About the Program

The need for environmentally literate citizens and well-educated professionals able to address increasingly complex and global environmental issues has never been greater. Pollution, ecosystem degradation, and unsustainable use of natural resources are just a few examples of how humans are altering the Earth and its atmosphere in unprecedented ways. Smith's Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) Program seeks to produce future leaders in the environmental field by offering two minors: Environmental Science and Policy, and Marine Science and Policy. (View the proposed major in Environmental Science and Policy- approved by the College Committee on Academic Priorities (CAP) in 2009.)

The minor in Environmental Science and Policy offers an interdisciplinary course of study comprising courses from the natural and social sciences. It is designed to prepare students to face complex environmental challenges by drawing on multiple disciplines. Students learn to interpret the empirical scientific evidence of complex environmental problems and understand how policy decisions can change those conditions. The minor in Marine Science and Policy permits students to pursue interests in coastal and oceanic systems through an integrated sequence of courses in the natural and social sciences. Hands-on, in-the-field learning is emphasized, and summer internships are strongly encouraged.

More than 25 faculty members from over a dozen departments teach courses in the Program. Their research interests span a broad range of fields in the environment, including marine ecosystems, environmental education, global climate change, development and population, international environmental politics, watershed health in North and Central America, political ecology, conservation biology, environmental economics, environmental engineering, and global marine policy.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an integral part of some ES&P courses, and the program's GIS facility, the Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL), is available to all Smith students and faculty. The green-designed Environmental Resource Center holds information on internships, student projects, graduate schools, and employment opportunities, and is a student lounge.

Environmental education at Smith reaches beyond the classroom. Many students are engaged in field research in internships, with faculty or independently. Their work has been used by scientists and policy-makers alike, within local and international arenas. A Smith student may pursue her research project further through an honors thesis or special studies project. Students may also choose to spend a semester or a year studying the environment at affiliate schools abroad or in the U.S. During the summer, students can participate in the unique interdisciplinary Coral Reef Ed-Ventures program or the NOAA-Smith internship program, both coordinated by ES&P. The Program regularly hosts lectures from environmental leaders, including Smith alumnae, and promotes sustainable practices on campus. There are also a number of active student environmental groups on campus.

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