spring 2015 BIO-2008 Introduction to ecotoxicology - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Applicants from outside the Nordic countries: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Type of course

The course is available for biology students, exchange students and free-movers at a biology study program. Available as singular course.

Admission requirements

Applicants from Nordic countries must have:

Generell studiekompetanse, samt følgende spesielle opptakskrav:

Matematikk R1 eller matematikk S1+S2 og i tillegg ett av følgende programfag:

  • Matematikk (R1+R2)
  • Fysikk (1+2)
  • Kjemi (1+2)
  • Biologi (1+2)
  • Informasjonstekn (1+2)
  • Geofag (1+2)
  • Teknologi og forskningslære (1+2)

Søknadskode 9336 enkeltemner i realfag.

All participants must have taken introductory level university courses, and achieved pass grades, in these subjects.

International applicants: Higher Education Entrance Qualification and certified language requirements in English. It is a requirement that students have  some prior knowledge of biology and ecology, chemistry and mathematics. A list of the requirements for the Higher Education Entrance Qualification in Norway can be found on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education website - nokut.no


Course content

The students will be given an introduction to the field of ecotoxicology. More specifically, the course will give an overview of environmental contaminants and their fate in the environment, including emissions and transport of contaminants, effects in biota. The course will also include methodologies used for toxicity testing and environmental monitoring. The students will conduct a environment monitoring survey in the vicinity of Tromsø, including field sampling and laboratory analyses. The students will write a scientific report, in which they will synthetize and interpret the results and discuss them in relation to existing literature.

Objectives of the course

Students that have completed the course shall have the following learning outcome:

  • Introduction to different types of pollution.
  • Know the major classes of contaminants.
  • Define specific terms such as toxicity, environmental toxicology, bioaccumulation, biomagnification, etc.
  • Gain introductory knowledge on transport processes and specific chemical processes of contaminants.
  • Summarize and describe routes of toxicant absorption, distribution by the body, storage sites and sites of toxicity, biotransformation and elimination.
  • Describe different types of toxicity.
  • Develop an introductory understanding of toxicity testing and dose-response curves.
  • Understand the basis for monitoring of pollutants and the tools used.
  • Get introduced to different work possibilities within ecotoxicology.
  • Introduction to ecotoxicology from different fields/perspectives.

From the project

  • Get an introduction to the process of research (from lab work to finalization of a scientific report).
  • Take biological samples and process the samples.
  • Get introduced to ecotoxicological laboratory methods.
  • Learn to write a report/scientific writing.
  • Literature search and comprehension.

Language of instruction and examination

The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars and lab.

Assessment

4 hours written exam (50%) and report (50%). A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.

In order to sit an examination, the student must complete and gain approval for any coursework requirements.

Coursework requirements: Participation in field and lab analyzes.

Students require to attain a pass grade (A to E) in the laboratory report in order to be able to take the ordinary or re-sit written examination. There will be a re-sit examination for students that did not pass the previous ordinary examination. The re-sit examination is a written exam only.


Recommended reading/syllabus

Lecture notes, the scientific report and a text book (Principles of ecotoxicology, forth edition, 2012).

Error rendering component

  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: BIO-2008