Environmental science

The Environmental Sciences major prepares individuals for graduate-level training in environmental sciences or for entry-level employment in a broad and growing spectrum of environmental careers. Students who complete this major will gain scientific literacy and both broad and deep knowledge of biology, earth sciences, or health, the three optional tracks of study- all within the context of the complex environmental challenges facing humanity today. An Integrated Science Track designed specifically for future middle school, elementary, early childhood, and special education teachers will meet teacher licensure requirements for middle school general science and lead to comprehensive understanding of environmental issues and the science associated with them. Students wishing to focus on middle school mathematics should declare the Natural Sciences and Mathematics major. A focus on research and field experience in all tracks provides students with first-hand research experiences and helps them develop the essential thinking skills necessary for understanding and studying the environment from multiple perspectives. Student research, performed in cooperation with Cambridge communities, will involve civic engagement and contribute to the understanding of local urban ecosystems. Immersion in the field will lead to transformative thinking about humans and their complex relations with their environment.

The major will lead to the development of a sense of place and a sense of social responsibility informed by a deep understanding of nature, the history of life and humanity, and the complexities of human-environment interactions.

Learning Goals

• Development of critical thinking, inquiry skills, and scientific literacy
• Integration of civic engagement and social responsibility with scientific research
• Development of quantitative analytical skills, including designing experimental design, data collection, and analysis
• Understanding the complexity and interdependence of ecological systems, inclusive of human systems; understanding the impact of humans on environment and environment on humans (the complex interplay of human and nonhuman systems)
• Development of an environmental ethic and a philosophy that includes humans in nature and a sense of place and social responsibility
• Understanding the historical development of ecosystems/Earth's physical systems and the evolutionary development of life on Earth
• Understanding and articulating the relationship between environmental sciences and public policy, economics, and social organization (interdisciplinary thinking)
• Understanding (from multiple scientific perspectives and including an historical perspective) one place really well through repeated observation and study
• Development of strategies and interests for lifelong learning
• Preparation to obtain an entry-level position in environmental sciences, or to be admitted to graduate study in a scientific field

Program Tracks

The Environmental Science major has two major branches: a course of study for Environmental Science majors with concentrations in biology, earth science, or health and an Integrated Science Track for Middle School (separate sub-track), Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education majors. The number of credits differs depending on whether students are Education majors or not (see below). Each student must take 15 credits of field experience. Education majors can count some of their teaching field experience toward this total. All students will work closely with advisors to choose courses (science, foundation, free elective) that contribute to a comprehensive program of study.

Requirements of the Environmental Science Major

Audubon Expedition Institute

The Audubon Expedition Institute (AEI) offers students with a passion for the environment the opportunity to engage in a rigorous, cross-disciplinary explortion of human and natural systems. Each learning community immerses itself in a particular region (Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Alaska) and engages in self-directed learning whle traveling on a bus with faculty, and sleeping and eating outdoors. The sixteen credit semester includes Regional Environmental Issues, Learning Community as Personal and Social Change, and Environmental Literature.

Lesley College students can enroll in one semester with the Audubon Expedition Institute and earn 15 credits toward their Environmental Studies major. One semester with AEI also constitutes an Environmental Studies Minor. Students majoring in Natural Science and Mathematics can also enroll in AEI's semester on the bus, with some credits counting toward their major and others counting toward general education or as electives.

For more information, visit AEI's website at www.lesley.edu/gsass/audubon/index.html

Marine Studies Consortium (MSC)

Lesley University is a member institution of the Marine Studies Consortium (MSC). This consortium is an association of 18 Massachusetts higher education and research institutions. Students wishing to take MSC courses should contact Dr. David Morimoto, Program Director, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, (617)349-8226, or morimoto@lesley.edu. A fee of $425 is required per course, in addition to the regular registration costs. Full information about the MSC can be found at www.brandeis.edu/marinestudies/

Marine Studies Consortium Academic Program

MSC courses offer unique learning opportunities in marine and aquatic sciences, environmental policy, and environmental management. The courses are potential choices for Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Environmental Studies majors, as well as education majors (Introduction to Maine Mammals, especially). The Biology of Fishes course, offered at the New England Aquarium, may be the only ichthyology course in the world where students use their resources of a major aquarium at every class meeting. Other courses, such as the Biology of Whales and Water Resources Management, are offered nowhere else in New England at the undergraduate level. Courses are held during the evenings on the campuses of our member institutions.