Nature is much more interesting when one understands how natural processes work. For example, Hawaii's environmental scientists understand the ecology, water resources, coastal processes, pollution sources, and remediation techniques. For their expertise, people turn to scientists for help in solving problems such as ecological degradation, shoreline erosion, and pollution.
As environmental science students, you will know more about how the environment works than 99% of the people on Earth. When society faces issues, you will be able to make an informed decision and help others do the same. The greater the number of people who understand how nature works, the sooner we can recognize and mitigate problems.
The media topic exercises are designed to encourage students to relate classroom topics to local issues that affect their lives.To this end, students will select articles from the local newspapers, The Honolulu Advertiser, The Honolulu Star Bulletin, and The Honolulu Weekly, or other media, that address issues related to the scientific topics discussed in class.
One media topic is due every week. Check the due date on the Assignments page. The due dates for all ten media topics are listed in the syllabus.
To receive full credit for each Media Topic (0.5 points) students must say what is article is about in one or two sentences and use at least five points (facts or processes) learned in class to illustrate the relationship between a classroom topic and the media article.
A copy of the media article must be handed in with the assignment.
Here is an example of a satisfactory Media Topic assignment.