder, uniqueness, and fragility of life on Earth.

The Physical Universe. The Physical Universe presents the astronomical phenomena of the universe in the context of physical science.

The Role of Time in Science. The central theme in the course is time; how we decide what it is, how we measure it, and how our view of it has changed as we learn more about the natural world. The course will discuss many sorts of natural clocks, both cyclic (atoms, planet orbits, neutron stars) and non-cyclic growth and decay (chemical and nuclear reactions, radioactivity, geological processes, the birth and death of stars), and the time scales on which each can be used. We will see how a few central principles keep recurring in our attempt to understand the working of these clocks. Ultimately, we will discuss how Einstein had to change our ideas about time measurement in order to accommodate these principles, and how the accommodation has lead to our present view of the universe.

The Universe and Humanity: Origin and Destiny. Formation and evolution of the universe, the solar system and life; events which led to our existence; the future for life in the solar system; life elsewhere. Designed for non-scientists.

104. Biological Sciences (3) I II Introduction to the study of biology and its application to events in the everyday world. Areas examined include 1) the evolution and diversity of life, 2) cells, 3) structure and function or organisms at the multi-cellular level 4) genetics and development, 5) health and disease, and 6) interaction and interdependence between organisms.

Biology in Medicine, Engineering and Applied Science. This course will cover the fundamental concepts and principles of biology and directly link them to applications in medicine, engineering and other applied sciences. A typical class week will consist of two one-hour lectures on biological concepts and principles and one three-hour applications session. Each applications session will consist of a one-hour seminar on biological applications in medicine, engineering and other applied sciences and a two-hour problem session.

Evolution of Modern Biology. This course is designed to introduce students to concepts in modern biology, with an emphasis on the processes that created the current status of life on earth. Students should leave the course with the understanding of the relationship between DNA, RNA, proteins, genes the phenotypes. They will be introduced to basic metabolism, and the kinds of regulatory networks that control our cells. Students also will look at the ways that different types of reproductive strategies are utilized by populations of organisms. Finally, we will talk about the ways that humans are changing the rules-the impact of recombinant DNA technology on present and future human life.

Nutrition, Food and You. Nutrition, Food and You covers the principles of human nutrition. Topics include digestion, absorption, metabolism, vitamins, minerals, life cycle nutrition and food safety.

Plants and Our World. Plants and Our World will cover the principles of plant growth, development, and reproduction from the cellular to the whole organism levels, explore how plants are affected by their environment, and their ecology and evolution. The emphasis of the course is on what makes plants uniquely interesting and different from other organisms, and their importance to life and society.


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Page last updated:  May 20, 2013


Arizona Board of Regents � All rights reserved.
General Catalog  http://catalog.arizona.edu/
The University of Arizona


Page last updated:  May 20, 2013


Arizona Board of Regents © All rights reserved.
General Catalog  http://catalog.arizona.edu/
The University of Arizona