Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Environmental Science

Program Faculty (Steering Committee)
Nan Crystal Arens, Professor of Geoscience
Meghan Brown, Professor of Biology
Kristen Brubaker, Professor of Environmental Studies
Lisa Cleckner, Director of the Finger Lakes Institute
Bradley Cosentino, Professor of Biology
Tara Curtin, Associate Professor of Geoscience
Susan Cushman, Associate Professor of Practice
Mark Deutschlander, Professor of Biology
David Finkelstein, Associate Professor of Geoscience
David Kendrick, Professor of Geoscience
Neil Laird, Professor of Geoscience
Nicholas Metz, Professor of Geoscience
Shannon Straub, Associate Professor of Biology

Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary major that investigates the relationship between humans and their natural world. Environmental Science blends perspectives from biology, geoscience, and environmental studies to train students to understand scientific interconnections of and between the abiotic and biotic world. In addition to developing a firm grounding in science, students take courses that equip them to address a wide range of stakeholders and interface effectively with policymakers. Graduates will be able to pursue employment or research opportunities in fields such as natural resources, ecosystem science and management, environmental consulting, sustainability initiatives, and related areas, while still providing the interdisciplinary framework to pursue science-grounded policy careers. Courses will be taught by faculty in multiple departments and will include field/research opportunities that utilize existing campus assets such as Cooper’s Woods, Hanley Preserve, and Seneca Lake.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Environmental Science program is to provide students with a solid background in the sciences and then apply this knowledge to help understand complex local and global environmental problems. Students will also learn why scientific approaches need to be integrated with social science and humanities perspectives to understand the causes of environmental problems and implement change. Students will learn the tools necessary to solve problems and communicate solutions to diverse audiences. Students will graduate with experience integrating multiple perspectives to tackle some of the world’s biggest environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity. Our graduates will have the skills necessary to continue to learn new advances in the field, and to use data to effectively answer questions.

Offerings

Environmental Science offers an interdisciplinary B.S. major. All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better. Credit/No credit courses cannot be counted toward the major.

Environmental Science Major (B.S.)

disciplinary, 16 courses
Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the influences that abiotic (climate, energy, geology, water) and biotic environmental factors have on creating and altering ecosystems.
• Think critically about scientific problems using previous work and applying this knowledge to a new place or topic.
• Design and complete a scientific study by creating unique scientific questions and collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting data. 
• Effectively communicate science in a variety of venues used by scientists, in oral, written, and visual formats.
• Articulate an understanding of the world’s most challenging environmental problems, along with potential solutions, to diverse audiences using credible, evidenced-based arguments.
• Relate insights from the social sciences and humanities towards addressing equity, justice, and ethics issues with regards to human-environment interactions.

Requirements:
Sixteen courses are required. Six core required courses include BIOL 167, BIOL225, GEO 182 or 184 or 186, ENV 200, ENV 201 or 205 or 237, and ENV 202 or 245. Two required courses in quantitative and spatial reasoning: ENV 207 or BIOL230, and ENV 203 or ENV 281. Five additional environmental science electives are required, including two in Biology and three in Geoscience. Students also complete two supporting natural science electives, as well as ESCI 400 Environmental Science Capstone. Completion of Honors with steering committee faculty in Biology, Environmental Studies, and Geoscience may substitute for ESCI 400.

Environmental Science Electives. The following courses in Biology and Geoscience can be completed to meet the requirement for Environmental Science electives:

Biology Electives
BIOL 300 Evolution
BIOL 316 Conservation Biology
BIOL 325 Invasion Ecology
BIOL 328 The Biology of Plants
BIOL 334 Vertebrate Biology
BIOL 338 Aquatic Biology
BIOL 339 Global Change Biology
BIOL 356 Ornithology

Geoscience Electives
GEO 210 Environmental Hydrology
GEO 215 Hydrometeorology
GEO 220 Geomorphology
GEO 242 The Earth System
GEO 250 Oceanography
GEO 255 Global Climates
GEO 260 Weather Analysis
GEO 265 Weather Measurements and Computing
GEO 280 Environmental Geochemistry
GEO 284 Mineralogy and Petrology
GEO 320 Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks
GEO 325 Paleoclimatology
GEO 330 Limnology
GEO 350 Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology I
GEO 351 Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology II
GEO 355 Mesoscale and Severe Weather
GEO 362 Polar Meteorology
GEO 365 Environmental Meteorology
GEO 375 Earth History
GEO 380 Paleontology
GEO 390 Gondwana
ATMO 245 Climate Change Science

Elective Courses in the Natural Sciences. Supporting science electives include biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, mathematics, or physics. Additional options for the natural science elective include ENV 203, ENV 281, ENV 282, and ENV 310.

Progressing through the Major. During the first year, students are advised to complete BIOL 167, GEO 182 or 184 or 186, ENV 200, and ENV 202 or 245. During the second year, students are advised to complete BIOL 225, ENV 201 or 205 or 237, ENV 207 or BIOL230, and one geoscience elective. During the third year, students should complete ENV 203 or 281, one biology elective, one geoscience elective, and one supporting science elective. During the fourth year, students should complete one biology elective, one geoscience elective, one supporting science elective, and ESCI 400.

GENERAL POLICIES

Policies on C/NC and course repeats. For the major, all courses must be taken for a letter grade (CR/NC courses will not count) and completed with a C- or better.

Advanced Placement. Students who earn an Advanced Placement (AP) score of 5 for AP Environmental Science will earn credit toward the environmental science major as an equivalency with ENV 200 Environmental Science.

Taking courses in HWS abroad programs. Courses in HWS abroad programs may contribute to the environmental science major with equivalencies as core required courses or contributing as electives. Courses not previously approved must be petitioned for approval by contacting chair of Environmental Science. Students should work with their adviser to determine how potential abroad courses will count towards the major.

Taking courses at other institutions. Courses taken at other institutions, which are not affiliated with HWS-sponsored abroad programs, are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students must submit a petition to the chair of Environmental Science to have these courses considered for the major.

Course Descriptions

ESCI 400 Environmental Science Capstone:  Students will integrate knowledge learned in previous courses in the context of applied topics in environmental science. Topics will be explored through reading discussions and completion of a project, such as an applied research investigation, a planning project for environmental decision making, or a scholarly literature review of a topic. Students will communicate the findings of their project to relevant stakeholders. Prerequisites: Senior Environmental Science major, one 300-level Biology elective, and one 300-level Geoscience elective.