Environmental Sciences
Purpose
Environmental Sciences, a Bachelor of Science degree program, prepares students for immediate employment and graduate studies in the analysis and mitigation of environmental problems. The program focuses on science methodology and applied analysis, applying state-of-the-art field methods, instrumentation, and data analysis to the study of the natural and human environment from an interdisciplinary systems perspective. The curriculum builds on four cores: natural sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics); mathematics (including calculus and statistics); geographic information science (GIS); and integrated social sciences (including economics, geography, and bioregional studies).
Educational Objectives
- Provide knowledge and training in the practical application of the scientific method utilizing appropriate analytical approaches and instrumentation-based methodologies
- Prepare students for roles in resource management that require critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Prepare students for graduate studies in environmental sciences, natural resource management, environmental education, geography, geographic information science, and law
- Provide students with technical and analytical skills that enable them to find employment in federal and state resource agencies, consulting firms, community-based education, and industrial firms tasked with environmental compliance
Expected Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will have demonstrated the following abilities:
Specify, calibrate and use appropriate scientific instruments to collect biological, chemical, and physical data to address a scientific question and understand the limitations of the instrumentation (CHE 232, BIO 496).
Apply mathematical concepts, including statistical methods, to field and laboratory data to study scientific phenomena (BIO 112, BIO 497).
Use GIS to solve geospatial problems (GIS 205, GIS 326).
Apply biological, chemical and physical principles and methods to determine the functional condition of natural systems (BIO 225, BIO 337).
Understand the complex relationships between natural and human systems (BIO 111, BIO 485).
Design and execute a scientific project. (Project course series: BIO 261, 262, BIO 407, 495, 496, 497, 498).
Curriculum Map
The curriculum map for the Environmental Sciences program can be found on the program's web page on the OIT web site.
Summary of Student Learning Outcomes
During the 2007-08 academic year, the Environmental Sciences faculty formally assessed the student learning outcome summarized below. Additional details can be found in the attached assessment report and in department assessment records.
SLO #4: Ability to apply biological, chemical and physical principles and methods to determine the functional condition of natural systems.
Strengths: Students demonstrated acceptable proficiency or higher in using specific biological or physical parameters as indicators of riparian functionality, measuring key parameters to determine functionality, classifying a stream reach, demonstrating understanding of how landform influences an ecological community, demonstrating understanding of how human activity influences an ecological community, and using the BLM Proper Functioning Condition check list to determine the functional class of a stream reach. It should be noted that the student sample was small and may not necessarily be representative of the average student in the program.
Action plans: The content-rich, one-credit BIO 225 course will be reviewed to determine if the number of topics covered should be reduced.