What is Science?

• An _____________ to explain the natural world around us by using _________________, __________________ and _________________based upon logic.

• ____________ is the key! The 5 senses are our window on the World!

• _________________ has expanded our window!

The Scientific Method

• Observations: Raise a ___________ or __________ a problem through observation.• Hypothesis: An __________________ to solve the ________________ or answer the ___________________. A well-written hypothesis is a prediction of what might happen if certain original conditions are changed.• The _____________ Experiment with a control group(s), experimental group(s) and a single variable!

Independent variable: the factor that is changed and applied to the _________________ group.

Dependent variable(s): ____________ or ___________ that take place in the experimental group as a result of the ______________________.

• Recording Data based upon accurate observations! Your data is the

recorded observations of the ___________________ variable/changes.

Qualitative observations: General observations.

Ex:

• Quantitative observations are measurable observations using measuring tools/instrumentation and math!

Ex:

• Analysis of your data and reaching a Conclusion based upon your

observations and the use of “logic”!

Activity: HilltopAgricultural Problem

Local Problem:Purple Pigs

Science Expert:What happened to the pigs?

Control Yarnall SE

Pig Weights

Day 1 wt, lb 27.7 27.9 0.12

Day 12 wt, lb 38.4 39.5 0.90

Day 28 wt, lb 61.5 63.5 1.46

Growth Performance, day 1-12

ADG, lb 0.89 0.97 0.09

ADFI, lb 2.10 2.02 0.07

F/G 2.38 2.09 0.11

Growth Performance, day 12-28

ADG, lb 1.44 1.50 0.04

ADFI, lb 3.26 3.22 0.02

F/G 2.26 2.14 0.04

Growth Performance, day 1-28

1.21 1.27 0.06

2.76 2.70 0.04

2.29 2.12 0.06

Theory• A well established understanding of how things happen and behave in the natural world! A ______________ is a Hypothesis that has stood the test of time! Ex: The Theory of Atomic Structure Ex: The Germ Theory of Disease• Theories are constantly ____________ because questions about the natural world still remain!

Natural Law• Basic principles that can define and predict the behavior of

_______ and _________ and have been measurably proven over time. Ex: Law of Gravity Ex: The Laws of Thermodynamics Ex: The Law of Conservation of Matter

Math as a scientific tool! Supercharge your math skills!

“Show Me”•Scientific Controversies and ________ _______are an essential part of the Scientific Process!

Ex: Vegner and the Theory of Plate Tectonics.Ex: Cold Fusion at the University of Utah.

“Sound Science”•All Scientific knowledge must survive the test of time and peer review!•There is no one authoritative, scientific voice!•Science is a world-wide collective, constantly tested body of knowledge!

“Science is a Lie Detector”* Science Reading: Truth, Trash and the Human Shuffle!

Junk Science• Information that is presented as valid science but does not conform to the rigors of _______________and the scientific community process.

• Presentation of ______________________to support your viewpoint! Junk science excludes data that does not support their conclusions.

• Political or _____ motivated presentations/distortions by special interest groups.

Ex: The Tobacco Industry and CancerEx: The Eugenics Movement/Nazis GermanyEx: Concerned Citizens about Acid Rain

Risk / Benefit Analysis

• A decision making process used to judge whether an environmental regulation or technology should be used by society.• Comparison of ________________ versus __________________. • Risk Probability is an estimate of what most likely will happen after exposure to a hazard.

• Activity: Perception of risk?

•Technology: Tools and processes that are created by applying scientific knowledge that are designed to result in an_____________ standard of living!

How is risk probability determined? • Epidemiological Studies: The study of disease frequency within a population that tries to establish ____________ and _____________.

Ex: Power Lines and Cancer?

When does something become a risk that you should worry about?

• First, you have to consider the “dose”. Dose is the _________________ of a substance and the length of ___________ that you are exposed to it.

• Next, you have to determine the “Threshold Level”. This is the level of exposure that an individual can receive with no ill effect occurring!

• When a person exceeds the threshold level, they can be ____________.

Examples of how risk is stated:•Ranking the Degree of Risk using math and statistics!

Tradeoffs: RiskBenefit AnalysisAnd Chlorine!

Pottstown Area Cancer Study 1998 Montgomery County Health Department Study of Childhood Cancer Rates:

• Pottstown: 24.4 per 100,000 people.• Bucks and Montgomery Average: 16.2 per 100,000 people• No single type of cancer stood out!• Pottstown surrounded by a landfill, vinyl chloride chemical factory and a nuclear power plant.• The University of Pittsburgh was conducting a detailed epidemiological study of the Pottstown area. The study ended without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Controversy over Vinyl Chloride/Teflon?Science Expert: Controversy over Fish Consumption?

Cost / Benefit Analysis

• A comparison of costs versus benefits to decide whether an environmental regulation or technology should be used.

• Activity: Water Consumption

The Impact of Science, Technology and Society on the Environment

Are we in the beginning of a major paradigm shift?

Current Paradigm: The earth exists for human benefit and exploitation and the earth possesses unlimited resources!

Paradigm Shift: The earth exists for humans and all living organismsand the earth possesses limited resources!

Reading: “All the DaysOf the Earth”

Mom, How much is Nature Worth?

• Reading N.Y. Science Times Article.

Or, Why is preserving Nature important to all Human Beings?

