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.

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.

Planet Earth: Evolution of the Habitable World This course develops a planetary perspective on the evolutionary processes that shaped Earth throughout history. We will examine why Earth is habitable, that is, why any kind of life can live on it, we will discuss the unique influences that biological processes and atmosphere/ocean systems have on each other, and we will review current notions of climate change, including evidence for the influence of human activities on it. This interdisciplinary treatment of Earth and its sister planets will encourage students to think about how science and engineering must be applied to today's challenges if humankind is to have a promising future on (and off) this planet.

The World Around Us 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.

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 to natural phenomena which have strong impacts on human activities including tornadoes, hurricanes, El Nino, global warming, ozone depletion, and air pollution. The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry, and mathematics to atmospheric science will be stressed.

Water in Our Environment The hydrologic cycle is used as a vehicle to explore the interactions of the hydrosphere with the lithospheric, atmospheric, and biospheric components of the environment with emphasis on concepts and principles, and relating to these every day experiences.

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.

Sustainable Society This course is designed to be 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.

The World We Create Students will explore central ideas in the physical sciences that can be used to explain and predict the properties and structure of matter as well as the interactions and processes that lead to matter transformations. They will critically reflect on the costs and benefits of the products of science and technology.

Basic Concepts in 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.

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 This course explores the deep relationships that connect the largest structures in the universe to the world of atoms and subatomic particles. Topics covered begin with the scientific method and tools of science, proceed to fundamental physical concepts and processes that govern the natural world, and move on to a study of features of the natural world based upon fundamental laws of nature. This knowledge is used to create a broad perspective for understanding the origin and evolution of our Milky Way Galaxy, our Solar System, and their common cosmic heritage.

Aeronautics: Science and People Examination of the evolution of flight from birds to space shuttles. The examination of flight will focus on the observations of experimental facts and discussions of physical principles. It will also address historical events and stories of pilots, astronauts, engineers, and scientists. The role of individuals in the development of aeronautics will be emphasized.

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.

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.

Nutrition, Food and You Only for students who have not taken N SC 101 (Introduction to Human Nutrition). Nutrition, Food and You covers the principles of human nutrition. Topics include digestion, absorption, metabolism, vitamins, minerals, life cycle nutrition and food safety.

Human Variation in the Modern World Fundamental concepts and principles of human biology emphasizing the evolutionary processes that create organic diversity. An in-depth study of biological differences existing within and between populations of our species focusing on genetic mechanisms and adaptive strategies.

Life on Earth Course examines the evolution of life, how ecosystems work, and aspects of the ecological role of humans in the global ecosystem. Emphasis on modern biological processes as well as the geologic history of those processes.

Views of Life There is grandeur in this view of lifeSand that, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. C. Darwin, 1859.

Animal Sexual Behavior This course will examine ideas of how sexual reproduction came about and the consequences the origin of sex has had on biological diversity. We will explore the diversity of animal courtship and mating behaviors using readings, group discussions, library research, writing, and class presentations, and we will conduct behavioral investigations in the lab.