Weekly Message 2/26/2022

Greetings,

I hope you are able to relax a bit this weekend. 

This week we will discuss meteorology, which will lead into Dispersion Modeling, which we will start on the Monday after Spring Break.

This week (Wednesday 3/2/2022) the homework that is due is

•     Participation Question 7
•     Stratospheric ozone depletion
•     Climate Change

As usual, if you need the grace period, just let me know.

The week after Spring break (Wednesday 3/16/2022), the homework assignments that will be due are:

• Clean Air Act
• Meteorology
• Participation Question 8
  

Holly Demers will continue to be in class to assist with setting up Zoom, moderating questions, and small classroom groups.

Project 2 is also posted and it is due March 23rd. Project 2 focuses on indoor air quality and again you will be able to choose from numerous options. 

I posted a new summer internship on the blog.

Finally, the College has provided mid-semester evaluation forms:  https://www.egr.msu.edu/mid-semester-evaluation.Your submission is anonymous and can be directed at me or any other MSU instructor. The submission only goes to the professor you note in the form. Your comments are helpful to us as they allow us to make any needed adjustments during the semester.

See you in class tomorrow,

Dr. Masten 

 

 

Weekly Message 2/20/2022

Happy Sunday evening,

I hope you are able to relax a bit this weekend. I apologize for the lateness of this email. I enjoyed a walk on campus this morning and was quite surprised by the flooding along the river banks. And then spent some time visiting (virtually) with my sister-in-law, whom I've been helping her with genealogy and with my two sons. Oh, and it was even warm enough to grill hamburgers outside today!

The Environmental Engineering Society (open to all students) will meet on Monday 2/21/2022 at 7 pm in EB 2250 and on Zoom:  (link in the email). We have a panel of from EGLE, Barr Engineering, and Carhartt who will be giving advice on how to stand out to an employer during your job search and at career fairs. All majors are welcome and free food will be provided.

Project 1 is due this Wednesday. If you need the grace period, just let me know. You can have through this coming weekend if you wish. There is no other homework due this week, other than Participation Question 6.

This week we will discuss the Clean Air Act and permitting. 

Next week (Wednesday 3/2/2022) the homework that will be due is

•  Participation Question 7 

• Stratospheric ozone depletion

• Climate Change

This past Friday, we discussed how climate change will affect your work as chemical, civil, and environmental engineers. With the permission of those attending class, I recorded the discussion and posted it on MSU MediaSpace. I've provided the link on LON-CAPA. 

Dr. Buch has approved my request for a ULA. As such, Holly Demers will be in class to assist with setting up Zoom, moderating questions, and small classroom groups. 

Project 2 is also posted and it is due March 23rd. Project 2 focuses on indoor air quality and again you will be able to choose from numerous options.

Have a great rest of your weekend,

Dr. Masten

Weekly message 2/13/2022

Happy snowy Sunday,

I hope you are able to relax a bit this weekend. The snow is quite beautiful. 

This week, the homework that is due is

• OSHA Regulations
• Acid Rain and Visibility
• Urban Smog
  

If you need the grace period just let me know and I'll reset the due dates for you. 

On Monday we will discuss stratospheric ozone depletion. On Wednesday we will begin a unit on climate change. On Friday, we'll discuss how climate change will affect your work as chemical, civil, and environmental engineers. We'll work predominantly in breakout groups online and in the classroom. Friday's lecture will not be recorded because of the format. 

Dr. Buch has approved my request for a ULA. As such, Holly Demers will be in class to assist with setting up Zoom, moderating questions, and small classroom groups. She will be in class starting Monday. 

Project 1 information is posted in the project folder. It is due February 23rd. There will not be any other homework due that day. Project 1 is to be completed in your assigned teams.  The grading rubric is also posted and I recommend that you check that over before submitting your work. 

Project 2 is also posted and it is due March 23rd. Project 2 focuses on indoor air quality and again you will be able to choose from numerous options.

Thankfully, COVID-19 case numbers are decreasing, but the numbers are similar to that in mid-December.  So we're not out of the woods yet, even though we're all tired and ready to move on.  KN95 masks for students are available at resident hall service centers throughout campus, as well the MSU Union and the Main Library. Each student is limited to one mask per pickup.

If you still need to get your booster vaccine, MSU is hosting a vaccination clinic this week: on Feb. 17 at the Breslin Center, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All three FDA-approved or -authorized vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) are available. And if you haven't done so, please make sure to log your vaccine information on the vaccine verification form:https://msu.edu/together-we-will/covid19-vaccine/.

Have a great rest of your weekend,

Dr. Masten

P.S. As I mentioned before class recently, when I don't want to or don't have the time to walk outside, I walk on my treadmill and often watch travel videos. So this weekend, I "walked in" Bettmeralp and Kandersteg, Switzerland.  And yes, I posted photos on FB to which numerous people did respond, thinking I was really there. I even got an invite for coffee in Zurich. Despite the strong desire to accept the offer, I had to decline. 

Weekly message 2/6/2022

Happy Sunday, 

I hope you are all having a relaxing weekend. 

This week, the homework that is due is 

• Indoor air pollution
  
• Participation 4
  

If you need the grace period just let me know and I'll reset the due dates for you.

On Monday we will discuss air quality in workplaces and OSHA regulations. On Wednesday we will begin a unit on specific air pollution issues. We'll discuss acid rain and photochemical smog this week. 

I have posted the team assignments, Project 1 description and accompanying PowerPoint, and the grading rubric on LON-CAPA. All are in the project folder. Project 1 is due February 23rd. There will not be any other homework due that day. Project 1 is to be completed in your assigned teams.

KN95 masks for students will be available at resident hall service centers throughout campus, as well the MSU Union and the Main Library. Each student is limited to one mask per pickup.

If you still need to get your booster vaccine, know that MSU has partnered with the Ingham County Health Department to host booster clinics. The next one is on Feb. 17 at the Breslin Center, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. All three FDA-approved or -authorized vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) are available. And if you haven't done so, please make sure to log your vaccine information on the vaccine verification form.

Have a great rest of your weekend,  

Dr. Masten

And some photos from my walk in Ted Black Park in Okemos on Saturday.