Program Purpose

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To educate and train students in the fundamentals of biogeochemistry, ecology, and biology relating to soil and water conservation, quality, and pollution.  We will do this by helping students: understand the science behind current problems facing our environment-locally, regionally, nationally, and globally; conduct basic environmental quality measurements and site assessments; learn and practice effective research techniques (i.e., testable hypotheses, utilization of the scientific method, and appropriate statistical analyses); and write effectively and concisely.  We strive to help students foster and promote environmental stewardship within their own sphere of influence as they become environmental scientists and ultimately secure employment with professional companies, state and national entities, or prepare to enter graduate school.  

Curricular Structure

Undergraduate Catalog

 

Learning Outcomes

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After completing a degree in Environmental Science you will be able to:

Scientific Foundation

Possess a fundamental and applied knowledge of the biogeochemistry, ecology, plant biology, microbiology, and laws relating to soil and water conservation, quality, and pollution.

The Scientific Method

Devise experiments with testable hypotheses addressing environmental concerns, problems, and solutions in the environment based on the interpretation of primary scientific literature and the scientific method.

Environmental Measurements, Assessments, and Statistics

Conduct and design basic environmental quality measurements, site assessments, and statistics associated with resource management and conservation.

Environmental Policy

Understand the inception, current state, and future needs of seminal environmental policies and laws.

Effective Communication

Write effectively and concisely both within and outside the environmental science discipline.

Global Environmental Awareness and Stewardship

Foster and promote an environmental awareness, stewardship, and sustainability ethic to help all understand their influence on and spiritual connection to God's creations and Earth. 

Evidence of Learning

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• We implemented our own formal assessment as evidence of learning as part of our new Environmental Science Capstone: Advanced Data Analysis and Writing (PWS 490). Undergraduate students have co-authored three publications to date.

• We added sustainability to our major and a cadre of classes to more fully explore environmental stewardship.  

 

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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• We created/dramatically altered two lab courses to help students achieve our learning outcomes. To meet student desires/needs, we added an Environmental Microbiology and Biogeochemistry Lab (PWS 366) and re-focused our Water and Soils Lab to be a Watershed Ecology Lab. In all labs we have increased the rigor and real-life application of our curriculum.

• We created two living labs, Wallsburg Watershed and Provo River, where students from multiple different course repeatedly visit and research the environment to meet all our learning outcomes. We are incorporating a new "living lab" location into our curriculum, the Nebo Fire Complex. Taking advantage of the recent catastrophic wildfire in Utah, analyze the temporal effects of fire on soil erosion, ecosystem productivity, grazing, and nutrient and sediment loading to surface waters as part of our core labs.

• We created a new Field Ecology course (PWS 250) course option in our active learning portion of our curriculum. The course is taught in all study abroads that provide students with the opportunity to understand interactions between organisms, humans, and the environment. The new course will incorporate field based experimental design, demonstrate appropriate methodology, and generate long-term data sets for students to evaluate.

• We facilitate the creation of an Earth Panel Series organized by the Environmental Science Club that provides students an opportunity to ask experts questions surrounding contemporary environmental issues. We will host three evening seminar series this coming academic year

• We have dramatically increased the international opportunities to our students to conduct research and improve their global environmental awareness. We currently run three study abroads to Africa, China, South America.