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Courses - Spring 2023
ENST
Environmental Science and Technology Department Site
ENST200
Fundamentals of Soil Science
Credits: 4
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSNL
Corequisite: CHEM131 and CHEM132; or permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Credit only granted for: ENST200 or NRSC200.
Formerly: NRSC200.
Study and management of soils as natural bodies, media for plant growth, and ecosystem components. Morphology, composition, formation, and conservation of soils. Chemical, biological, and physical properties are discussed in relation to the production of plants, the functioning of hydrologic and nutrient cycles, the protection of environmental quality, and engineering uses of soils.
ENST214
Introduction to Fish and Wildlife Sciences
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: BSCI160 and BSCI161; or permission of instructor.
Restriction: Must be in the ENST Natural Resources Management or ENSP Wildlife Ecology & Management programs; and must have completed less than 90 credits; or permission of instructor.
Lectures, discussion, and readings in social, biological, and human dimension issues facing natural resource managers in the United States. Coverage will include history and philosophical discussions of fishery, wildlife, and forestry sciences; conservation and management; principles of community, habitat, and animal ecology and management; and interrelations of wildlife, fish, and forestry.
ENST233
Introduction to Environmental Health
Credits: 4
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSNS
Examines how humans are affected by the quality of our air, water, soil and food supply as well as how human activities alter these survival necessities. Students will learn how the evolution and prosperity of human populations have resulted in degradation of our environment and the impact of environmental degradation on the health of people. The implications of individual and collective choices for sustainable food production, population management, and resource utilization will be explored.
ENST309
(Perm Req)
Advanced Field Soil Morphology
Credits: 1
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Permission of AGNR-Environmental Science and Technology department.

Prerequisite: ENST301
ENST334
Environmental Toxicology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: CHEM131, CHEM132, and BSCI207; or permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Concepts and case histories in ecotoxicology. Emphasis on origin and variety of environmental pollutants, routes of biological exposure, modes of toxicological action and effects on individual organisms, populations and ecosystems. Ecotoxicological issues in the Chesapeake Bay will be used as examples.
ENST388
(Perm Req)
Honors Thesis Research
Credits: 3 - 6
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department. Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.

Undergraduate honors thesis research conducted under the direction of an AGNR faculty member in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the College of AGNR Honors Program. The thesis will be defended to a faculty committee.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
ENST405
Energy and Environment
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: MATH140 or MATH120; or must have completed MATH220.
Restriction: Junior standing or higher. And must be in Environmental Sci & Tech program; or must be in Environmental Sci & Tech: Ecological Tech Design program; or must be in Environmental Sci & Tech: Environmental Health program; or must be in Environmental Sci & Tech: Soil & Watershed Science program; or must be in Environmental Sci & Tech: Natural Resources Mgmt program.
Jointly offered with ENST605.
Credit only granted for: ENST405, ENSP350, ENST605, or MEES698Z.
Introduction to the role of energy in environmental and human-dominated systems. Discussion of the historical and modern production and consumption of energy. Introduction to energy systems computer simulation and energy auditing.
Jointly offered with MEES698Z. Credit granted for ENST405 or MEES698Z.
ENST421
Credits: 4
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200.
The chemistry and composition of mineral and organic colloids in soils, including ion exchange, oxidation-reduction, acidity, surface charge, and solution chemistry. Lectures and readings pertain to plant nutrition, waste disposal, and groundwater quality.
ENST422
Soil Microbial Ecology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200; or 1 course in BCHM; or must have completed a course in microbiology; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Jointly offered with: ENST622.
The interdisciplinary study of soil microorganisms and their interactions with the mineral matrix; resulting in processes such as nutrient cycling, decontamination, and natural product production. We will focus on the diversity of soil communities, their survival strategies, and the new strategies used to study these communities.
ENST423
Soil-Water Pollution
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200.
Reaction and fate of pesticides, agricultural fertilizers, industrial and animal wastes in soil and water with emphasis on their relation to the environment.
ENST430
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200.
Credit only granted for: ENST430 or ENST630.
