Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences - OuiSi

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This is an introductory look at the integrative biology of organisms.

This unit, titled “From Cells to Organisms,” explores the structure-function relationships at various scales, from the cell (or even the molecule) to the organism in its natural environment.

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This unit, organized into four chapters, is designed to provide areview and introduce basic concepts in mathematics

• Review: Fractions, Expanding, Factoring, Notable Identities

• Chapter 1 : Equations: First-Degree Equations , Systems of Equations, Second-Degree Equations

• Chapter 2 :Derivatives: Definition , Examples, Operations, Variations, and Graphs of Functions
• Chapter 3: Common Functions: Exponential Function, Logarithmic Function, Trigonometric Functions
• Chapter 4: Vector Calculus and the Scalar Product

   

   

   

  Hourly volumes:

  CM: 18

  TD: 18

   

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The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to scientific ecology in all its diversity. Particular attention is given to defining scientific ecology, as distinct from the meaning of the term “ecology” (political ecology or environmentalism) as used in the media and by the general public. The role of the environment in the scientific study of ecology is also clarified. Through tutorials and lab sessions, three major themes in ecology are covered: paleoecology, functional ecology, and evolutionary ecology. It is important to note that these themes are supported by a particularly active scientific community in Montpellier.

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This course is designed to provide a general context for understanding Earth sciences and biology while taking into account the fields of the humanities and social sciences. The Earth of today is not disconnected from its past. To understand the impacts of environmental and climate changes on planet Earth, a diachronic approach (long-term, change over time) and a synchronic approach (spatial variations) are necessary.

Consequently, this course presents the history of the Earth through geological time. It discusses the Earth’s structure, composition, and processes. Issues, concerns, and problems related to natural hazards are also included. The course will also provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary to understand the societal challenges surrounding climate and environmental issues. The impact of this course unit is essential for the well-being of tomorrow’s society, as it helps train young citizens and future professionals to analyze, critique, and reflect on past, present, and future environmental and climate issues, and to participate in decision-making within societal debates addressing environmental risks. This course unit was therefore designed by faculty members from various scientific disciplines (Earth and Water Sciences, Ecology, Philosophy, Political Science), demonstrating that approaches ranging from the fundamental to the operational are necessary.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 36 hours

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This course aims to raise awareness among first-year students about issues related to the use, exploitation, and management of the Earth’s natural resources.

As an introduction, an overview identifying the different types of these resources (energy, mineral, and water) and the major issues associated with them (economic and environmental) will be presented.

Various types of resources will then be presented in three stages:

- The concept of mineral resources will be explored in depth by tracing the journey of chemical elements, from their formation in the universe to their storage in the minerals that make up rocks and their applications in everyday technologies. This will serve as an introduction to basic concepts in solid-state chemistry and mineralogy, illustrated through mineralogy tutorials and lab sessions.

- The challenges and operation of geological reservoirs that store natural resources will be discussed, with a focus on conventional energy resources (hydrocarbons) and future resources (underground storage of resources, geothermal energy).

- Finally, the major global challenges related to water resources will be explored in depth. The global water cycle on Earth will be presented, and the key concepts necessary for understanding today’s major challenges will be identified (definitions of an aquifer and a hydrosystem, along with the main types encountered; chemical interactions between water and rocks; and illustrations of processes focused on the chemistry of mineral and thermal waters).

Hourly volumes:

CM: 18

TD: 12

TP: 6

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The first year of college is a transitional period during which students must make decisions about their academic path: Should they pursue a general or applied bachelor’s degree? Should they switch majors? Should they continue on to a master’s program—but which one? It is also a challenging time when students may feel a bit lost as they transition from high school to college. This module, structured around a series of presentations on careers in the geosciences, provides an opportunity to better support students and discuss their choices and potential career paths in small groups.

Hourly volumes:

CM: 4 hours

 TD: 5 hours

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The EU is introducing the concept and practice of experimental studies in Earth sciences, ranging from instrumental field measurements to quantitative analysis, modeling, and interpretation of the acquired data. In practice, the course centers on a physical measurement method—gravimetry—applied to Earth dynamics. Some of the field experiments focus on the global structure of the Earth (measurement of g and its vertical gradient to determine mass) and its dynamics (elastic deformation caused by tidal phenomena). Another part is dedicated to local subsurface imaging related to water resources (imaging and mass balance related to subsurface water storage). A significant portion of the course is devoted to the analysis and modeling of measurements.

