The Faculty: Advisors in the Environmental Sciences
Collateral Major
Dr. Paula Sanchini, Administrative Coordinator
Dr. Marty St. Clair
Environmental science is the study
of processes that occur at the earth's surface. Since these processes
exist at the intersection of the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere,
and hydrosphere, they require interdisciplinary preparation. A student
who plans a career in this field, either as a researcher or a practitioner,
must have a solid background in more than one science.
Coe's Environmental Science program is designed
to provide significant depth in theoretical and applied aspects
of biology and chemistry. Students in the program take advantage
of experimentally driven laboratory work that is built into required
biology and chemistry courses. These laboratories build technical
competence through the use of professional quality instrumentation
and EPA accepted methods and quality standards.
Requirements for a Collateral Major in Environmental
Sciences
The completion of a major in Biology which includes
| Calculus |
MTH-135 |
| Bacteriology and Laboratory |
BIO-515/-510 |
|
-OR-
|
| Environmental Microbiology |
BIO-535/-530 |
And completion of --
| Environmental Analysis and Laboratory |
BIO-195/-190 |
| Organic Chemistry |
CHM-185 |
| Analytical Chemistry |
CHM-215 |
And completion of two of the following courses--
| Advanced Analytical Chemistry |
CHM-535 |
| Independent Study |
CHM-805 |
| Marine Biology |
BIO-117 |
| Intro to Ornithology and Laboratory |
BIO-165/-160 |
| Field Botany and Laboratory |
BIO-175/-170 |
| Entomology |
BIO-185 |
| Spatial Ecology |
BIO-295/-290 |
| Natural History of Animals and Laboratory |
BIO-385/-380 |
| Ecology and Laboratory |
BIO-505/-500 |
| Wilderness Field Station |
WFS-XXX |
Recommended:
| Introduction to Environmental Studies |
BIO-105 |
| Statistical Reasoning I |
STA-100 |
| Statistical Reasoning IIA or IIB |
STA-11X |
| Calculus II |
MTH-145 |
The key element of
the Environmental Science success is a unique, challenging field
course that students take in their junior or senior year. The Environmental
Analysis course is team research experience directed by Dr. Sanchini
and Dr. St. Clair. This is the only course we know about where undergraduates
form a research team that designs, carries out and reports on innovative
studies under the supervision of both an analytical chemist and
an ecologist. Here's what past students said about the course.
"I enjoyed putting chemistry
to work with environmental topics that were of interest to me."
"This really brought biology
and chemistry together for me. I never saw the inter-relatedness,
now I do."
"I liked the team atmosphere
that was created because as a group we were able to discuss various
viewpoints and ideas freely. The work was more carefully done
because we all had a chance to voice our ideas."
"Why not try something new?
If we are simply repeating someone else's work, read their paper
and save time and money."
"The 'let's try this' attitude
scared me at first, but it turned out to be a great aspect of
the course."
"I liked the chance to learn
how to deal with lots of data and relationships that you don't
get in a single lab."
"I liked the course because
we got a more realistic research experience. We set up the protocol,
did some preliminary work and then the experiment."
"This is the type of work
that will be expected of us in graduate school. When you have
your own project, things like the study design are important and
I think the class focused on that."
"This was a good class to
take as a senior because it incorporated everything, pre-experiment,
experiment and analysis. This is the final step before real world
research on my own. "
This collateral major is designed for science
majors who plan to work in an environmental field after graduation.
It is intended to give them both breadth and depth in sciences
other than their major field. Students who complete this concentration
will be well-prepared for graduate work in this area, or entry-level
jobs working with environmental consulting firms, government agencies,
advocacy groups, or analytical laboratories.
