Welcome to the GEOS 440, Environmental Sensing, webpage for the Fall 2019 semester.



Course Catalog Description: Prerequisite: PHYS 202B, PHYS 204B, or PHYS 204C (may be taken concurrently). Instruments are critical to making quantitative observations, and observations are critical to the scientific method. The subject of environmental instrumentation is vast and constantly changing as new technologies emerge. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on projects, students are (1) introduced to the process of assembling and characterizing an electronic instrument of their own, (2) forming a hypothesis and testing it by collecting data, and (3) writing reports and giving presentations on their results. 2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory.

Fall 2019 Lectures: MW, 11:00 - 11:50 PM. Location: Holt 113
Fall 2019 Labs: F, 2:00 - 4:50 PM. Location PHSC 301 and PHSC 225.
Office hours: Tuesdays 2:00 - 2:50 and Thursdays from 9:30 - 12:00 or by appointment.

Mon., Aug. 26: Lecture: Review syllabus and plans for the semester.
Weds., Aug. 28: Lecture: Overview of computer components, operating systems, applications, and programming languages
Fri., Aug. 30: Lab #1: Meet in PHSC 301. Purchase Arduino kits. Install Arduino IDE. Write our first Arduino programs.
Mon., Sept. 2: Labor day. No classes.
Weds., Sept. 4: Lecture: data loggers, data, binary, ASCII, file types, Arduino Due and data logging shield.
Fri., Sept. 6: Lab #2: connect thermistors with voltage divider to your Arduino Due and do all this.
Mon., Sept. 9: Lecture: Dr. Eric Ayars on thermistors, voltage dividers, and analog to digital conversion.
Weds., Sept. 11: Lecture: temperature and thermometers, esp. liquid in glass type.
Fri., Sept. Lab #3: Soldering headers and stacking headers on to data shield.
Mon., Sept. 16: Lecture: in situ vs remote sensing; Chapter 2 in Harrison; accuracy vs precision.
Weds., Sept. 18: Lecture: continue with Chapter 2 in Harrison. Electronic temperature sensing.
Fri., Sept. 20: Lab #4: setting the real-time clock and using the SD memory card on the data logger shield.
Mon., Sept. 23: Lecture: instrument response time: exponential time constant.
Weds., Sept. 25: Lecture: Discussion of sensors for second part of course; use of GNU Octave.
Fri., Sept. 27: Quiz #1. Lab #5: collect data in ice buckets and first use of GNU Octave to read and plot data.
Mon., Sept. 30: Lecture: time-series data and random noise, and basic statistical descriptions of noisy data.
Weds., Oct. 2: Lecture: Exploring GNU Octave commands and exponential curve fitting.
Fri., Oct. 4: Lab #6: use data collected last week to characterize the performance of thermistors.
Mon., Oct. 7: Lecture: discuss resolution, then Begin radiation and radiometers: short-wave radiation.
Weds., Oct. 9: Lecture: more discussion of the ice point experiment. Then continue solar radiation including UV.
Fri., Oct. 11: Lab #7: hand out sensors for term projects.
Mon., Oct. 14: Lecture: Infrared radiation and infrared sensors.
Weds., Oct. 16: Lecture: Review goals of term projects and discuss characteristics of good scientific graphs.
Fri., Oct. 18: Lab #8: Connecting your sensor to your Arduino Due.
Mon., Oct. 21: Quiz #2. Lecture: R and RStudio. Then, begin humidity (water vapor) and humidity sensors.
Weds., Oct 23: Lecture: continue humidity and humidity sensing.
Fri., Oct. 25: Lab #9: Getting and recording data from your sensor.
Mon., Oct. 28: Lecture: pressure and barometers.
Weds., Oct. 30: Quiz #3. Lecture: ideal gas law, hydrostatic and barometric eqn.
Fri., Nov. 1: Lab #10: Continue working on recording data from your sensor
Mon., Nov. 4: Quiz #4. Lecture: begin wind and wind measurements.
Weds., Nov. 6: Lecture: continue with wind and wind measurement.
Mon., Nov. 11: Veteran's Day. No classes.
Weds., Nov. 13: SETs. Lecture: conclude wind with radiosondes. Discussion of rain gauges.
Fri., Nov 15: Lab #11: Work on experiment design to characterize sensor performance.
Mon., Nov 18: Lecture: Remote sensing. Begin with active remote wind sensing.
Weds., Nov 20: Lecture: Remote sensing: measuring wind with Doppler and non-Doppler lidars.
Fri., Nov 22: Lab #12: Conduct experiments to characterize sensor performance.
Mon. Dec. 2: Lecture: Students from thermopile team present results.
Weds., Dec. 4: Lecture: Students from pressure sensor team present results.
Fri., Dec. 6: Lab: Student teams from humidity, wind, rain, and CO2 sensors present results.
Mon., Dec. 9: Lecture: Special assignment. No lecture.
Weds., Dec. 11: Lecture: Dr. Kristen Kaczynski on instrumentation used in applied ecology.
Fri., Dec. 13: Lab: Return borrowed sensors.
Mon., Dec. 16: Final Exam from 12:00 - 1:50 PM.


Dr. Mayor's page

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