Students studying at Campbelltown campus should refer to 300543 - Cell Biology. The cell is the basic unit of life and some basic processes, such as membrane function and the reactions involving DNA, occur in cells of all living organisms. This unit introduces the important biological chemicals involved in those processes and the study of the processes themselves. The unit also examines phenomena such as cell replication, sex cell formation, inheritance, and cell metabolism that are shared by all eukaryotes (animals, protistans, fungi and plants). The biochemical capture of the sun's energy (photosynthesis) is also studied. The evolutionary links between these cellular processes form a framework for the unit, and students consider the origin of life and their own evolution. In addition, students are introduced to the immense potential of recombinant DNA technology.

This unit uses the setting of surface freshwater aquatic environments to develop an understanding of a range of professional skills and values necessary for the theory and practice of environmental management. Working in small groups students investigate the philosophy and practice of science through the design and implementation of field studies that investigate the nature of pollution, evaluate the current condition of aquatic systems and recommend strategies that will improve ecosystem integrity and mitigate the risk of adverse human health outcomes.

A holistic, systemic understanding of the nature of landscape is fundamental to the land and water management professions. Drawing upon examples from the Sydney Basin, this unit will introduce students to the complex interrelationships between biophysical, social and cultural factors which determine the ever changing character of the landscapes we experience around us. Through a series of urban and rural field studies, students will be encouraged to develop an understanding of the formative factors of landscape and their interaction, a sensitivity toward diverse and often conflicting landscape values, and a capacity for landscape description emphasising spatial interpretation.

This unit provides a broad introduction to the fundamental principles common to all branches of chemistry. The unit is intended to serve the needs not only of chemistry majors, but also those intending to specialise in other related disciplines. The unit focuses on scientific notation, nomenclature, chemical equations, stoichiometry, the mole concept, atomic structure, periodicity, electronic configuration, structure and bonding, states of matter, intermolecular forces, properties of solutions, chemical thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, and electrochemistry.

The aims of this unit are to relate chemical principles to everyday life. Laboratory skills will be introduced in a systematic way that helps students apply the concepts they will be learning concurrently within the unit. The usefulness of chemistry will be emphasised by giving examples relevant to the students' areas of professional interest (eg food technology, environmental sciences, biology or horticulture), while ensuring that the following fundamental topics are covered: matter, energy, chemical bonds, states of matter, chemical reactions and rates, equilibrium, introduction to organic compounds and nuclear chemistry.

This unit is designed to continue the development of students' understanding of the basic principles of chemistry, with an emphasis on the chemistry of carbon compounds. The unit focuses on introductory chemical dynamics, together with an in-depth treatment of the structure, nomenclature and reactivity of the principal organic functional groups. The unit provides a necessary foundation for subsequent related studies in chemistry, biochemistry, food chemistry, nutrition science, toxicology, environmental science, and related biological sciences and technologies.

Students studying at Campbelltown campus should refer to 300539 - Biodiversity. This unit examines the diversity of living organisms, how these organisms are classified, and how evolutionary processes resulted in such diversity. The unit also addresses the role of cells, tissues and organs in the structure and function of living whole organisms, how these organisms acquire and assimilate the resources necessary for growth, and how they excrete waste, maintain function and coordinate growth and reproduction. The role of ecosystems in maintaining life is also studied. Students conduct basic investigations using techniques such as microscopy, sectioning, staining and dissection.

This unit introduces students to various statistical techniques necessary in scientific endeavours. Presentation of the content will emphasize the correct principles and procedures for collecting and analysing scientific data, using a ‘hands-on’ approach. Topics include effective methods of gathering data, statistical principles of designing experiments, error analysis, describing different sets of data, probability distributions, statistical inference, non-parametric methods, and simple linear regression and correlation.

Students enrolled in Resource Sustainability will work in groups employing rapid appraisal techniques to score the environmental conditions across a range of landuse categories on the UWS Hawkesbury Campus. Students will be required to design and implement an investigation of the landscape utilizing methods currently in use by relevant legislative & administrative bodies (GPS, GIS, PDT, etc). The development of skills in the area of spatial data management is an essential element in this unit. Having completed an assessment of the environmental conditions on the Campus, students will illustrate their findings and present them in both audio/visual and written reports.

We live in a society where environmental and ecological problems dominate public discourse. Reference is often made to ecology; terms and ideas that came originally from ecology are used in public discussions, and appear in legislation. This unit will introduce students to ecology: what is studied in ecology, how it is studied, what are the strengths and weaknesses or limitations of ecology. The scope of current ecological thinking will be covered, from the scale of individual organisms, through populations, and up to communities and ecosystems. Methods of study will be highlighted; the practical component of the course will introduce the techniques of conducting basic ecological investigations.