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 12:00 p.m.
• TD: 12:00 p.m.
• Practical training: 6 hours
• Land: 6 h

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1) Thermodynamics and Chemical Equilibrium (27 hours)

1.1 Course (15 hours): Fundamentals of thermodynamics (concepts of energy and entropy), chemical and equilibrium potentials; degree of reaction; equilibrium shift; applications to solution chemistry and phase transitions

 1.2 Tutorials (1:00 p.m.):

Focusing on the concept of energy to clearly establish the relationships between different forms of energy; focusing on the concept of entropy: the connection between microscopic and macroscopic states, and the concepts of reversibility, irreversibility, and equilibrium; focusing on the concept of chemical potential: application of the law of mass action (equilibrium in solution and phase transitions)    

2) Introduction to Chemical Kinetics (6 hours)

 2.1 Lecture (2 hours): The relationship between thermodynamics and kinetics: Transition State Theory/Activated Complex Theory; Definitions: rate, order, and rate constant; half-life; Examples of simple kinetics; Thermal activation: Arrhenius law

2.2 Lab sessions (4 hours): determining the order of a reaction; using parameters

properties (_t1/2, k...); determination of an activation energy

3) Introduction to Radioactivity (3 hours)

3.1 Lecture (1.5 hours): History ; structure of the nucleus; particles and forces involved; nuclear reactions: fusion/decay and radiation; isotopes and stability; natural radioactivity; E_D =^Dmc² 

3.2 Lab Sessions (1.5 hours): Energy: Comparison of Chemical Reactions and Nuclear Reactions; Decay Time;^Carbon-14 Dating

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Origin and Evolution of the Planet;

Geological Time Scale and Geochronology;

Past geographies, topographies, and environments;

Interactions Between the Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, and Geosphere,

Human Evolution and Anthropization;

Natural Resources (Water, Energy, Mineral Resources) and Human Impact 

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The Planetary Science course focuses on the Solar System and its planets. Its place in the universe is also discussed, providing an introduction to the concept of exoplanets (detection and habitability). The course consists of three parts: astrophysics, geophysics, and geochemistry. The astrophysics section begins by placing the Solar System in the context of the Universe and then addresses its formation, dynamics, and evolution. The geophysics section deals with planetary interiors and their evolution based on data from space missions. The geochemistry section focuses on nucleosynthesis, the abundance of chemical elements, and the composition of the early and present-day Earth as well as other planets, based on the study of meteorites. The course combines theoretical and practical approaches.

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 6:00 p.m.
• TD: 9 a.m.
• Practical Training: 9:00 a.m.

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Chapter 1: Sequences: Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences. Calculating Sums.

Chapter 2: Hyperbolic Functions: Definition, Curves, Derivatives

Chapter 3: Integral Calculus: Integrals, Antiderivatives, the Riemann Integral, Substitution, and First-Order Differential Equations

Chapter 4: Curves and Surfaces: Straight Lines , Planes, Circles, and Parabolas; Cylindrical and Spherical Coordinates; Lengths, Areas, and Volumes of Common Solids

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 18
• TD: 18

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Throughout this course unit, we will cover several disciplines to provide a review and/or foundational knowledge regarding: the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, as well as—and most importantly—their evolution since the planet’s origin. The disciplines (and major themes) covered will be:

-Paleontology: Evolution, Biochronology and Geological Epochs, Biodiversity, and Past Crises.

-Climatology and Oceanography: How do we study the climate? What roles do the ocean and the Earth’s biosphere play? In light of contemporary global challenges, tools are being developed to better characterize the mechanisms of climate change and their impacts on terrestrial and marine environments—from the past to the future—particularly through changes in biogeochemical cycles on a global scale. Environmental geochemistry will be a key method for characterizing both anthropogenic and natural impacts.

The main objectives are to gain a thorough understanding of how these layers interacted with the geosphere in the past (discussed in greater depth in the HAT102T Geology course) and to learn how to analyze a present-day natural landscape in light of its evolution over geological time.

