This course is designed to help students successfully complete their MES Capstone. A set of milestones will be set and regular meetings will be held in groups and individually to aid the student as they complete the research portion of their degree.We will be working together to complete a series of steps towards the final project. These steps fall into five major areas 1) Reviewing the literature; 2) Finding a model; 3) Framing your research; 4) managing data; and 5) Writing your results. Throughout the semester, we will also discuss career goals and the job search.

How do government policy-makers make decisions about potential threats to human health and the environment in the face of scientific uncertainty? The course develops the concept of Risk Assessment from the publication of the 1983 National Research Council (NRC) report commonly known as the "Red Book" which was used to rank the initial hazardous waste sites under the Superfund program. Using a variety of teaching tools, including lectures, panel discussions, and case studies, the course examines how public policy decisions regarding environmental risk are made and how effective those decisions are at reducing risks to affected populations. The course focuses on the complex interaction of science, economics, politics, laws, and regulations in dealing with environmental and public health risks. The course will begin with a review of the policy process and methods used in evaluating human health and environmental risks, including the traditional steps in the risk assessment process, including quantitative and qualitative aspects of hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. The course will then focus on how scientific uncertainty, risk perceptions, socio-economic disparities, risk communication, and politics influence environmental risk-based decision-making. Issues such as special populations (e.g., children, elderly, immune-compromised, woman of pregnancy age, etc.) must be considered when developing risk reduction strategies. The use of the "precautionary principle" will be discussed in the context of different types of environmental stressors (e.g., pesticides, chemicals, climate change, air pollution, water quality, and land use) and how this important controversial principle is applied differently in contrasting national and European risk management policies.

This course introduces the foundational principles and methodologies of comprehensive planning across key domains, including transportation systems, school facilities, environmental sustainability, Title VI compliance, and land development. Designed for students in Environmental Studies, the course provides both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to address complex planning challenges. Students will explore how these disciplines intersect to create cohesive, sustainable, and equitable communities, preparing them to lead projects that integrate environmental, social, and infrastructure considerations. Through case studies, hands-on projects, and strategic planning exercises, students will gain the tools necessary to contribute to urban planning, sustainability initiatives, and infrastructure development.

The aim of this course is to provide an incentive to use geochemical and mineralogical principles to address and solve major environmental problems. The students identify the problems that are associated with different types of waste. This course covers a wide range of problems associated with the waste arising from the generation of electricity. The main topics will be the uranium cycle, characterization of nuclear waste, and the containment and disposal of nuclear waste. Based on insights from the nuclear fuel cycle, solutions are presented that diminish the environmental impacts of coal and biomass combustion products, incineration of municipal solid waste, toxic waste due to refuse incineration, and landfills and landfill gases.

Can we successfully adapt our urban water systems to meet the growing challenges of flood, drought, water contamination, heat/fires, extreme weather and sea level rise? How do we make our cities resilient and our communities sustainable, even in the face of these threats? When does change begin? How does it happen?
Our urban water systems and their watersheds are already severely challenged. We will explore the human right to water and sanitation on a local and a global scale through a review of (1) water policies, practices and law; (2) technology; (3) governance and funding; and (4) land use (think green/blue infrastructure and “nature-based” solutions). Among many the many topics to be examined, we will study (1) how leadership, technology and politics were essential to achieving change through an analysis of Philadelphia’s Green City Clean Waters program; (2) how we make potable water from wastewater palatable to the public, (3) how to manage PFAS in the environment, the drinking water, the land disposal of biosolids, and in communicating its risk to the public; and (4) make ESG, GHG emissions, energy independence and 100% water recycling/reuse integral to the water industry culture and operations.

As climate change becomes an increasing threat, nations and organizations across the globe are setting ambitious net zero and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, but how is this accomplished? Through case studies and assessments this class will investigate the leading techniques and practices to reduce carbon emissions and capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Case studies will include examples from agriculture and food; living shorelines, wetlands, and coastal restoration; biodiversity; energy; transportation; land use, and the social aspect (empowering women and girls); bioremediation, and anaerobic digesters vs composting. Relevant climate data will be reviewed, as well as approaches to business practices, economic considerations and legislation that can accelerate addressing climate impacts to our environment.

