http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ A search of MERLOT materials Copyright 1997-2013 MERLOT. All rights reserved. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:04:46 PDT Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:04:46 PDT http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/images/merlot.gif http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ 44 34 http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554774 12.103 explores the role of scientific knowledge, discovery, method, and argument in environmental policymaking from both idealistic and realistic perspectives. The course will use case studies of science-intensive environmental controversies to study how science was used and abused in the policymaking process. Case studies include: global warming, biodiversity loss, and nuclear waste disposal siting. Subject includes intensive practice in the writing and presentation of "position statements" on environmental science issues. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=584018 Dating lab for Geology. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=603094 This free and open online course in Oceanography was produced by the WA State Board for Community & Technical Colleges [http://sbctc.edu/].Planet Earth's Ocean covers over 70% of its surface, yet oceanographic research has only recently come to its full potential with the advent of new technologies. This course emphasizes the need to understand geologic, chemical, physical and biological processes or features that occur in ocean environments. It is designed to be thorough enough to prepare you for more advanced work, while presenting the concepts to non-majors in a way that is meaningful and not overwhelming.This module is part of the Open Course Library, a collection of shareable course materials created for faculty to use in their classes. As part of the Open Course Library this content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which means that you are free to reuse the course in its entirety, edit it and use a your own modified version, or pick out only pieces which can be incorporated into your own course, as long as you credit the original author for their work.To access all materials for this course you may download either the ANGEL export file or the IMS Common Cartridge file. While the ANGEL file is specific to that system, the Common Cartridge file is compatible with many learning management systems. More information on Common Cartridge is available at http://www.imsglobal.org/cc/ . http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=603138 This free and open online course in Geology was produced by the WA State Board for Community & Technical Colleges [http://sbctc.edu/].Geology is a core science, along with physics, chemistry, and biology. It uses rigorous methods of inquiry that illuminate the history of the earth and its present-day geological activity. Geology allows us to discover how earth’s history and activity determine the state of the planet and its life forms. The study of geology also shows us how human behavior affects the earth. Topics we will cover include plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, rocks, minerals, geologic time, glaciers, rivers, geologic structures, layers of the earth, and reading maps. This course includes laboratory work and lab credit.This module is part of the Open Course Library, a collection of shareable course materials created for faculty to use in their classes. As part of the Open Course Library this content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which means that you are free to reuse the course in its entirety, edit it and use a your own modified version, or pick out only pieces which can be incorporated into your own course, as long as you credit the original author for their work.To access all materials for this course you may download either the ANGEL export file or the IMS Common Cartridge file. While the ANGEL file is specific to that system, the Common Cartridge file is compatible with many learning management systems. More information on Common Cartridge is available at http://www.imsglobal.org/cc/ . http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554622 Solving Complex Problems provides an opportunity for entering freshmen to gain first-hand experience with working as part of a team to develop effective approaches to complex problems in Earth system science and engineering that do not have straightforward solutions. The subject includes training in a variety of skills, ranging from library research to Web Design. Each year's course explores a different problem in detail through the study of complimentary case histories and the development of creative solution strategies. Beginning in 2000 as an educational experiment sponsored by MIT's Committee on the Undergraduate Program, and receiving major financial support from the Alex and Britt d'Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in MIT Education, the subject is designed to enhance the first-semester freshman experience by helping students develop contexts for other subjects in the sciences and humanities, and by helping them to establish learning communities that include upperclassmen, faculty, MIT alumni, and professionals from many walks of life. In Fall 2003, students from the Class of 2007 were challenged with "Mission 2007״: To design the most "environmentally correct" strategy for oil exploration and extraction in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR); and To perform a cost-benefit analysis in order to evaluate whether or not the hydrocarbon resources that might be extracted from beneath ANWR are worth the environmental damage that might result from the process. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554825 This undergraduate level course presents a basic study in geology. It introduces major minerals and rock types, rock-forming processes, and time scales; temperatures, pressures, compositions, structure of the Earth, and measurement techniques; geologic structures and relationships observable in the field; sediment movement and landform development by moving water, wind, and ice; crustal processes and planetary evolution in terms of global plate tectonics with an emphasis on ductile and brittle processes. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554778 This course introduces the structure, composition, and physical processes governing the terrestrial planets, including their formation and basic orbital properties. Topics include plate tectonics, earthquakes, seismic waves, rheology, impact cratering, gravity and magnetic fields, heat flux, thermal structure, mantle convection, deep interiors, planetary magnetism, and core dynamics. Suitable for majors and non-majors seeking general background in geophysics and planetary structure. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554882 This undergraduate class is designed to introduce students to the physics that govern the circulation of the ocean and atmosphere. The focus of the course is on the processes that control the climate of the planet.AcknowledgmentsProf. Ferrari wishes to acknowledge that this course was originally designed and taught by Prof. John Marshall. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554698 This course focuses on the practical applications of the continuum concept for deformation of solids and fluids, emphasizing force balance. Topics include stress tensor, infinitesimal and finite strain, and rotation tensors. Constitutive relations applicable to geological materials, including elastic, viscous, brittle, and plastic deformation are studied. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554647 This course provides an introduction to the theory and phenomenology of nonlinear dynamics and chaos in dissipative systems. The content is structured to be of general interest to undergraduates in science and engineering.