Thomas Smith

Introduces the principles and basic facts of the natural environment. Topics include earth materials, land forms, weather and climate, vegetation and soils, and the processes of environmental change and their implications to economic and human systems.

Studies energy flow, nutrient cycling and allocation in natural ecosystems, organization of species at the population and community levels, and interaction between people and the biosphere. Prerequisite: One semester of calculus; recommended; at least one semester of college-level chemistry and biology with labs such as CHEM 1410, 1420, and BIOL 2020.