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The EU is introducing the concept and practice of experimental studies in Earth sciences, ranging from instrumental field measurements to quantitative analysis, modeling, and interpretation of the acquired data. In practice, the course centers on a physical measurement method—gravimetry—applied to Earth dynamics. Some of the field experiments focus on the global structure of the Earth (measurement of g and its vertical gradient to determine mass) and its dynamics (elastic deformation caused by tidal phenomena). Another part is dedicated to local subsurface imaging related to water resources (imaging and mass balance related to subsurface water storage). A significant portion of the course is devoted to the analysis and modeling of measurements.

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 12:00 p.m.
• TD: 12:00 p.m.
• Practical training: 6 hours
• Land: 6 h

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In the lectures for this course unit, we describe each stage of the life cycle, beginning with embryonic development (including organ formation, cell differentiation, and growth processes), moving on to the acquisition of reproductive capacity (including the stages associated with meiosis and gametogenesis), and concluding with fertilization. This life cycle is discussed in detail in metazoans and angiosperms, and helps you consolidate your knowledge of the transmission of genetic information. This will enable us to solve problems in Mendelian genetics—including those involving sex-linked effects or epistasis—during the tutorials for this course unit.

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1) Thermodynamics and Chemical Equilibrium (27 hours)

1.1 Course (15 hours): Fundamentals of thermodynamics (concepts of energy and entropy), chemical and equilibrium potentials; degree of reaction; equilibrium shift; applications to solution chemistry and phase transitions

 1.2 Tutorials (1:00 p.m.):

Focusing on the concept of energy to clearly establish the relationships between different forms of energy; focusing on the concept of entropy: the connection between microscopic and macroscopic states, and the concepts of reversibility, irreversibility, and equilibrium; focusing on the concept of chemical potential: application of the law of mass action (equilibrium in solution and phase transitions)    

2) Introduction to Chemical Kinetics (6 hours)

 2.1 Lecture (2 hours): The relationship between thermodynamics and kinetics: Transition State Theory/Activated Complex Theory; Definitions: rate, order, and rate constant; half-life; Examples of simple kinetics; Thermal activation: Arrhenius law

2.2 Lab sessions (4 hours): determining the order of a reaction; using parameters

properties (_t1/2, k...); determination of an activation energy

3) Introduction to Radioactivity (3 hours)

3.1 Lecture (1.5 hours): History ; structure of the nucleus; particles and forces involved; nuclear reactions: fusion/decay and radiation; isotopes and stability; natural radioactivity; E_D =^Dmc² 

3.2 Lab Sessions (1.5 hours): Energy: Comparison of Chemical Reactions and Nuclear Reactions; Decay Time;^Carbon-14 Dating

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Origin and Evolution of the Planet;

Geological Time Scale and Geochronology;

Past geographies, topographies, and environments;

Interactions Between the Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, and Geosphere,

Human Evolution and Anthropization;

Natural Resources (Water, Energy, Mineral Resources) and Human Impact 

View the full page

Chapter 1: Sequences: Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences. Calculating Sums.

Chapter 2: Hyperbolic Functions: Definition, Curves, Derivatives

Chapter 3: Integral Calculus: Integrals, Antiderivatives, the Riemann Integral, Substitution, and First-Order Differential Equations

Chapter 4: Curves and Surfaces: Straight Lines , Planes, Circles, and Parabolas; Cylindrical and Spherical Coordinates; Lengths, Areas, and Volumes of Common Solids

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 18
• TD: 18

View the full page

Throughout this course unit, we will cover several disciplines to provide a review and/or foundational knowledge regarding: the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, as well as—and most importantly—their evolution since the planet’s origin. The disciplines (and major themes) covered will be:

-Paleontology: Evolution, Biochronology and Geological Epochs, Biodiversity, and Past Crises.

-Climatology and Oceanography: How do we study the climate? What roles do the ocean and the Earth’s biosphere play? In light of contemporary global challenges, tools are being developed to better characterize the mechanisms of climate change and their impacts on terrestrial and marine environments—from the past to the future—particularly through changes in biogeochemical cycles on a global scale. Environmental geochemistry will be a key method for characterizing both anthropogenic and natural impacts.

The main objectives are to gain a thorough understanding of how these layers interacted with the geosphere in the past (discussed in greater depth in the HAT102T Geology course) and to learn how to analyze a present-day natural landscape in light of its evolution over geological time.

View the full page