UW Courses Relevant to River Restoration
The following courses have been identified from the 2006 edition of the University of Washington’s online course catalog (http://www.washington.edu/students/crscat/). The bold-faced categories in the table below were taken without modification from the top-ranked course topics solicited in a recent survey of private consultants, agency staff, and university students and faculty at the February 2006 River Restoration Northwest Design Symposium (see “Curriculum questionnaire” at http://depts.washington.edu/cwws/streams.html) for a complete description of this process and the full results of the survey). These categories do not necessarily encompass the final list of courses anticipated for a graduate program in river restoration, but they provide a useful starting point that is not biased by what is currently available at the University of Washington.
List of Recommended Courses
In the following list, bold categories correspond to the ranked recommendation of mandatory courses for a graduate curriculum in river restoration, as compiled at the recent River Restoration Northwest conference. Each bulleted course shows its description as it appears in the UW course catalog, together with its home department or program (e.g., “QERM”), translated into plain English at the end of each entry, and the number of credits (in parentheses, after the title).
Risk Analysis and Decision Theory
• QERM 514 Analysis of Ecological and Environmental Data I (4) Overview
of generalized linear models (GLMs), their use in forestry, fisheries, wildlife
ecology, and environmental monitoring. Analysis of the statistical tests
that fall under GLMS: chi-square tests on contingency tables, t-tests, analysis
of variances, etc. Statistical software S+/R used throughout. (Quantitative
Ecology & Resource Management)
•
SPCI 508 Risk Assessment and Management (4) Introduction to processes and
methods of risk assessment and management, focusing on how these principles
can be integrated into strategic planning and decision making. (Architecture
and Urban Planning)
•
QMETH 501 Decision Support Models (2) Introduction to computer-based modeling
techniques for management decision making. Linear programming, decision analysis,
and simulation. Formulation and interpretation. (Business School)
•
STAT 481 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (5) NW Probability, generating
functions; the d-method, Jacobians, Bayes theorem; maximum likelihoods, Neyman-Pearson,
efficiency, decision theory, regression, correlation, bivariate normal. (Statistics)
Hydrology
• CEE 476 Physical Hydrology (3) Global water picture, data sources
and data homogeneity, precipitation, evapotranspiration, hydrographs. Hydrologic
data frequency analysis. Hydrologic design: flood mitigation, drainage. Introduction
to deterministic and stochastic models. (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
•
CEE 574 Advanced Hydrology (3) Detailed treatment of statistical methods
used in hydrologic analysis. Stochastic hydrology, detailed examination and
use of a deterministic watershed model (e.g., Stanford Watershed Model).
(Civil & Environmental Engineering)
•
CFR 525 Advanced Wildland Hydrology (4) Advanced treatment of hydrologic
cycle and basic hydrologic methods as applied to wildlands. Effects of forest
management activities on hydrologic processes. Graduate focus on a detailed
field or modeling hydrologic analysis (Forest Resources)
Restoration Ecology
• ESRM 473 Principles of Ecological Restoration (5) Philosophy of
restoration, structural components of ecosystem degradation, analysis of
restoration projects and methods, and an ecosystem by ecosystem review of
how systems are restored. An ecology courses that emphasizes applied scientific
knowledge of ecosystems. Recommended: plant ecology, plant identification,
horticulture, landscape ecology coursework. (Forest Resources)
•
ESRM 462, 463, 464 (3 x 2) Restoration Ecology Capstone: Three-course capstone
sequence in restoration ecology. Students review and assess project plans
and installations. Class meets with members of previous capstone classes
to review their projects. Student teams prepare proposals in response to
requests for proposals (RFPs) from actual clients. Clients may be governments,
non-profit organizations, and others. Upon acceptance of the proposal, teams
prepare restoration plans. Teams take a restoration plan developed in ESRM
463 and complete the installation. Team participation may include supervision
of volunteers. Teams prepare management guidelines for the client and conduct
a training class for their use. (Forest Resources)
Sediment Transport
• CEE 474 Hydraulics of Sediment Transport (3) Introduction to sediment
transport in steady flows with emphasis on physical principles governing
the motion of sediment particles. Topics include sediment characteristics,
initiation of particle motion, particle suspension, bedforms, streambed roughness
analysis, sediment discharge formulae, and modeling of scour and deposition
in rivers and channels. (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
•
OCEAN 542 Sediment Dynamics and Boundary-Layer Physics (4) Theoretical descriptions
of sediment transport processes constrained by laboratory demonstrations.