Ecosystem Services• Flood Control of Stormwater Runoff by local forests

Phila. Area $105 Million Annual benefitAtlanta $133 “ “ “

• The Average American Home is built, furnished and maintained By approximately 50 different tree species.

• Water Purification Choices for New York CityChoice A: $6-8 Billion to build new water purification plantsChoice B: $1 Billion to preserve/improve the Catskill Watershed

• One adult Tuna depends on approximately 50 other species for survival.

• Insect Control: $4.5 Billion/Year

• Hunting and Fishing Industry: $50 Billion/Year

• Waste Decomposition: $380 MillionYear

Ex: Ants are the co-rulers of the planet. The total biomass of all ants = the total biomass of all humans.

• Pollination of Food Crops: $57 Billion/Year

Other Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity: _______________________________

Today, 20,000 different species are in grave danger of going extinct.•10 million USA Honey Bees Hives lost since 2006.

•30,000 elephants are killed for Ivory every year.

•100 million sharks are killed per year.

•Wild tiger populations have decreased to 3,200.

•Only 800 Mountain Gorillas survive today.

•Projection 2100: 50% of all the Earth’s Plant species could go extinct.•North American Bat Populations have crashed.

“The USA is suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder”

Dennis vanEnglesdordProfessor University of Maryland

So how are things on Planet Earth today Mom?Critical Issues Facing Humanity Today

Issue #1______________ Growth and increased individual ________________.

NAS Report June 2002: Economic expansion has boosted demand for resources and has overshot the planet’s ability to regenerate those resources by 20%.

World Average: __________acres of resources/person LDC Average: __________acres of resources/person USA Average: __________acres of resources/person

Issue #2The Loss of _____________ and Ecosystems and their life support services. Renewable Resource: Any material or energy resource that can be replaced or renewed within the period of a ___________________ span. Non-renewable Resource: a material or energy resource that cannot be _____________________________during the time of a human life span.

The Modern Environmental Movement

The MDC’s from 1890-1940:

•1890 US Census: Closing of the Frontier, The wilderness is gone!

•Formation of Nature Conservation groups begins. The Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club founded by naturalist John Muir

• President Theodore Roosevelt and Congress preserve 230 million acres of Wilderness and establish the National Parks System.

• Soils Conservation Programs (The Dust Bowl)

• North American Treaties and Laws to protect Migratory Species of Birds.

•Regulated Hunting, Fishing and Trapping becomes the law.

The MDC’s from 1940-1970:

•Post WWII Economic Boom in the USA!!

•Air, Land and Water Quality were highly degraded and Wildlife was disappearing rapidly!

•1962 Rachel Carson writes “Silent Spring”.

•Grassroots movement led to Earth Day and a nationwide movement for change and a better environment.

•Congress passes Pesticides Control and new environmental laws! The EPA is created.

•Net Result: Improvement in Air and Water Quality and Protection of Wildlife!•Today, 70% of all funding for wildlife conservation programs comes from Hunting, Fishing and Trapping licenses and fees.

•The MDC’s, 1980-2004: Environmental Backlash: Property Owners, Loss of Jobs and Loss of Individual Freedom.

Ex: Property Owners and Wetlands!

Ex: Loggers vs. the Spotted Owl

Ex: Charcoal Grills vs. Gas Grills

Ex: Open Barrel Trash Burning

So, how does environmental law work?

Environmental Law•Why? Environmental Degradation.

ex: Donora, Pa 1948

ex: Cuyahoga River, Ohio 1969

• Examples of Modern Environmental Laws

1970 Clean Air Act (CAA)

1972 Clean Water Act (CWA)

1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA)

• Administrative Agencies

Federal: EPA

State: Pa DEP, Pa Fish and Game Comm., Pa DCNR

Local Government: Zoning Enforcement

• What affects changes and enforcement of Environmental Law?Public Opinion, Businesses, Industry and Politics

ex: How much funding $$$ ?ex: Tighter or Looser regulations/enforcement?

• Activity: Squirrels versus Scopes

The Economic / Environmental Relationship• The Environment ________________ and _________________the Economy and Human Systems!• The Human Economic System should ____________________ and _______________________ the Environment!•The Key: We need _________________ economic and environmentalsystems to support human society!

• Sustainable: A system that can _______________ and maintain itself indefinitely over a long period of time.

So, where are we headed Mom?

Positive Environmental Changes or Trends in Today’s World

1. Population growth has slowed in the MDC’s!

2. Conservation of Resources through Recycling and Waste Reduction are beginning to take affect!

Ex: NGO/Environmental Groups in China

3. Newer, more efficient technologies are being developed!Ex: The Fridge, Autos and Homes.

4. The Birth of International Cooperation.Ex: The C.I.T.E.S. Treaty

5. The Birth of Green Consumerism and Green Businesses.Science Expert Report: Green Business

Mom, is the glass half full or half empty?

We still face big challenges now and in the future years!

A Look to the Future: Where is the Lighthouse?

The Paradigm Shift and the Three Unifying Themes! A) Stewardship: A sense of responsibility that guides individual actions to _________ for the environment and future generations!

B) Sustainability: The ability of a process or system to continue to function by renewing itself over a ____________ period of time.

C) The use of __________ Science to guide decision making processes!

Reading: The Sustainable University