4 minute read
Environmental Science
Environmental Science Program
DIRECTOR’S CORNER
It is a tremendous honor for me to assume the helm of our campuswide Environmental Science Program. As you are wellaware, preparing the next generation of environmental scientists and decision makers is in our DNA at the University of Idaho, and the list of opportunities for Vandals to make a positive diff erence in environmental stewardship has never been greater. Our students are embracing the challenge. They engage in experiential learning early on through internships and seasonal work placement, many times in partnership with you — our great network of Vandal friends and alumni. They conduct research aimed at real-world problems, such as the project seen on these pages highlighting the work of senior undergraduate Hana Haakenstad to understand connections between zooplankton densities and anoxic conditions in an Inland Northwest reservoir. And they have tons of fun doing it, as I’ve seen with the trivia nights and volunteer outings organized by the Environmental Science Club. You’ll also see on these pages that our campuswide Environmental Science team of faculty, staff and students recently completed a comprehensive revision of the undergraduate curriculum. The new curriculum honors the interdisciplinary nature of the program, challenging students to explore connections among seemingly disparate topics. But it also provides new ways for students to dive deeply into their specific disciplines of interest. A new 200-level core course will get students interacting early on with professionals working in the environmental sciences. We are redoubling eff orts to get students outside, observing the world and collecting primary data. Our new online Sustainability Sciences option boasts more accessibility to online coursework than ever before. And, at the suggestion of employers of our graduates, the 400-level senior capstone experience now includes the option for students to team up with a community stakeholder partner to manage a local environmental assessment project. I invite you to be part of our exciting future in environmental science at U of I. Please reach out to me at leev@uidaho.edu if you want to share ideas or be involved.
Warmly,
Lee Vierling
Faculty from across the University of
Idaho revamped the Environmental Science undergraduate curriculum for implementation starting in Fall 2021. Input from disciplinary and interdisciplinary working groups, current students, alumni and employers was used in the decision-making. Along with U of I’s land-grant mission, world-class faculty and the unparalleled outdoor laboratory that is Idaho, these changes promise to make U of I’s Environmental Science program a top destination for students across the country.
Visit uidaho.edu/cnr/departments/environmental-science-program
NEW Undergraduate Curriculum
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION POLICY, PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE (available online) INTEGRATED SCIENCES (includes: minor, certificate or semester study requirement)
Students will choose from a variety of core courses that reflect the diversity of student interests across the environmental sciences. Included will be a mentored internship and a careers course designed to help students develop professional networks early in the program. Core courses will ensure students become proficient in topics relating to water, human perspectives, geospatial sciences, statistics and economics. From there, students choose from one of five new emphasis areas: Ecological Restoration; Policy, Planning and Management; Culture and Communication; Sustainability Sciences; and Integrated Sciences. As a capstone, students will choose between an independent research project or a service-learning partnership with a local stakeholder, which requires working in groups to co-manage a realworld environmental project.
Hana Haakenstad samples for zooplankton as part of her research at Willow Creek Reservoir.
Student Spotlight
When Hana Haakenstad devised her senior research project in Environmental Science, she wanted to make a diff erence. “I was looking for a topic that would keep me excited, but even more so, a mentor who would push me to do my best work,” Haakenstad said. When her professor, Frank Wilhelm, brought up the idea of studying how the base of the food chain is changing in Willow Creek Reservoir near Heppner, Oregon, Haakenstad jumped at the chance. With the help of a Washington Lakes Protection Association (WPLA) undergraduate scholarship, Haakenstad explored how zooplankton might migrate in response to the depletion of dissolved oxygen. Her data supports the hypothesis that filter-feeding grazers, and specifically Daphnia, are being forced to change their grazing habits as a result of decreased oxygen levels. Her findings could help scientists better understand algal blooms. Haakenstad presented her work recently to WPLA stakeholders. She is continuing to analyze data and present her work as an honors thesis before graduating in spring 2021. “This project made my year,” Haakenstad said. “It was so much fun.”
