An introduction to Earth as a complex system through examination of its atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, the interactions among these spheres, and of the human impacts on the planet and its responses.

An introduction to Earth as a complex system through examination of its atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, the interactions among these spheres, and of the human impacts on the planet and its responses.

An introduction to Earth as a complex system through examination of its atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, the interactions among these spheres, and of the human impacts on the planet and its responses.

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.

Many cities around the world, both large and small, have created climate action plans over the past few years. This course will outline aspects of the planning process including: decision factors for creating a plan, resourcing, outreach, communications, data and tracking, and execution. Students will leave the course with a clear understanding of how city level climate plans come together and are executed.

After four generations of explosive global trade growth, a growing awareness of climate change and other environmental externalities has triggered a global movement toward decarbonization, localization and re-shoring. ESG pressure from investors as well as carbon-related taxes, incentives and reporting requirements are driving operations and supply management to go green. However, lowering the carbon profile of global supply chains is a massive undertaking. This class teaches a proven sequence of management decision-making frameworks and optimization tools for eliminating carbon throughout the supply chain. Students will apply logistical and supply management models that integrate carbon objectives with cost, service level, and other conventional supply chain management objectives, making the course valuable for supply chain professionals and students alike. The combination of academic constructs and real-life case studies is designed to equip students to successfully lead their companies’ decarbonization programs. It also prepares students to take the optional REVchain™ supply chain decarbonization certificate exam.

According to a 2019 paper by Scott A. Kulp and Benjamin H. Strauss, published in Nature Communications, 230 million people worldwide occupy land that is less than 1 meter above current high tide. By 2100, land now home to 200 million people could sit permanently below the high tide line as a result of rising sea levels from heat-trapping pollution from human activities. Add to these coastal challenges the inherent flood risks in riverine and urban settings. How do we prepare and adapt? The class will explore the challenge of floodplain management in a changing climate through lectures, discussions, talks by guest experts, readings and multimedia. Our class will look at the United States National Flood Insurance Program, examine its goals, critique its 50-year plus history and debate reforms to the program at the same time the U.S. Congress is considering long overdo reauthorization of the program. We will look at resiliency efforts that states and local governments are pursuing and the new and evolving city- and state-level position of Chief Resiliency Officer. In class we will cover hazard mitigation planning, land use, hard and natural infrastructure, regulations, the Community Rating System and other issues pertaining to flooding and climate change, including social justice and public health issues. The class will have a field trip to the New Jersey coast to explore high tide flooding and adaptation measures being taken. Throughout the course, material will be introduced to aid the student in taking the Certified Floodplain Manager exam administered by the Association of State Floodplain Managers. This optional test, should the student pass, will provide credentialing that is well recognized throughout the United States and sought by government and the private sectors. While the course is heavily weighted in the United States, students are encouraged to introduce case studies, experiences, comparisons and ultimately consider focusing on countries, regions and locales that are outside the United States for the students Course Project.

Environmental Justice (EJ) mapping examines the intersection of environmental burdens and the vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by their harm. From redlining to the static maps that first showed the correlation between race and waste, and moving through to today's truly dynamic EJ mapping tools, The Principles of Mapping for Environmental Justice explores how mapping quite literally put EJ on the environmental movement landscape. This is not a GIS course, nor a course on EJ generally, but an examination into the core components that are inherent to EJ mapping principles. Come explore the indicators and methodologies used by federal, state and local governments and the policy they influence, such as President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

Conservationists were long accused of ignoring the needs of human communities. often been thought of as protecting land from people. Now, the conservation movement is embracing a different viewprotecting land with and for people. As a result innovative programs have been developed that connect people to nature, thereby helping to facilitate land conservation. This interdisciplinary course will integrate concepts in scientific method, study design, ecology, and conservation with a focus on birds in order to foster an understanding of how research can inform management of wildlife populations and communities. Topics will include wildlife management, habitat restoration, geographical information systems (GIS), sustainable agriculture, integrated land-use management, and vegetation analysis. This course will also provide opportunities for field research and application of techniques learned in the classroom.

The growing field of climate technology requires a multifaceted skill set anchored in a sound understanding of finance and policy. This course is designed for students interested in the climate economy seeking to gain functional proficiency in climate finance and policy. The course will cover four key areas of the climate economy from a finance and policy angle: electrification, carbon management, critical minerals & materials, and breakthrough technologies. The finance portion of the course will deliver a basic understanding of the financial reporting of companies within the given subsector, functionality of the relevant technologies, capital structure of relevant companies, and general business model of relevant companies. The policy portion of the course will deliver a basic understanding of the salient policies and issues facing companies in the aforementioned subsectors as well as sector wide headwinds and tailwinds catalyzed by policy. Throughout the course, students will build a financial model, business plan, and present their end deliverable in a shark tank format at the end of the course with observers drawn from the field to provide networking opportunities.