B.S. Environmental and
Earth System Science

Geoinformatics Programs, SPH and
Earth & Biological Sciences,
Social Work and Social Ecology,
School of Science and Technology,
Loma Linda University

Abstract

Environmental and Earth System Science (EESS) is the integrated study of the earth’s biogeophysical systems and how human activities impact earth system sustainability and management. In addition to core courses, students will choose an emphasis from conservation biology and biodiversity, biodata management, environmental geology, health geoinformatics, or global sustainability and health.

Graduates are prepared to contribute to efforts that promote better management of human development activities that affect human-environment interaction as well as promote sustainable development and conservation science. This program will prepare students for entry level employment or for advanced study in a variety of fields, including biology, geoscience, environmental science, natural resources, biotechnology, diverse health sciences as well as public policy, law or planning careers.

This curriculum is also designed to foster constructive and service-oriented attitudes toward environmental conservation, health, lifestyle, and health care. As described here it will include courses, seminars, and a community service requirement (local community environmental and/or health care service, or an environmental conservation or health-oriented field practicum, i.e. ESSC 575: Field Practicum: Applied Earth System Science--see for instance the Mesoamerican field studies program, the Norton Neighborhoods project, Great Salt Lake Basin studies, Hurricane Mitch reconstruction, or Fiji research.

This program is an outgrowth of financial support from NASA and the ESSE21 Program which began at LLU in 2004. Learm more about EESS from the online resource entitled: Earth System Science in a Nutshell and What is Earth System Science?

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Program Description

A student working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental and Earth System Science will take the first two to three years of general education and science courses at any accredited community college, college, or university, and the last two years of the Environmental and Earth System Science curriculum at Loma Linda University. The degree requirements listed in the Curriculum Guide include a list of the courses that should be taken during the first two years as preparation for the environmental and earth system science curriculum at Loma Linda University which is coordinated by the Department of Earth and Biological Sciences in the School of Science and Technology.

The curriculum and program design for the proposed B.S. in Environmental and Earth System Science were benchmarked with flagship programs at several colleges and universities across the U.S. such as Barnard College, Stanford University, CSU Monterey Bay, Columbia University, George Mason University, and UC Irvine. In summary, most of the programs have similar core requirements in the essential science disciplines such as biology, geology, chemistry, physics, earth system science, and math. Beyond the core requirements, they offer a broad range of electives and concentrations including anthropology, environmental science, energy science, economics, environmental policy, land management, marine science, social policy, and environmental law.

The program at LLU includes integration of electives into concentration areas in:

• conservation biology and biodiversity,

• biodata management,

• environmental geology,

• health geoinformatics, and

• global sustainability and health.

The proposed concentrations and electives for the program at LLU utilize the unique strengths, and opportunities for cross-fertilization, among programs within the School of Science and Technology and the School of Public Health.

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Admissions and Prequisites:

A student in the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental and Earth System Science program will take the first two years of general education and science courses at any accredited community college, college, or university, and the last two years of Environmental and Earth System Science curriculum at Loma Linda University.

Admission requirements for the B.S. in the Environmental and Earth System Science program are a 2.5 G.P.A. during the first two years of course work and letters of recommendation from two faculty members at the institutions previously attended. The requirements listed for the B.S. degree include a list of the courses that should be taken during the first two years, as preparation for the Environmental and Earth System Science curriculum at Loma Linda University--see Curriculum Guide.

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VITAE AND WEBPAGES - EESS Coordinator:

• Robert E. Ford:
  
  • Personal Homepage -
  • Biographical Sketch -
  • Curriculum Vitae
    
• Robert E. Ford - Social Work and Social Ecology Faculty Page
• Robert E. Ford - Earth and Biological Sciences Faculty Page

CONTACT ADDRESS:

Room 121 Griggs Hall,
Earth and Biological Sciences, or
Social Work and Social Ecology
School of Science and Technology,
Loma Linda University,
Loma Linda, CA 92350

Email: rford@llu.edu
Office Phone: (909) 558-7507
Fax: (909) 558-0450

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COURSES ONLINE:

• ESSC 401- 402 - The Earth System and Global Change I, II

• ESSC 541- 542 - Remote Sensing and Systems Modeling I, II

• ESSC 575 - Field Practicum: Applied Earth System Science

• BIOL 549 - Biodiversity and Conservation

• SPOL 554 - Environment, Equity, Economics, and Development Policy

• SPOL 665 - Information Technology and Decision Sciences

• SPOL 624 - Nature/Society Thought and Social Policy

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Curriculum Guide:

I. Pre-LLU-SST General Studies Requirements = 68 quarter units

DOMAIN 1: SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (28-32 quarter units)

Spiritual Heritage (16)

A minimum of 4 units for each year the student is enrolled in a SDA college.

