Welcome

Earth System Science (ESS) Advantages:

• Access to NASA and NOAA
• Exciting job opportunities: hydrology, groundwater, geophysics to name a few
• Modern facilities, examples:
  
• • Real time satellite links to NASA and NOAA
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Ion Chromatography
  • X-ray diffraction
  • X-ray fluorescence
  • Atomic Absorption
    
    
• Student support through NOAA-CREST and NASA-COSI (see links)
• Undergraduate projects sponsored by NOAA, NASA, EPA
• Internships with the United States Geological Survey, NOAA, EPP Scholars, Raytheon, RSIS, and other companies

The above ESS Advantages derive from our unique curriculum.  The aim of the curriculum: to develop the conceptual and spatial skills necessary to succeed in the earth sciences.  This is accomplished through a reduced set of backbone courses and a broad range of electives.  Electives allow students to adopt courses in special interest areas, such as Biology and Civil Engineering.  Students therefore share the responsibility of building their career.  The future in Earth Sciences is exceptionally broad, driven by a need to better understand nature's driving forces.  The more comprehensive approach allowed by the new system science paradigm enables students to better address issues such as climate, groundwater remediation, energy, and numerous other fields.  Earth System Science thus deals with 'how the earth works,' bridging the traditional fields of Geology, Chemistry, etc., into a stronger focus on environmental issues.

Department Program Outcomes