General Course Description: EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) Lab is a course in which students will use state of the art computer hardware and software tools and engage in a project-based approach to problem solving. After learning how to use the needed tools and appreciating capabilities, students will work independently and in teams to solve "real world" type problems. Such problems may involve students in one or more of the following areas: surveying and mapping (including working with global positioning systems), geographic information systems, Visual Basic programming, database applications, web page design, digital photo/ video editing, and visualization applications.

General Course Objectives: The course aims to promote intellectual development of students in fostering critical thinking and problem solving skills. Unlike more traditional courses that seek to promote these skills, this course hopes to do so in a more "real world" context, both using the high tech tools of the business and professional world and through project and service based learning. Through the latter, we expect both the school and community to eventually benefit from problems EAST lab students work on, and important technology transfer benefits to the public sector to occur. But the purpose of this course is "not to grow the project, but to grow the students"!