Creating an Interdepartmental Environmental Science Major lclal S. Hartman and Leonard J. Soltzberg Simmons College, Boston, MA02115 The Committee on Professional Training of the ACS is about to issue accreditation widelines for a maior in environmental chemistry. At many colleges and universities, it will not be possible to offer programs conforming to these guidelines because of institutional restrictions on the number of courses that can be required i n a major, or because of staffhe limitations. Furthermore. i t is debatable whether a minimum core in chemistry plus a few specialized courses fulfill the goals of training a n environmental chemist. While that discuniion must :iw:iit the fimn:il pubiic:ition of thv :\CS rwidc~iin(:s.:In i ~ ~ t c r c s t ~ n g a l r c m a13t ~ v r to consider the creation of a n interdepartmental environmental science maior, with the cooperation of one or more other departments.
Prospects in the Envirotech Industry A recent survey of prospects for environmeut-related business in the United States suggested a n average annual revenue growth rate of about six percent during the next few years ( 2 ) .Worldwide, the annual growth rate is expected to be closer to nine percent. Some of the larger sectors of this industrv are solid waste manaeement. resource recovery, hazardous waste management, water treatment and deliverv. environmental consultine. and air pollution control. A range of technology levels, gom lowtech to high-tech, i s represented by these industries. Chemistry plays a significant role in virtually all of these industries.
Environmental Science versus Environmental Studies Althoneh a n interdenartmental maior will contain less chemist6 than prescribed by the A C S ~ P Tguidelines, the .oroeram beine discussed here is still ~ r i m a r i l va science major. This major i s not to be confused with "environmental studies" programs, some of which are loose collections of courses with little science content. Of the 740 odd environmental majors listed in the 1994 Petersonk Guide to Four-Ear Colleges, about 340 are "environmental science," 80 are "environmental studies" and 320 are other programs such a s environmental engineering, environmental biology, and environmental design ( I ) . Because environmental problems are virtually always multidisciplinary in nature, it is appropriate that preparation for an environmental science career include training in more than one area of science and the inculcation of a n interdiscinlinarv ~ e r s ~ e c t i vHowever. e. i t is eauallv imnortant that'these"stude&s achieve the critical'attitude; respect for data. familiaritv with instrumentation. and conversance with quantitacve methods that can drily come from advanced work in a t least one area of science.
Environmental Science at Simmons College The Environmental Science curriculum a t Simmons College is summarized in the table. This program, which off% cially began during the 1992-1993 academic year, is jointly administered by the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology, and its construction was subject to the college-wide limitation of 40 hours of required work in a major (not including prerequisites or independent study). In the process of constructing this promam, these two departmints met with represe&ativ& frGm physics, mathematics, economics, and political science. We also met with environmental professionals outside the college from the governmental, industrial, and non-profit sectors of the envirotech industry The first year of this program is identical with the allied health majors a t Simmons, while the sophomore year differs from those majors in requiring analytical chemistry. The iunior vear features two hiehlv " focused.. s~ecialized chemistry courses with full laboratory components that incorporate thermodvnamics. additional descrintive chemistry, and computer modeling all in the context of environmental problem-solving. One of these courses, Energy and
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t h e E n v i r o n m e n t , i s described in an accompanying DaDer (3). This course attempts to compensate for the lack of ~ l .h-v s i c a chemistry i n this curriculum. During the senior year, the program requires independent study or field work involving environmental science, either a t Simmons or a t a site such a s the New England Aquarium, Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuaries, etc. F o r off-campus field work placements, we find that i t is important for a facultv member to maintain close liaison with t h e offcampus supervisor to be sure the students are given meaningful projects.
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A
A Joint Concentration in Environmental ScienceOffered by the Department of Biology and the Department of Chemistry
Spring
Fall CHEMlll BIOL113 elective elective
Introductory Chemistry General Biology I
CHEM112 BIOL115 elective elective
Organic Chemistry General Biology II
BlOL238 PHYSllO MATH108 elective
Animal Physiology Introductory Physics lntroductory Statistics
CHEM126 PHYSlll elective elective
OuantitativeAnalysis lntroductory Physics
Energy and the Environment (3) ~ 1 0 ~ 3 4 5 principlesof ~~~l~~~
CHEM139 BIOL340
Chemicals and the Environment Plant Physiology
ECONIOO elective
elective elective
Principles of Microeconomics
Potential Pitfalls of an PHIL225 Moral Issues Learningllnternship in Technologyi Independent Learningllnternship Interdepartmental Program Independent Negotiating a curriculum elective Topics in Marine Biology based in more than one de- BIOL353 Government Regulation of Industry partment is inevitably more ECON239 difficult than workinp sim- , ", ply with one's own departelective Environmental Economics mental colleagues. Different ECON247 departments m a y disagree, elective elective for example, on the impor- strongly recommended elective: POLS217Amerlcan Public Policy tance of quantitative methods. F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e course-count mounts gives students a n even broader view, avoiding the "blindquickly when the requirements oftwodifferent disciplines ers" which may come with a single-discipline approach. are involved. In our program, both calculus and physical This breadth helps prepare students to identify problems chemistry were casualties of the need to compromise on and solutions within the broader perspectives of a society, program content. oursolution to this problem is discussed nation, or even the world. in reference 3. Although we have had no indication of this The kinds of students drawn to environmental science problem, one might imagine students in this program tend to be more varied in their interests and goals than are missing the departmental identity which is strongamong traditional majors. E S majors range from hardour chemistry or biology majors. ~ ~ danger,~ in anyt h ~ chemistry ~ core science or computer types to students with an activist environmental science program, is that i t may become tied orientation. The goal of the program, of course, is to edutoo closely to specific, immediate criteria articulated by incate competent professionals, and the interdepartmental dustry. Environmental science programs must balance approach to such a Program i s likely to be inviting a technical training with the broad educational values imbroader variety of individuals. plicit in a baccalaureate program. Advantages . of an Interdepartmental Program Aside from the political advantage of having more than one department supporting a proposal for a new an interdepartmental program offers some genuine currimlsr A .
hmn~fitq
Environmental ~ m b l e m penerallv s cut across traditional discipline boundaries. ~ r o u n d i n gthe program in two different science departments insures that the students will confront different approaches to problems. The inclusion of courses in public administration, public policy, and ethics
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Journal of Chemical Education
Summary A formal interdepartmental approach to establishing a major in environmental science offers a number of advantages. There are pitfalls a s well, but these can be circumvented to create programs which are substantive in scienstudents tific content and serve the needs Literature Cited 1.
Colleges, 24th ed.; Peterson's Guider: Princeton. 1993. E. ". Chpmicoi o n d ~ n g i n e e r i nNg~ W SJ~~~ 28. 1993, pp 13-16. solt.berg,L J. J them. m u " . 1995.72.979 ipre\nour anirle in this iasue~. PeLerron's FourYPor
, hderson. 3.