Cultural Heritage (12-16)

Must include one course dealing with human diversity among peers (e.g. cultural anthropology). Additional courses to be selected from at least two of the following areas: civilization/history, fine arts, literature, modern language, performing/visual arts (4 quarter units maximum), or philosophy.

DOMAIN 2: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS (24-32 quarter units)

Natural Sciences (16)

Met by the ESS degree requirements.

Social Sciences (12-16)

Two or more of the following required: anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology.

DOMAIN 3: COMMUNICATION (9-13 quarter units)

Must include a full sequence in freshman English that meets the baccalaureate degree requirements at an accredited college or university. Also may include courses in computer-information systems, critical thinking, and public speaking.

DOMAIN 4: HEALTH AND WELLNESS (2-6 quarter units)

Must include two physical activities totaling at least one unit, and one course in personal health or nutrition.

DOMAIN 5: ELECTIVES

Electives from the foregoing subjects may be chosen to complete the 68 units.

II. Pre-LLU-SST - BS REQUIRED COURSES:

Note: These are first thru third-year pre-Environmental and Earth System Science requirements, to be taken at any college (96 quarter units). In some cases some of the courses can be taken at LLU (contact the coordinator).

Required and recommended cognate courses (44-56 units)

General biology 12
General chemistry 12
Organic chemistry (recommended) 12
General physics 12
Math through Calculus I 8
Statistics 3

General studies during first two years (40-52 units)

Freshman English 9-12
Religion 8
History or language 8
Personal health or nutrition 2
Physical education activities 1
Economics 4
Cultural anthropology 4
Other general studies 1-19 (recommended: geography, political science, sociology, ecology)

III. BS Courses to be taken at LLU-SST (3rd and 4th years) - 100 quarter units:

A. Core Courses:

ESSC 401 The Earth System and Global Change I 4
ESSC 402 The Earth System and Global Change II 4
ESSC 441 Remote Sensing and Systems Modeling I 3
ESSC 442 Remote Sensing and Systems Modeling II 3
ESSC 475 Field practicum in Earth Systems 4
ENVH 421 Cartography and Mapping 4
ENVH 422 Principles of GIS 4
GEOL 475 Philosophy of Science and Origins 4
SPOL 452 Environment, Equity, Economics and Development Policy* 3
ESSC 4__ Seminar in Environmental and Earth System Science (2.5 units)** ½

B. EESS Concentration Area** (minimum of 18 units required)--see below:

**Note: Concentration to be chosen in consultation with the coordinator/advisor:

1. Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
2. Biodata Management
3. Environmental Geology
4. Health GeoInformatics
5. Global Sustainability and Health

C. Environmental and Earth System Science Electives (10-16 units)

General Electives (14-18 units)

General Studies (16 units)

Religion (Environmental Ethics recommended) 8

Other general studies 8

TOTAL UNITS: Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental and Earth System Science 196

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CONCENTRATION AREAS

Note: Students need to take a minimum of 18 quarter units in any of the following areas then at least 1-3 other courses from any of the others as Electives.

Some courses might be available via an articulation agreement with the University of Redlands, the University of California Riverside, California State University San Bernardino or California State University Pomona.

Currently being processed as a cross-listing with graduate courses already created.
** Will be processed as new course request in future.
*** New course request in process.

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Mission, Goals, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Mission:

As a center of scholarship and research, the Department of Earth and Biological Sciences is committed to the mutual enhancement of teaching, research, and public service. The teaching mission and research activity combine to provide new knowledge, stimulate inquiry, and instill learning skills at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our location in Southern California provides a wide range of natural laboratories for studying conservation biology and biodiversity, marine biology, ecology, geology, natural history, and environmental and earth system science.

Goals:

To prepare our graduates:

1. for success in the job market in their chosen field of Environmental and Earth System Science , or
2. to pursue graduate school in a related field.

