11813 - Environmental Techniques I Modulübersicht

Module Number: 11813 - module is no longer offered from SS 2024
Module Title:Environmental Techniques I
  Umwelttechniken I
Department: Faculty 2 - Environment and Natural Sciences
Responsible Staff Member:
  • PD Dr.rer.nat. habil. Bröring, Udo
Language of Teaching / Examination:English
Duration:1 semester
Frequency of Offer: Every winter semester
Credits: 6
Learning Outcome:The objective of Environmental Techniques I is to train students in a range of standard methods for the examination of environmental quality including safe work practices and legal requirements for recording and preserving field and lab work.
Contents:Environmental Techniques I during the first half of the semester, introduces basic environmental science theory and skills.  Students shall learn safe laboratory and field practices, standards for recording field and laboratory work, benthic invertebrate testing in a creek, chronic toxicity testing, the Winkler test for dissolved oxygen (DO), quick field assays for surface water nutrients, alkalinity testing with a pH meter, and analysis of results using a spreadsheet.

Environmental Techniques I, during the second half of the semester, introduces basic microbiological theory and applied environmental microbiological skills.  Students shall learn techniques including safe laboratory practices, isolating pure bacterial cultures from soil; identifying bacterial cultures as Gram + or -, as well as gross bacterial morphology, and biochemical identification; quantifying bacteria using spread plates, pour plates, optical density and membrane filtration; environmental microbiological applications such as bioremediation, isolation and cultivation of fungi, and food microbiology.
Recommended Prerequisites:none
Mandatory Prerequisites:None
Forms of Teaching and Proportion:
  • Lecture / 2 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Laboratory training / 2 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Research paper/essay / 30 Hours
  • Self organised studies / 90 Hours
Teaching Materials and Literature:
  • Peter Hunter, General Microbiology, The Student’s Textbook, C. V. Mosby Company, 1977, reprinted by BTU with permission of the author (available in BTU Bookstore or as advised by the course instructor)
  • Environmental Techniques I Notes & Lab Manual, Fall, 2016 edition, by Robert M. Macrae (available in BTU Bookstore or as advised by the course instructor)
  • a non-graphing scientific calculator (eg Sharp EL-531W or equivalent)
  • a clean buttoned lab coat
  • a laboratory notebook preferably with graph paper on left hand pages
  • a roll of masking tape
  • pipet bulb controller (may be supplied in lab)
  • laboratory safety goggles (may be supplied in lab)
  • field gear including safety vest, hard hat, day size back pack, water bottle, sun block, appropriate footwear, appropriate clothing (rain protection, clothing layers that can be worn or removed depending on the weather) - safety gear will be discussed in class prior to first field lab
Module Examination:Continuous Assessment (MCA)
Assessment Mode for Module Examination:
  • Weekly reading assignments or problem sets worth - 20% of the final grade
  • Weekly lab reports worth - 30% of the final grade
  • A written midterm examination (60 minutes, date to be announced) worth - 25% of the final grade
  • An applied lab skills lab exam worth - 25% of the final grade
Evaluation of Module Examination:Performance Verification – graded
Limited Number of Participants:None
Part of the Study Programme:
  • no assignment
Remarks:No offer in WS 22/23!


Complementary Module for ERM Bachelor
Module Components:
  • 200001 Lecture Environmental Techniques I
  • 200002 Laboratory training Environmental Techniques I
Components to be offered in the Current Semester:
  • no assignment
Follow-up Module/s: Phase-out module since: 25.04.2018
  • without Follow-up Module/s