Studying the past and the present of the Earth, including interactions among the non-living environment, humans and other forms of life, to inform responsible decisions about the future.
Educational Programs
Undergraduate
Two undergraduate majors in Earth Science and in Environmental Studies equip our students with thorough understanding of nature and environmental issues through classroom education combined with practical learning in the lab and the field.
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Professional Masters
Two Professional Masters programs in Environmental Studies and in Applied Geosciences prepare full or part-time students to become experts in managing complex environmental problems.
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PhD
A PhD program in Earth and Environmental Science enables students to become successful independent researchers in academia or non-academic settings.
Learn MoreResearch done by our faculty, postdoctoral scientists and students focuses on a wide variety of the Earth system’s non-living and living components to increase the understanding of how our planet works and responds to perturbations, such as the global environmental change brought about by human activities.
Our guiding principle is to embrace all dimensions of human diversity, both because it is morally just and because fostering diversity, equity and inclusion enhances scientific creativity and is key to achieving an environmentally sustainable future.
Housed in the Earth and Environmental Science Department, The Water Center combines water science with policy innovation to develop integrated new strategies for solutions to the most challenging urban water problems.
The Water Center homepage can be found here - https://watercenter.sas.upenn.edu/.
News
In Memory of Joan Buccilli, EES Department Administrator
It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Joan Alice (Martin) Buccilli of Collingswood NJ, on…
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Professor Michael Mann appointed vice provost for climate science, policy, and action at Penn
Michael Mann is a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and director of…
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United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Foresight Brief authored by Professor Reto Gieré and Jaydee Edwards
Professor Reto Gieré and Jaydee Edwards co-authored a UNEP Foresight Brief discussing vehicle tyre particles in the…
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As the world warms, how are young people feeling?
"Overall existential dread," is how Michael Mann sums it up. Michael Mann is a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the…
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Does Heat Travel Differently in Tight Spaces?
New research led by Penn scientists offers insights into fundamental problems in fluid mechanics, findings that pave the way…
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Teaching climate change communication, from the classroom to a conference of journalists
Michael Mann and Kathleen Hall Jamieson are co-teaching the Climate Change and Communication course this spring, tied to the…
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Originating from Penn, this multidisciplinary and multi-university research seeks to enable robots to navigate extraterrestrial bodies
At an elevation of around 6,000 feet near Mount Hood, located roughly 70 miles east of Portland, an interdisciplinary team…
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Michael Mann to receive John Scott Award from the Franklin Institute and the City of Philadelphia
Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Director of Penn…
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Douglas Jerolmack is working with other Penn researchers to understand the mechanics behind baseball's "magic mud"
With the Phillies’ World Series hopes dashed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are…
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2023 Earth & Environmental Science Awards
Congratulations to the 2023 Earth and Environmental Science award recipients! Earth & Environmental…
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