Program Objectives:

• Create awareness and understanding of how the Earth system functions and interacts to create the conditions for life in the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

• Explore how human activities have interacted with natural systems through time and how these activities respond to global changes in technology, consumption, and population.

• Appreciate the enormity of global and regional environmental changes occurring on Earth and the implications of these changes in our individual lives.

• Challenge students to rethink their individual behaviors and attitudes about their "interaction" with the natural world.

• Learn to use the systems approach to learning and doing research in science and technology -- encourage capable students to pursue careers in science and technology.

• Practice team and individual writing skills and oral communications, e.g. practicing traditional writing skills with new methods such as e-mail and Web publishing and communications.

• "Learn how to learn" using modern information-technology tools such as the Internet and modern systems modeling and visualization tools such as STELLA, GIS/RS (Remote Sensing), GPS and statistical/database packages to manage datasets that span social to medical and biophysical sciences.  Apply these tools to “real-world” local and global environmental management problems.

• Learn to understand what science is and how to apply scientific research concepts and tools to “real-world” problems working together jointly with faculty. 

• Learn how to present scientific findings in a professional manner to your peers and the public at large in ways that contributes to finding “doable solutions” in the real policy-making world.

Student Learning Outcomes:

The Environmental and Earth System Science student learning outcomes are in alignment with the University’s seven core values of compassion, integrity, excellence, freedom, justice, self-control, and humility. The Environmental and Earth System Science SLO’s describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities in science, technology, economics, and policy that all Environmental and Earth System Science students must obtain to graduate. The applied, integrative nature of the Environmental and Earth System Science major requires a curriculum-based path for most students. The breadth of competency required in several SLO's necessitates expertise in more than one discipline, and the need for depth often mandates a sequence of several related learning experiences.

Consequently, the competencies required in many SLO's can only be obtained in a sequence of several courses or alternate learning experiences. The Loma Linda University courses that satisfy the SLO's in each concentration are specified in the "Areas of Concentration" section of this proposal. To demonstrate the required competency, students must receive a grade of C or higher in each required learning experience.

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Key Documents and Resources

• Key GIS/RS Resources and Data Portals

• Landuse/Land Cover Change Learning Module: Cases of Coastal Zone Change from Mesoamerica.

• Streams and Rivers Lab: Introduction to Fluvial Geomorphology (updated May 31, 2004) By Robert E. Ford
  
  Virtual Field Trips:

  • Isla del Tigre and the Golfo de Fonseca Region (ESSE Module Case No. 2)
  • Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge (ESSE Module Case No. 1)
  • Pico Bonito National Park (ESSE Module Case No. 1)
  • Great Salt Lake Ecosystem
  • Earthquake Hazards along the Wasatch Fault
  • 1993 Floods on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers
  • Petroleum Geology: Persian Gulf vs. Overthrust Belt
  • Environmental Hazards on the US-Mexico Border
  • Saline Lakes and Global Climate Change
  • Landscape and Life along the East African Rift: the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda
  • Land and Life on the North American Prairie

Other EESS resources:

• WWW Publishing & Image Editing Resources (By Robert Ford)
• GeoSystems Today: An Interactive Casebook Wiley Publishers (with James Hipple) - Eight Online Case Studies
• VGD (Virtual Geography Department) HDGC Project (see also EES group within the VGD) :
• Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Global
• Change Human Driving Forces and their Impacts on LULC (Land Use / Land Cover Change)
• Living in the Biosphere
• Notes on Active Pedagogy
• Web Warmup Activites
• Population Growth, Energy Use, and Pollution
• Human Health in the Balance
• Global Change and Environmental Hazards
• Technological Change and Industrial Ecology
• Geography of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Woodrow Wilson Environmental Science Summer Institutes - 1997 / 1998 / 1999 (Costa Rica) (Rutgers) - Projects - 1998:

• El Nino/ENSO
• Global Climate Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases - and LINKS!
• Global Climate Change Influencing Freshwater resources
• Ultraviolet Light & Plankton
• Fisheries & Marine Science
• Environmental Policy Issues
• Remote Sensing - bringing new technologies into the classroom (by Dave Williams)
• Effect of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Dynamics

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Last revised: July 30, 2007