A CAPSTONE UNDERGRADUATE COURSE BASED ON ARSENIC PROBLEM IN BANGLADESH GROUNDWATER

Many environmental problems facing the society today are inherently multidisciplinary in nature. Their solutions often require collaborations among scientists, engineers and policy makers. At Queen College of City University of New York, seniors in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors are required to take a 3-credit capstone course Environmental Problem Solving (EPS). A simulation of actual environmental problems and case histories is used to illustrate decision-making process for complex environmental problems when scientific understanding is incomplete.

Arsenic problem in Bangladesh groundwater was chosen as the theme for EPS course in the spring semester of 2003. Groundwater containing greater than 50 µg/L As are found in about one third of the ~ 10 million tube wells in Bangladesh, elevating the risks of developing diseases due to chronic exposure to As for tens of millions of people. The source for arsenic in Bangladesh groundwater is believed to be natural, demonstrating a close linkage between geology and human health. Understanding where arsenic comes from relies on geological, hydrological and geochemical investigations. Remediating arsenic problems requires collaborations between geologists, engineers, biomedical and social scientists.

Students used the report produced by British Geological Survey available online as their main reference source. They worked in teams that produced oral presentations and written report in assigned topics. A particularly useful pedagogical approach was a peer review evaluation. When a team was reporting on a topic, students not on the team act as peer reviewers and are required to submit a 1-page review and rate the report. Presenting team’s grade is based on the quality of the oral presentation and written report. Reviewer’s grade was based on the quality of the review and the deviation of the rating from that of the instructor. The highlight of the course was the un-expected solutions to the arsenic problems produced by the proposals submitted by the students.