Ruth M. Sofield, PhD
Environmental Sciences Department, The College of the Environment at WWU
Teaching and Mentoring – Courses
List of Courses Offered (current and historic) by Dr. Sofield at WWU
- ESCI 333: Introduction to Environmental Toxicology
- ESCI 333: Introduction to Environmental Toxicology – On-line
- ESCI 455: Environmental Toxicology I- Lecture
- ESCI 457: Environmental Toxicology I- Laboratory
- ESCI 459: Aquatic Toxicology
- ESCI 460: Contaminant Movement in the Environment
- ESCI 452 and 453 Science and Management of Contaminated Sites (SMoCS) and ESCI 454 (Science , Management and Outreach of Contaminated Sites (SMOCS)
ESCI 333: Course Description (from Catalogue):
Explore the foundations of how environmental pollutants affect biological health. Topics include source and exposure routes of pollutants, basics of quantitative toxicology, and effects of exposures, risk perception and environmental regulations as they relate to toxicology.
Prerequisites:
One course in general biology and one course in general chemistry or instructor’s permission.
What is this class really?
This course is designed as an introductory level course for students who may be interested in continuing in the Environmental Toxicology emphasis area in the College of the Environment. It is also designed for students who may never take another toxicology course again and just want to gain a basic understanding of the science and how it applies to their own lives. This class is an approved class for the “Applied Environmental Science” Huxley Core requirements for ESTU students. In this class, students are assigned to small groups early which are composed of students with scientific backgrounds and without. Discussions and group learning within these groups is actively encouraged so that you can learn from each other. Some of the topics covered included the epidemiology of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project, Bioaccumulation of PCBs in fish and how fish advisories are determined, and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.
ESCI 333 On-Line:
The course material is the same as ESCI 333 (described above). It is taught in the summer. We do meet on-line with Elluminate Live! once a week (see Classfinder for on-line meeting times). These on-line meetings let us maintain some of the successful elements of the on campus class (interactions with each other and with Dr. Sofield) and give you a chance to ask questions and clarify the lecture material. If you haven’t used Elluminate before, it is simple to learn, and I think you’ll find it adds a lot to your on-line class experience. All lectures are pre-recorded and can be downloaded. You do them at your own pace. Quizzes and exams are on-line, and must be completed by specified dates.
ESCI 455: Course Description (from Catalogue):
Physiological and biochemical effects of common pollutants found in our environment. Mechanism of action of individual pollutants, including cellular damage at molecular level.
Prerequisites:
ESCI 302 or ESCI 333 or permission of instructor.
What is this class really?
This course is designed as the first advanced course in the Toxicology series for science students who want to pursue Environmental Toxicology as an emphasis area at Huxley and for graduate students in Environmental Toxicology. Science students from other science departments and Environmental Science students not interested in continuing in the Toxicology series will also find the course useful as an introduction to the discipline of Toxicology. The primary emphasis on this course is interactions of contaminants with biomolecules (genes, enzymes etc.) of an organism. The potential use of these interactions at the molecular, cellular, and subcellular level as biomarkers is investigated. The bioavailability of contaminants is also emphasized in the course.
ESCI 457: Course Description (from Catalogue):
Protocols and procedures for evaluating the toxicity of chemicals and environmental samples using a variety of organisms and end point responses. Emphasis on organisms at the biochemical level. Introduction to quality assurance/quality control principles.
Prerequisites:
ESCI 455 or concurrent.
What is this class really?
This course is designed as the laboratory associated with Environmental Toxicology I (ESCI 455/555) course. Students learn basic laboratory skills, including accurate use of pipettors, calibration of laboratory equipment, and keeping a good lab notebook. Experiments conducted in the lab include: 1) EC50 tests with Vigna radiata (mung bean) exposed to metals (with endpoints including reduction in growth and lipid peroxidation); 2) bioaccumulation of those metals; 3) Microtox®; and 4) a self-designed experiment. There are 3 required research papers.
ESCI 459: Course Description (from Catalogue):
Effects of toxic compounds on aquatic organisms. Acute and chronic responses of organisms to aquatic toxicants, and current literature on population, community and ecosystem aquatic toxicology.
Prerequisites:
ESCI 455 or ESCI 456 or a minimum of 4 credits 400-level aquatic ecology courses
What is this class really?
This course is an applied toxicology course. Fish acute toxicity syndrome (FATS), sediment toxicology, Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), and Clean Water Act (CWA) are main topics covered. The class is designed for students completing the Environmental Toxicology emphasis, for graduate students in need of a solid understanding of aquatic toxicology, and for advanced undergraduates who want to understand the basics and applications of aquatic toxicology.
ESCI 460: Course Description (from Catalogue):
Physical, chemical, and biological processes that govern movement of contaminants in the environment and ultimate fate of these contaminants. Aspects of these processes that will be investigated include concentration, persistence, reactivity and partitioning among environmental media (air, water, soil, sediment and biota). These processes will be used as a basis of simple mathematical expressions used to determine contaminant behavior in the environment. Environmental risks to biological receptors will also be investigated.
Prerequisites:
Completion of Huxley Environmental Science prerequisites; ESCI 361A; CHEM 251 or equivalent recommended; or instructor permission.
What is this class really?
This course is designed as an advanced Fate and Transport course. Quantitative problem solving skills are developed and refined. By the end of the class, you should be able to calculate the concentration of a chemical in the many different environmental phases. For example, if you know how much of a contaminant is spilled into a lake, you will learn (with basic models) how to calculate how much of that contaminant leaves the lake via volatilization, flow out, sedimentation. The environmental compartments emphasized are lakes, rivers/streams, and groundwater. You should be comfortable with Math- we use calculators extensively in this class.