The soils of wetlands including hydrology, chemistry, and genesis are discussed. Federal and regional guidelines for wetland soils are covered with an emphasis on validating interpretations through field observations.
ENST452
Wetland Restoration
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: (BSCI160 and BSCI161; or BSCI106); and (BSCI362, ENST450, ENST360, or BSCI361).
Design, construction, and evaluation of wetlands restored or created to provide ecosystem services or to mitigate losses due to development. Topics include fundamental properties of wetlands, ecological restoration theory, site selection and goal-setting, design plans, practices for establishing wetland hydrology, substrate, and vegetation, and restored ecosystem monitoring.
ENST453
Watershed Science: Water Balance, Open Channel Flow, and Near Surface Hydrology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: MATH120, ENST200, GEOG306 or BIOM301.
Recommended: PHYS121.
Credit only granted for: ENST453 or ENST653.
Definition and delineation of watersheds based on the stream orders. Discussion of the principle of conservation of mass in the context of life cycles (water cycle, carbon cycle, photosynthesis, aerobic cycle, anaerobic cycle, and nitrogen cycle) as it relates to our Biosystem. Conceptual study of hydrologic cycle components and their prediction using empirical and physical-based models is covered. Role of water as the dynamic force within the context of its interaction with landscapes of diverse geology and land cover will be discussed. Elements of watershed management is discussed.
ENST462
(Perm Req)
Field Techniques in Wildlife Management
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST460. And BSCI160 and BSCI161; or BSCI106. And BSCI170 and BSCI171; or BSCI105.
Recommended: ENST461.
Restriction: Permission of AGNR-College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.
Hands-on experience with field techniques in wildlife management focusing on various methods of conducting indices, estimates, and censuses of wildlife populations. Includes capture and handling of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals by use of drift fences, cover boards, mist nets, box traps, and dart guns.
ENST470
(Perm Req)
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Junior or Senior standing only; Permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
This will be a capstone-type course based around developing proposals for projects emphasizing research, monitoring, design, restoration, managament, entrepreneurship, or other approaches to ecological or environmental questions, issues, or problems.
ENST472
(Perm Req)
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSSP
Restriction: Must be in a major within AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department; and permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Additional information: This is the pinnacle course for students majoring in ENST and is therefore recommended in one of the students' final semesters.
This capstone course focuses on professional project preparation, presentation, and critical evaluation on environmental science research. Students will develop and present original projects and critique projects presented by others.
ENST481
(Perm Req)
Credits: 4
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: (MATH120 or MATH140; or must have completed MATH220); and (PHYS121 and CHEM131); and (BSCI361; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department). Or permission of instructor.
Restriction: Permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Jointly offered with: MEES681.
Credit only granted for: ENST481, ENST681, or MEES681.
An advanced survey course on the field of ecological design. Principles of design are illustrated with case studies from biologically-based waste treatment systems, ecosystem management and sustainable development. Concepts covered include ecology, ecological engineering, nutrient cycling, emergy, lifecycle analysis, and design process. Technologies include treatment wetlands, living machines, anaerobic digestion, rain gardens, bioswales, bioremediation, algal turf scrubbers, and green building design.
ENST486
(Perm Req)
Senior Professional Experience
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSSP
Prerequisite: ENST389.
Restriction: Must be in the Environmental Science and Technology program; and permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Additional information: The course has two types of activities: lecture and experiential learning. Students are expected to work on their professional-level experience for 90 hours and participate in a 2-hour lecture every other week, during the semester to develop their Senior Integrative Experience (SIE) project. Each student's research question, proposal methodology, analysis, paper, and presentation will follow learning outcomes of all ENST SIE course options.
Students will arrange an off-campus professional-level work experience related to Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) to develop expertise in a specific area of their ENST concentration curriculum. Classroom sessions will frame student experiences within the broader discipline of Environmental Science and Technology. This course will tie together current practices in the ENST career industry, proposal writing, critical analysis, and culminate in a final paper and presentation.
