Fall, 2018

Pre-requisite: One semester of calculus (MATH 1210 or MATH 1310)

Co-requisite: EVSC 3601 (1 credit; required for majors)

Place/Time: Clark Hall Rm G-004, MWF 9:00-10:00 am

Instructor: Mr. Aaron Mills; Clark 213; amills@virginia.edu

http://www.evsc.virginia.edu//mills-aaron-l/

Office hours: Monday, 10-11 AM, Thursday, 09:30-10:30 AM or by appointment

Deadline for Dropping: September 12,  Deadline for Withdrawing (with W): October 23  See for details:    http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/reginst1188.html#Deadlines

I. Course Description

This course introduces the fundamental physical principles that are necessary to understand the occurrence, distribution, and circulation of water near the Earth's surface. A quantitative approach is taken in which mathematical descriptions of hydrological phenomena will frequently be an objective. The course will provide an introduction to hydrological processes and data acquisition and analysis. The purpose of the laboratory is to illustrate in an experimental setting the principles and applications introduced in lecture.

II. Course Materials

Reading assignments (see VIII. Schedule) are from:

Hornberger, G. M., Wiberg, P. L., Raffensperger, J. P., and D'Odorico, P. 2014. Elements of Physical Hydrology. 2nd Edition. The Johns Hopkins Press. (Available at the University Bookstore)    (If you have a copy of the first edition, it will work fine.)

All Lab materials will be posted on the Lab  Collab sites

III. Homework Assignments (Problem Sets)

Problem sets (approximately 4) will be handed out approximately every third week. These will be not be turned in or graded, but answers will be put on the class web site. These exercises are very similar to those encountered on the exams so they are an important tool for exam preparation. Be sure you can work the problems correctly before attempting the exams. 

IV. Exams

Three in-class mid-term examinations and one final examination will be given. Note that while the exams are designed to take about an hour, if the lecture room is available in the period before class, I will permit you to begin the exam at 08:00 and work till 09:50. The examination schedule is:

Mid-term #1: Monday, Sep. 24 (9:00-9:50) 

           (Covers material through 9/19)

Mid-term #2: Monday, October 22 (9:00-9:50 am)

           (Covers material through 10/17)

Mid-term #3: Monday, Nov 19 (9:00-9:50 am)

           (Covers material through 11/14)

Final exam: Monday, Dec. 17 (14:00-17:00 pm)

           (50% on material covered prior to previous exam,

            50% on material covered since the previous exam.)

Each exam will cover the material presented in class, and the associated readings, between the previous exam and the lecture listed above. All exams are on Mondays. If there is a demand, we will schedule a review session before each exam, during which you may ask questions or clear up confusion. Makeup exams will not be given. If you cannot be at an exam because of a University-sanctioned responsibility, please let me know well in advance, and I will arrange for you to take the exam under alternative conditions.

V. Grading Policy

Grades are based on performance on the mid-terms, and final exams. There will be no curving or other similar adjustment of grades. Therefore, a final weighted grade of 90% or higher earns an "A", 80% to 90% a "B", etc. Plusses and minuses are included in those ranges as well. The exams will be weighted as follows:

Mid-term exams: 75% (25% each)

Final exam: 25%

VI. Policies

Each student is expected to work independently on all exams, although collaboration on the homework problems can be an effective way to learn to solve those problems.

The following policy has been adopted by the Department. I support it, and will enforce it rigorously in this course:

Honor Policy: Given the availability of old exams, worked problem sets, and laboratory exercises that are increasingly becoming available from online services and other venues, the Environmental Sciences Department considers student access of these materials for Environmental Sciences courses, without explicit instructor permission, to be a violation of the UVa Honor Code. (Please note that I do NOT grant permission to use old exams from ANY previous iteration of this course. Problem sets, on the other hand are OK.)

Exams are closed-book and will be pledged. Depending on the availability of the lecture hall, one hour and fifty minutes will be allowed for each exam period. Experience has shown that fifty minutes is often not adequate to complete the exam, but one hour and fifty minutes will generally be more than enough time. Please note that you can begin the exams at 08:00. (If the room is available).  If you come to the exam after that time, the total time available to you to complete the exam will be decreased. All exams will be collected at 09:50!

Homework (problem) sets will be not be graded, and students are   NOT REQUIRED to complete them on their own. It is in your best interest to be able to complete the problems independently. If you have questions, seek your TA or myself during our office hours, or make an appointment. I also encourage you to attempt the example problems at the end of each chapter of the textbook. The exams will always consist of multiple choice questions, problems, and definitions, with special emphasis on problems.

Classroom attendance is not mandatory (i.e., I will not track student absences), but students will find it extremely difficult to succeed in the class if they do not attend regularly and take good notes.I am very unsympathetic to students who do not come to class yet request help to get through the material.

Classroom deportment:  The class should be informal, and I encourage you to make relevant comments and ask questions as we go along. I do have some pet peeves, however, and I will enforce a few rules rigorously. Turn off your cell phone before class. If it rings during the lecture, you will be asked to leave. Turn it off ahead of time; do not allow your friends or family to jeopardize your studies in this course. If you think an emergency call might come through during class (unfortunately it happens sometimes) let me know before we begin class and I will instruct you on how to handle the situation.  I have seen students texting during sessions; I will not tolerate such activity in my class. If I see you texting or making other inappropriate use of your phone, tablet or computer, you will be asked to leave. Some people take notes with a computer or tablet. Despite the fact that several recent studies have shown that students who take notes with a computer generally perform at a level below those students who take handwritten notes, I will not prohibit computer use. If I find you surfing or checking email or IMs instead of paying attention to the class, you will be asked to leave for the day, and further computer use will be prohibited.

VII. Laboratory (EVSC 3601)

Environmental Sciences majors must complete EVSC 3601 concurrently with EVSC 3600. All laboratories will begin the week of September 3, and will meet in Kerchoff 115A at 2:00 pm. Several laboratories will also be conducted in the field. All students should obtain the following laboratory manual for the course:

Eshleman, K. N. et al. 1996. Introduction to Physical Hydrology, EVSC 3600 Laboratory Manual. (Available at the University Bookstore - posted on the Class Collab site as well)

Please note that the nature of the laboratory experience is such that if you do not participate in the data gathering, you cannot complete the assignment; therefore your grade will be 0 for the exercise, i.e., if you miss a lab, you will be assigned a grade of 0 for that week. (Prior arrangements CAN be made to attend another session if there is a legitimate reason to do so.)  Lack of preparation for the lab exercise in a given week will mean you cannot do the exercise and you will be assigned a grade of 0 for that exercise.

VIII. Schedule

(Topic coverage is approximate with respect to time. Exam dates are exact.)

^C Computational lab, Meet in Kerchoff 115A unless otherwise instructed.

^F Field lab (rain or shine), dress accordingly.

^L Experimental lab, meet in Kerchoff 115A.