MONT 104N -- Modeling the Environment

Syllabus and Schedule

• Course syllabus (.pdf)
• Detailed course schedule to end of semester, revised 11/8
• Natural World Cluster Common Events are listed in the course syllabus (see above)

Examples, Class Notes, Etc.

• Montaigne's essay "Of Cannibals"
  • one translation
  • another translation with some additional annotations, translations of the Latin quotations, etc.
  Read either version for class on August 31.
• Study questions on Montaigne, "Of Cannibals"
• Examples for class September 5.
• Foster-Motzkin survey on New England landscapes over time and a related article with better versions of some of the graphics -- background for Harvard Forest trip.
• New York Times article (2010) on melting of Greenland ice sheet.
• EPA "executive summary'' on greenhouse gas emissions 1990--2010 (released in April 2012).
• Background on Florida lake ecosystems.
• Recent trends in global mean sea level -- satellite measurements (data from NOAA labs and other sources)
• A "crash course" on Excel
• Geometric meaning of the correlation coefficient
• Example from class on 10/17.
• Article on Alexis Rockman's art by Bill McKibben from Orion magazine
• Example for class on 10/31 -- fitting a power law model
• Solutions for midterm exam
• Example for class on 11/19 -- stability of equilibrium solutions.
• Example for class on 11/26 -- logistic model of Pacific halibut populations
• Solutions for final exam.

Assignments

Notes: In the following assignments,

• ''GB'' means They Say, I Say by Graff and Birkenstein
• ''LH'' means our main mathematical text, Quantitative Reasoning and the Environment by Langkamp and Hull.

1. For class on Friday, September 7, do Exercise 1 on page 40 of GB. Create a Word .doc file containing your two summary paragraphs and submit by email to jlittle@holycross.edu by 10pm on Thursday, September 6. We will discuss some of these in class. (This will not be a graded assignment)
   
   
2. Paper 1 will be due Friday, September 14.
   
   
3. Group Project 1 -- assignment and map -- due: in class, Monday, September 17.
   
   
4. Problem Set 1 -- due: in class, Friday, September 21.
   • LH Chapter 1: 4,6,8,10,15,22,23,24,33,38,39.
   • LH Chapter 2: 2,6,8,14,17,18,31,35,36,38,43,48.
   
   
5. Group Project 2 -- assignment -- writeups due: no later than 5:00pm, Monday, September 24, by email.
   
   
6. Problem Set 2 -- due: in class, Friday, September 28.
   • LH Chapter 3: 1,4,8,11,17,20.
   
   
7. Group Project 3 and US energy flow graph -- due: no later than 5:00pm, Monday, October 1.
   
   
8. First "debates day" assignment -- October 1
   
   
9. Problem Set 3 -- due: in class, Friday, October 19.
   • LH Chapter 4: 3ab,9,11,16,17abde,19abdef.
   
   
10. Group Project 4 -- due: no later than 5:00pm on Monday, October 29.
    
    
11. Problem Set 4 -- due: in class, Friday, November 2.
    • LH Chapter 5: 1,4,5,9,10,24 (use Excel and omit part b).
    
    
12. Group Project 5 -- the Mauna Loa atmospheric CO₂ measurements data set -- due: Friday, November 9.
    
    
13. Second Debates -- November 14 -- background
    
    
14. Paper 2 will be due at 5:00pm on Friday, November 16.
    
    
15. Problem Set 5 -- due: in class, Friday, November 30.
    • LH Chapter 6: 3,6,7,14.
    • LH Chapter 7: 5,6,12,15,19,25.
    
    
16. Group Project 6 -- due: 5:00pm on Monday, December 3.
    
    
17. Third Debates -- December 5 -- background
    
    
18. Problem Set 6 -- due: in class, Friday, December 7.
    • LH Chapter 8: 2, 3 -- part a only, 8, 9 -- part a only.
    • LH Chapter 9: 2, 3 -- part a only, 9, 14, 15.

Information and Announcements

• Information on Final Exam -- exam will be given on Thursday, December 13 at 8:00am
• Our exam has been officially moved to Swords 330
• Class Dinner at 6:00pm on Tuesday, December 11 in Mulledy Social Room (ground floor), followed by review session for final.
• Exam Week office hours

Related Links

• NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

Academic Support for Students at Holy Cross

• Overall information: Academic Services and Learning Resources
• Support Services for Students Contact: Tina Chen (Director) x2713.
• Academic workshop schedule for Fall 2009
• The Writer's Workshop (In addition to the locations in Dinand Library, Stein, and Smith, check the Montserrat Moodle page to see when Writer's Workshop tutors will be offering sessions in Wheeler, Hanselman, and Mulledy. Contact: Elaine Hayes (Director) x3648.
• Holy Cross Libraries -- Contact: Patty Porcaro (Head of Reader Services), x3533.
• Counseling Center -- Office: Hogan 207, x3363.
• Career Planning Center -- Office: Hogan 203, x3880.

Downloading Information

Last modified: December 13, 2012