The physics of boundary layers, initiation of motion, suspended load, bedload,
bedforms, and continua transport (turbidity currents, debris flows, and suspensions)
and its application to the geological record. (Oceanography)
Fluvial Geomorphology
• ESS 426 Fluvial Geomorphology (5) Hydraulic and morphological characteristics of streams and valley floors. Landscape evolution by stream erosion and deposition. Field exercises emphasize quantitative analysis of fluvial processes, channel forms, acquisition of various skills, such as mapping, topographic surveying, report writing. (Earth & Space Sciences)
Environmental Problem Solving
• BES 302 Environmental Problem Solving (5) Introduces different aspects of environmental problem solving. Uses real-world situations for thinking quantitatively and creatively about such environmental concerns as energy and water resources, food production, indoor air pollution, acid rain, and human influences on climate. (Bothell campus; Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences)
Environmental Economics
•
ESRM 465 Economics of Conservation (3) Economic principles and their use
in the analysis of contemporary conservation problems. Particular emphasis
directed toward the conservation of forest resources in the Pacific Northwest
and related policy issues. (Forest Resources)
•
ECON 235 Introduction to Environmental Economics (5) Introduces non-economics
majors to environmental and natural resource economics. Discussion of fundamental
economic concepts, including markets and private property. Students learn
basic tools used in the economic assessment of environmental problems and
apply these methods to key environmental issues. (Economics; Program on the
Environment)
•
ECON 435 Natural Resource Economics (5) Survey of the economics of renewable
and nonrenewable resources including fisheries, forest, minerals, and fuels.
Optimal trade-offs between benefits and costs of resource use, including
trade-offs between current and future use. Effects of property rights on
resource use. (Economics)
•
ECON 436 Economics of the Environment (5) Microeconomic analysis of environmental
regulation. The problem of social cost, policy instrument choice, enforcement
of regulations, methods for damage assessment, and estimating benefits of
environmental improvement. (Economics)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
•
ESRM 250 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems in Forest Resources
(5) Applications of GIS technology to forest science and management. Fundamentals
of GIS systems: data sources, preprocessing, map analysis, output; remote
sensing as a source of GIS data, image analysis, and classification. Emphasis
on GIS as a source of management and technical information requests. (Forest
Resources)
•
URBDP 420 Database Systems and Planning Analysis (3) Applications of relational
database management systems in urban design and planning. Emphasis on practical
aspects of database design and use. Design, create, and modify databases
and database applications, including spatial databases. Introduction to GIS.
Use of personal computers linked to desktop mapping packages and relational
database management systems. (Urban Design and Planning)
•
GEOG 460 Geographic Information Systems Analysis (5) Methods of Analysis
provided by geographic information systems (GIS). Operations on map information
including map overlay, aggregation/disaggregation, and other spatial and
attribute procedures. Exposure to raster and vector software. Review of capabilities
of current available GIS software. (Geography)
Ecorestoration Strategies: Case Studies
• ENVIR 203 Environmental Case Studies: Resources (5, max. 10) Exploration of resource environmental issues from natural science, historical, socioeconomic, legal, political, and ethical perspectives. Involves gathering information, analyzing data, applying mathematical and statistical reasoning and decision-making schemes, evaluating conflicting views based on cultural and philosophical frames of reference, and developing communications and research skills. (Program on the Environment)
Environmental Policy and Management
•
ESRM 470 Natural Resource Policy and Planning (5) Introduction to and analysis
of environmental policy-making processes, with a focus on forest and land
policy and law. Use of policy models to examine the interaction of agencies,
interest groups, Congress, and the courts in the legislative process. Policy
implementation, evaluation, and change are also addressed. (Forest Resources)
Restoration of Aquatic Systems (freshwater)
•
FISH 428 Restoration of Fish Communities and Habitats in River Ecosystems
(5) Examines opportunities to encourage recovery through natural developmental
processes that enhance the complexity of habitats and connectivity between
habitats in the river basin. Class discussion and participation on field
trips focuses on current restoration concepts for ecosystems, designs of
projects, and case studies. Recommended: fish ecology and hydrology courses.