Before the year 2000, "environmental management" for a business was typically driven by the need to respond to restrictions imposed by environmental regulation. But, at the dawn of the new millennium, leading businesses began to change their concept of environmental management to look beyond simply meeting governmental dictates. These organizations began to evolve and utilize "environmental strategy" to create new ways of growing their businesses by bringing sustainability to the core of their business strategies. This seismic shift in view was accompanied by a bottom line emphasis that, in some cases, turned sustainability efforts into profit centers. Sustainability increasingly is not hidden within the silo of environmental, health, and safety departments but has become much more seamlessly integrated into the operations of corporate functional disciplines. Today, to effectively work in senior management, an executive needs to be knowledgeable not only about his or her specific business function but also how his or her business will be impacted by governmental regulations, policies, corporate sustainability initiatives, green marketing regulations, industry guidelines or 'best practices', new sustainable technologies, energy planning, environmental performance metrics, and required reporting on the environmental impact of their business unit.

Sustainability presents both a challenge and an opportunity for society. Issues like climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and population imbalance are stressing the planet's capacity in ways that threaten our ability to sustain thriving and just societies. At the same time, these systemic problems are unfolding too slowly to prompt most of us to take serious and significant action, or to trigger meaningful responses from our political and business leaders. People equate sustainability with efficiency, waste minimization, and pollution prevention - all worthy goals - but at the current rate of consumption and growth these approaches alone will not create the future of abundance and equity that we desire. To quote author and MIT professor John Ehrenfeld, "Reducing unsustainability - although critical - will not create sustainability." What will it take to extricate us from the current predicament and forge a new path? In this class, we will examine underlying psychological and cultural barriers to sustainability and discuss strategies for surmounting them. Students will learn leadership competencies and practices to help them more effectively lead change efforts for sustainability. Readings and discussions will explore the application of positive psychology to leverage the human technologies of creativity and collaboration in the pursuit of a more balanced and sustainable relationship with others and our ecosystems, and to shift the sustainability dialogue from the current problem-oriented approach to a vision of human wellbeing and planetary flourishing.

Puerto Rico has a varied climate, geology, and topography that combine with periodic disturbance from earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes, floods, and the occasional tsunami (such as 1918 Puerto Rico Tsunami) to produce a rich diversity of ecological systems (see Miller and Lugo, 2009). Human use of the island’s mineral and biological resources together with agricultural production, military operations, industrial, commercial, and residential development and tourism have greatly reduced the area of intact systems and put pressure on surviving remnants. Fortunately, there are protected natural areas (see map by Gould et al., 2011) that provide the opportunity to observe and come to understand important ecological patterns and processes of tropical areas.
The course will include regular classes leading up to the trip over spring break during which we will review the literature and learn from Penn researchers about the ecological systems of the island, especially in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (see Harris et al., 2012). Students will work collaboratively on a specific system or location that we will visit and present to the class before we leave. Upon our return, students will work individually on a research topic of interest related to the field trip and present findings and analysis in class and in a paper

Newspapers, magazines, professional journals and media outlets throughout the world every day contain stories concerning the impacts of pollution on the environment, wildlife and public health. Environmental laws are the primary tools that governments utilize to prevent, minimize and mitigate harmful impacts from such pollution. Environmental professionals (e.g., consultants, planners, engineers, inspectors, compliance officers, NGO representatives, policymakers) play a central role in the implementation and ultimate success or failure of these laws. This survey course presents environmental law in a new, accessible and thought-provoking manner. It focuses on the role of environmental professionals in the regulatory process and is designed to provide environmental professionals with a foundation that will enable them to better serve the interest of their clients, work productively with environmental attorneys and effectively represent individuals and businesses before governmental regulators. The practical aspects of environmental law will be addressed with the use of case studies. A variety of focus topics will be explored, including, but not limited to: regulation of PFAS; environmental justice; and the impact on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on environmental protection. A number of important federal environmental statutes will be studied: Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; CERCLA; RCRA; NEPA; and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Finally, students will read the book “A Civil Action” which will be the focus of class discussions about the interactions between environmental professionals, victims of environmental pollution, environmental attorneys and the legal system.