A New Environmental Geosciences Curriculum for Undergraduates Without a doubt the environmental geosciences faculty are involved in cutting-edge research, but they are also very active teachers. For the past two years they have been developing an undergraduate environmental geosciences program that will be launched in fall 2002. The new curriculum is unique and has been designed to dovetail with the strengths of each faculty member. Students will still be taught the core concepts of geology but with an emphasis on applied environmental issues. The curriculum will also involve a substantial field component, on and off campus. Students graduating with a degree in environmental geosciences from Notre Dame can become registered as professional geologists, a requirement in many states for working in geoscience related industries. They may join consulting corporations, national laboratories, or environmental firms. They may also opt to continue their education in graduate school. According to the Department of Labor, in 1998 geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers held about 44,000 private sector jobs. Many more individuals held positions in colleges and universities. Of salaried positions nearly 1 in 3 were employed in engineering management services, and 1 in 6 worked for oil and gas extraction companies or metal mining companies. The federal government employed about 5,800 geologists, geophysicists, oceanographers and hydrologists in 1998. Over half worked for the Department of the Interior, mostly with the U.S. Geological Survey. Others worked with the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. Gainful employment, however, is just one of the goals of the program. Ideally, each graduate will use his or her knowledge of the physical makeup of the Earth, past and present, to predict the behavior of the Earth’s systems and the universe, to find adequate supplies of natural resources, to conserve soils, to maintain agricultural productivity, to develop natural resources in ways that safeguard the planet, to maintain the quality of water supplies, to reduce human suffering and property loss from natural hazardous events, to determine the geologic controls on natural environments and habitats while predicting the impact of human activities upon them, to understand and interpret global climate patterns, and to apply the lessons learned about Earth to planetary exploration. Their individual work and career paths may vary widely, but it is the hope of the faculty in the environmental geosciences program and the College of Engineering that each undergraduate will help define the balance between society’s need for natural resources and the need to sustain healthy ecosystems. For more information on the environmental geosciences program at Notre Dame, visit http://www.nd.edu/~envgeo. |
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