(Fisheries)
Environmental Impact Analysis
•
SMA 476 Introduction to Environmental Law and Process (3) Use and application
of key statues in marine living resources management. Overview of administrative
law and process. Basic legal research, reading, and briefing selected judicial
opinions. Participatory case study component. Designed for non-law graduate
and advanced undergraduate students. (School of Marine Affairs)
•
TCSIUS 438 Environmental Law (5) Examines the historical and policy framework
of major environmental laws and regulations. Takes a case law approach to
evaluate laws in biological conservation, energy, land use, mineral rights,
air and water quality, and other complex environmental arenas, and how courts
(primarily in the United States) have interpreted such laws (Tacoma campus,
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences)
Geomorphology (general)
• ESS 326 Geomorphology (5) Introduction to landforms and surficial deposits. Emphasis on landscape-forming processes. Intended for students who wish to take additional courses in geomorphology. (Earth and Space Sciences)
Watershed Processes
•
FISH 447 Watershed Ecology and Management (3) Explores fundamental ecological
processes at the watershed scale, identifies human-induced changes to ecological
systems, and discusses approaches to improve watershed management. Includes
lectures, field trips, and discussions with organizations and agencies about
how they are addressing ways to improve watershed management. (Fisheries)
Restoration Principles and Concepts (overlaps with Restoration
Ecology)
Ecosystem Management
• ESRM 425 Ecosystem Management (5) Scientific and social basis for ecological forestry. Forest practices to achieve integrated environmental and economic goals based upon material models of disturbance and stand development including alternative harvesting methods; adaptive management and monitoring; certification and global issues. (Forest Resources)
Watershed Analysis (overlaps with Watershed Processes)
Hydraulics
•
CEE 345 Hydraulic Engineering (4) Extension and application of fluid mechanics
principles to hydraulic engineering problems. Open channel flow, pipeline
systems, turbomachinery, unsteady flow in pipes, diffusion and mixing processes,
groundwater, surface water hydrology. (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
•
CEE 444 Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering Design (4) Opportunity
to effect design solutions for projects or major project components in such
representative areas as reservoirs and associated systems for flood control,
water supply, irrigation, and hydroelectric power, surface water control
systems, fisheries related projects, small harbors, and coastal engineering
problems. (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
•
CEE 472 Introduction to Hydraulics in Water Resources (3) Hydraulics related
to environmental issues. Global hydrology; stratified flows; two-phase (bubble)
flows; pollutant transport and mixing in reservoirs, lakes, coastal waters,
and oceans; diffuser design and related case studies. (Civil & Environmental
Engineering)
•
CEE 570 Hydrodynamics (4) Applications of the equations of motion to the
flow of ideal and real fluids. Fundamentals of fluid potential motion. Viscous
flows; Navier-Stokes equations and some exact solutions. Boundary-layer theory.
Introduction to turbulence. Two- and three-dimensional examples, including
free surface flows. Applications of field equations to problems of engineering
significance. (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
GIS in Environmental Restoration (overlaps with Geographic Information Systems)
Environmental Ethics
• TIBCG 456 Environmental Ethics (5) Critical exploration of selected
philosophical and literary texts pertinent to ethics attending
the natural environment. Topics for consideration may include animal and
nature rights, social ecology,
natural value (instrumental, inherent, intrinsic),
anthropocentrism v. Deep Ecology, and environmental aesthetic theory. (Tacoma
campus; Interdisciplinary
Arts and Sciences)
Riparian Management
• ESRM 328 Forestry-Fisheries Interactions (4) Characteristics of forestry-fisheries
interactions in terrestrial and aquatic landscapes.
Effects of changes in landforms on forest and aquatic communities. River basin
and watershed features.
Forest stand dynamics, forest hydrology, fish and
wildlife histories and behavior. Resource conflicts and resolution. (Forest Resources)
Stream Ecology
• FISH 547 Stream and River Ecology (5) Characterizations of stream and river ecosystems from a watershed perspective. Emphasis on fundamental processes affecting the structure and dynamics of aquatic communities and the riparian zone. Resource conflicts, new technologies, field trips, and class projects. (Fisheries)
Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
• BIOL 476 Conservation Biology (5) Explores biological, managerial, economic,
and ethical concepts affecting survival of species.
Applications of ecology, biogeography, population genetics, and social sciences
for the preservation
of species in the face of widespread global habitat
modification, destruction, and other human activities. (Biology)
• FISH 450 Salmonid Behavior and Life History (3/5) Marine distribution,
homing migration, and spawning behavior of adult salmon: incubation, emergence,
migration, and residence of fry; fingerling distribution
and residence with
reference to species interaction and population
evolution. (Fisheries)