The ESS Program includes majors in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science and a minor, and our explorations extend beyond the classroom and often bridge curricular and co-curricular life.
Most ESS courses immerse students in our local landscapes, cultures, heritages, organizations, and experiences.
During our capstone experience, teams of seniors identify and analyze critical research questions and present their findings to surrounding communities.
Many of our ESS students deepen their understanding of environmental issues and solutions by studying abroad through programs all around the world.
Many of our courses include service-learning components, which deepen our students’ understanding through community engagement.
Field- and lab-based research is imbedded in many of our courses, and there are also student-faculty research opportunities in the summer.
Many of our ESS students enhance their skills and knowledge through internships with a wide variety of organizations all around the world.
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Environmental challenges are among the most pressing issues facing citizens in the 21st century. Few local, national, or international conflicts lack an environmental dimension. Understanding these environmental problems requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. We cannot adequately understand an issue like water pollution through a single disciplinary perspective; it involves anthropology, biology, business, chemistry, economics, geosciences, government, history, literature, and sociology. The mission of Environmental Studies and Sciences is to help students develop literacy at the intersection of these disciplines.
We emphasize the integration of problem-solving within an interdisciplinary framework. Our students design and carry out empirical research and develop and defend their conclusions through clear written and spoken presentations. Environmental Studies and Sciences students will graduate with rigorous and multifaceted problem-solving skills necessary to frame, describe, analyze, and offer realistic solutions to environmental challenges.
The Environmental Studies and Sciences program includes courses that are interdisciplinary and that address environmental issues from a disciplinary perspective, and offers both a major and a minor degree. We immerse our students in the complexities of environmental issues through both classroom and experiential learning, locally and abroad. Students enrich their academic learning with experiences outside the classroom to foster responsible citizenship and to help our students understand the challenges of creating environmentally sustainable communities.
* Our ESS logo was designed by Malcolm Kaletsch '19.