Microorganisms are important in all aspects of our lives. In this unit students will explore the diversity of microorganisms and their significance in the environment, in foods and industry as well as in health and disease. Students will be introduced to the structure, reproduction, classification, cultivation and enumeration of bacteria, viruses and fungi. The conditions required for growth and survival of microorganisms will be studied as well as physical and chemical methods of control. Students will conduct laboratory exercises designed to develop their skills in culturing and observing microorganisms.

This unit extends the student's knowledge and understanding of analytical instrumentation that is relevant to forensic investigations and analysis in the environmental and food sciences. It will provide an understanding of the chemical and physical principles underlying the utilisation of instrumentation in chemical analysis. Topics include principles of spectroscopic techniques separation methods; sample collection and storage; presumptive testing; an extended range of modern chemical instrumentation including gas and liquid chromatography; atomic spectroscopy; mass spectroscopy; x-ray methods and spectroscopic methods.

The unit describes mapping of natural/cultural patterns in the landscape that have meaning with respect to land use. The unit provides instruction on map-making, spatial aspects of the natural environment and GIS concepts and applications in environmental area mapping. This unit involves the preparation of a map base and database for land use planning with the aim of subdividing a landscape into natural use regions and describing attributes of each region.

This unit is available from 2006. Green Chemistry is a new field that seeks to reduce the environmental consequences of chemical industry. It includes modifying engineering practices, the development of new catalytic processes, modification of existing chemical processes and bioremediation. The emphasis is on atom economy and the reduction of chemical resource and energy consumption at the source rather than subsequent pollution remediation. The practice of green chemistry as applied to aspects of analytical, biological, inorganic, organic and polymer chemistry in real-world cases will be investigated.

This unit focuses on microbial processes in the environment and illustrates how these processes may be employed in the control of pollution problems, pests and diseases, and in the recovery of minerals and fuel from the environment, including: microbial interactions in the environment; model ecosystems in the study of microbial environments; the role of biofilms in biofouling; micro-organisms in the removal of contaminants in the environment; microbial control of plant, pests and diseases; microbial systems in mineral and fuel recovery; strain construction in environmental biotechnology; ethics and the release of genetically engineered micro-organisms.

This unit will assist students develop a sound framework for the analysis of land use and its interactions with the environment. The skills gained will assist in evaluation of land use at various levels from household to international level. Particular emphasis will be placed on students gaining a sound conceptual framework from which to examine sustainability at the environmental, economic, social, and production levels. Emphasis will be placed on the use of ecological footprinting as a tool.

This unit will develop a sound understanding of the principles and practices of conservation biology in both an Australian and International context. Ethical and historical aspects of conservation biology will also be considered in addition to the science of conservation. Students will gain an understanding of the processes that have led to, and are leading to, species extinction. Methods and issues associated with conservation are considered; these include the principles of population genetics, population viability analysis, and the use of modelling. Other issues and concepts covered include the uses of wildlife, illegal wildlife trafficking and trade, biosecurity and the types of international, national and local laws and agreements that relate to conservation in general. The unit emphasises the importance of biodiversity and scientific research in conservation biology.

This unit covers measurement of water quality, water pollution, classification of water pollutants, water and waste water treatments, alkalinity and carbonate equilibria, complexation in natural waters, atmospheric chemistry and monitoring, environmental sampling, sample preservation and storage, soil and sediment chemistry, solid waste chemistry and approaches for prevention of pollution. This unit complements Green Chemistry 1, but does not follow directly on from it.

Temperate aquatic ecosystems, freshwater, estuarine and marine are some of the most threatened ecosystems. Lack of understanding and pressures from urbanisation have caused alteration of these habitats, sometimes without regard to the ecological and social consequences. This unit will emphasise that to understand human impacts in our environment involves the logic and philosophy of science. On completion of this unit students will have knowledge of the main animal and plants in aquatic ecosystems and the techniques in experimental design and analysis needed to investigate estuarine, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Throughout this unit, the results of scientific and experimental work on temperate aquatic ecosystems, which inform decision-making and conservation of these habitats will be emphasised.

This unit aims to provide students with a broad understanding of the current environmental regulations available to environment protection and planning authorities at the State and Local Government level to protect and manage the environment. It is a suitable subject for students entering Government or industry in environmental management, health and planning roles. This unit will focus on the environmental management opportunities provided by the Local Government Act, Protection of the Environment Operations Act, and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. Commonwealth Legislation including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act will also be examined.