A Field Course Teaching Research Concepts in Environmental Geochemistry

Abstract

Solutions to increasing environmental problems in Latin America require professionals trained in the interdisciplinary area of environmental sciences. However, such training is difficult to achieve in a traditional discipline-oriented curriculum. This paper describes a graduate field course taught in Brazil that uses the system concept and the geochemical cycle as unifying paradigms to study environments that range from rock outcrops and rain forests to mangroves and aquaculture experiments. The course emphasizes acquiring the techniques of integrated observation, using such intellectual tools as operational definitions, measurement scales, and a priori hypotheses. The overall objective is to help students learn how to analyze diverse environmental systems, a necessary first step for comprehensive land use management.