ENST489
(Perm Req)
Research Experience
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Contact department for information to register for this course.
ENST499
(Perm Req)
Special Topics in Environmental Science and Technology
Credits: 1 - 4
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Contact department for information to register for this course.
ENST499O
Special Topics in Environmental Science and Technology; Principles of Aquaponics The Circular Food Production Sys tem
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
In the last few years, aquaponics has attracted a lot of attention around the globe, especially in the context of urban farming. In this course, students will get answers to questions such as: how exactly does an aquaponics system work and what knowledge is needed to successfully run an aquaponics system? The different parts of this course will give the students an understanding of important topics in the field of aquaponics and develop a broad knowledge base: from water chemistry, fish and plant hysiology, to engineering and microbiology and show them how to plan and design such a sustainable production system. Aquaponics is a technique that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soil-less plant cultivation) in a circulatory system with the aim of recycling nutrients from fish farming wastewater. Also, aquaponics can serve as a learning model for inter- and transdisciplinary thinking and acting.
ENST499Y
Special Topics in Environmental Science and Technology; College Teaching
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
ENST607
Adaptation and Resilience in Cities
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST360.
Restriction: Must be a graduate student; or permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
Credit only granted for: ENST607 or ENST689C.
Formerly: ENST689C.
Knowledge about the relations between urbanization and global and local challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, resource deficiency, poverty, justice and health, is of key importance to move towards sustainable development and resilient systems. This course takes a trans-disciplinary approach to understanding urban questions. Urban possibilities and challenges are analyzed by using a systems approach where ecological, social, and economic aspects are integrated through a social-ecological perspective to analyze resilience and sustainability. Linkages between and perspectives from science, social-sciences, and practice are emphasized throughout the course.
ENST622
Advanced Soil Microbial Ecology
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200; or 1 course in BCHM; or must have completed one course in microbiology; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Jointly offered with ENS T422.
Credit only granted for: ENST422 or ENST622.
The interdisciplinary study of soil microorganisms and their interactions with the mineral matrix; resulting in processes such as nutrient cycling, decontamination, and natural product production. We will focus on the diversity of soil communities, their survival strategies, and the new strategies used to study these communities.The course will include an examination of current literature in this field.
ENST630
Advanced Wetland Soils
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST200.
Credit only granted for: ENST630, ENST430, or NRSC461.
The soils of wetlands including hydrology, biogeochemistry, and pedogenesis, including a focused discussion of current literature. Federal and regional guidelines for wetland soils are covered with an emphasis on validating interpretations through field observations.
ENST689U
Special Topics; Invasive Species
Credits: 1
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Invasive plants and animals reduce property values and agricultural productivity. They harm native animal and plant populations and affect the overall health of ecosystems. They also impact public utility operations and affect tourism and outdoor recreation. All told, invasive species can cost the United States as much as $120 billion EACH YEAR. This special topics seminar covers the wide variety of programs USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service uses to address harmful invasive species. Issues may include: nutria, mute swans, feral swine, brown tree snakes, and insects that are tree and forest pests.
ENST702
Environmental Science and Technology: Communication and Professional Development
Credits: 2
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: ENST602.
Restriction: Must be in Environmental Science and Technology (Master's) program; or must be in Environmental Science and Technology (Doctoral) program; or permission of instructor.
Training in communication and professional development to prepare students to succeed in careers within the fields of environmental science and technology. Topics will include manuscript and technical writing, job search, communication with academic and non-academic audiences, multi-disciplinary collaboration, management (project, personnel, time), professionalism, leadership, ethics, and career opportunities. Course emphasizes practical training through facilitated discussions and critique practicums.
ENST798
(Perm Req)
Credits: 1
Grad Meth: Reg
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs (Environmental Science and Technology (Doctoral); Environmental Science and Technology (Master's)); or permission of AGNR-Environmental Science & Technology department.
ENST799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits: 1 - 6
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.
ENST898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits: 1 - 8
Grad Meth: Reg
Contact department for information to register for this course.
ENST899
(Perm Req)
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits: 6
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.